Impeachment related news and analysis

By artappraiser on Tue, 01/26/2021 - 1:52am |

From Ryan Goodman Former Special Counsel @DeptofDefense Co-editor-in-chief @just_security; Chaired Professor NYU Law; Former Chaired Professor Harvard Law; Co-director @RCLS_NYU

New videos (taken from Parler) show specific chain of events

Starts with: Trump’s statements to supporters about @Mike_Pence

Leads to: violent threats to the Vice President during siege of Capitol.

This is chilling.

Full 10-min video we produced is available @just_security. pic.twitter.com/3hXGWUzaHN
— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) January 25, 2021

17936 reads

Comments

1st 2 impeachment witnesses speak ;-)

Fauci and Birx wasted no time going in depth about just how dysfunctional the Trump White House’s coronavirus response was https://t.co/BmtldroDrz
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 25, 2021

by PeraclesPlease on Tue, 01/26/2021 - 3:17am

Full Just Security story with 10 min video

https://www.justsecurity.org/74335/fight-for-trump-video-evidence-of-inc...

by PeraclesPlease on Tue, 01/26/2021 - 3:19am

The lone five Republicans who voted with Democrats: Romney, Sasse, Collins, Murkowski and Toomey https://t.co/QEipHJEloJ
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 26, 2021

McConnell joins many Republicans in voting to keep alive the procedural motion to question the constitutionality of the trial proceedings. He sided with Rand Paul
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 26, 2021

by artappraiser on Tue, 01/26/2021 - 5:58pm

Per his office: "This evening, Senator Leahy was in his Capitol office and was not feeling well. He was examined in the Capitol by the Attending Physician. Out of an abundance of caution, the Attending Physician recommended that he be taken to a local hospital for observation"
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) January 26, 2021

Leahy is supposed to preside over Trump's second impeachment trial next month
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) January 26, 2021

by artappraiser on Tue, 01/26/2021 - 6:13pm

UPDATE via Leahy's spokesman: "After getting test results back, and after a thorough examination, Senator Leahy now is home. He looks forward to getting back to work.

"Patrick and Marcelle deeply appreciate the well wishes they have received tonight."
— Zach C. Cohen (@Zachary_Cohen) January 27, 2021

by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 01/27/2021 - 4:40am

So with 45 Republicans now on record saying that the impeachment trial is unconstitutional, that would seem to end much if any suspense over the outcome of the upcoming trial, right?
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) January 26, 2021

Mostly but not entirely. More damning evidence may emerge that would make a no vote more difficult. And some of those saying it is unconstitutional could stay away from the vote, making the 2/3rds threshold lower.
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) January 26, 2021

by artappraiser on Tue, 01/26/2021 - 7:13pm

If the GOP Senators declare that the process is not "constitutional", refusing to participate would be a censure of the House putting forth the articles in the first place. I can't find the place in the Constitution where such a censure is a thing. That absurdity is especially absurd after being sworn in as a jury. If they had an ounce of courage, refusing to participate would have forbade them from taking the oath.

by moat on Tue, 01/26/2021 - 8:19pm

Of course that's largely what they did last time, took the oath and abandoned duty to do the job seriously and faithfully.

by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 01/27/2021 - 1:56am

Since the GOP has checked out on the whole process, I would like to see the other half ram this through as quickly as possible. They have jobs cleaning up the mess left by the previous administration that require immediate attention.

Keep the rhetoric short and push the evidence in hand. When the quislings start to prevaricate, demand a vote. One and done.

by moat on Wed, 01/27/2021 - 9:01pm

If you wonder why more Republicans don’t vote against Trump, here is one reason:

⁦@RepDavidValadao⁩ voted to impeach Trump. Now he has 3 challengers for 2022
https://t.co/pkaIWX7vHY
— Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) January 27, 2021

by artappraiser on Wed, 01/27/2021 - 10:34pm

Bipartisan Senate duo crafts censure resolution that seeks to bar Trump from office

The senators say censuring Trump is optimal given GOP objections to impeachment.

By Trish Turner and Allison Pecorin Today, 5:44 PM EST @ ABCNews.com

[....] Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, are crafting a resolution to censure Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 riot that left five dead, including a Capitol police officer. But it is not just any censure resolution. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told reporters Tuesday that what Kaine and Collins are looking to do is “include the elements of the 14th Amendment that lead to disqualification from future office."

"That's intriguing to me and something I'm willing to look at. The bottom line here is we have to deliver accountability for the events of January 6,” Coons said.

That accountability -- through an impeachment trial, and a vote afterward to disqualify Trump from holding future office -- looked far less likely on Monday after 45 Republicans voted for a measure claiming that such a proceeding against a former president would be unconstitutional. Just five Republicans -- including Collins -- joined with Democrats in opposing the declaration, far short of the 67 votes needed to convict the president of “incitement of insurrection,” the charge in the House impeachment article.

Censure resolutions against presidents do not have the force of law but are a strong reprimand from one or both houses of Congress. It is unclear, however, what the possible inclusion of language from Section 3 of the 14th Amendment might mean [....]

by artappraiser on Wed, 01/27/2021 - 11:39pm

Cool, telling the weirdly paranoid disenfranchised that their leader is unwanted and disapproved of will do a heckuva lot of good. I bet Trump will even learn from that - Susan Collins may even sign in. BTW, the Bundy's are back.

by PeraclesPlease on Thu, 01/28/2021 - 1:29am

Excellent analysis from Stanford law professor Michael McConnell: https://t.co/0GFOOmn5xO pic.twitter.com/PiXKrwiTxQ
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) January 28, 2021

by artappraiser on Thu, 01/28/2021 - 5:40pm

McCarthy Error? MSNBC rickrolled, impeachment edition
(no one knows what goes on behind closed doors)

Someone PLEASE TELL ME what happened tonight on @11thHour with Brian Williams! pic.twitter.com/VjzwMPbtt2
— Douglass Sloan (@DougSloan) January 29, 2021

by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 01/29/2021 - 5:59am

Deep State? 1yr probation

Between the anger of the judge remanding the Pelosi squatter, and the resistance of the judge to overhyping the mistake Clinesmith made, the legal world ilseems to be returning to sanity.

Whether Congress follows suit is different story... But the impeachment evidence sure is gathering up.

Kevin Clinesmith Sentenced to a Year of Probationhttps://t.co/DwOmPfeWGl
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) January 29, 2021

by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 01/29/2021 - 12:56pm

NEW: Trump appears to be without a legal team as impeachment trial nears https://t.co/cOEo4OCDeu
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) January 31, 2021

In De-Nile? Or planning another raid? Or yugest genius gonna do a D.I.Y.?

by artappraiser on Sat, 01/30/2021 - 9:19pm

Dersh? Turley? Judge Jeanine? Avenatti?

Meanwhile, here are the scheduled events for Jan 6.

Only thing missing is "Wild River" (prolly too cold?) and chopping/dismembering exhibit.

Why won't anyone defend Donnie? He gave so much to us, and for *no pay*!!!

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 2:16am

Maggie says the latest is D.I.Y., believe it or not:

And here is a statement Trump has made to advisers almost verbatim > https://t.co/zktWOIrUD6
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 31, 2021

The actual statement is that he could do it himself and save the money.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 31, 2021

But no he isn’t going to the senate well, aides say
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 31, 2021

Bannon, who was talking to Trump ahead of his departure from DC and the day Trump went back and forth on pardoning him, is encouraging him to go to the senate himself. “He’s the only one who can sell it.”
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 31, 2021

by artappraiser on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 4:08am

Perjury trap?

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 5:12am

The Borowitz Report: Donald Trump bestowed the degree upon himself in his capacity as the dean of the Trump University School of Law, where he graduated first in his class. https://t.co/E6mc2zSUri
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) January 31, 2021

by artappraiser on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 2:36pm

Fake press reported it as being last.

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 2:42pm

Trump announces NEW impeachment legal team pic.twitter.com/HnIoByDM02
— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) January 31, 2021

lessee if they really got the stamina for abuse, how long will they last?

by artappraiser on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 6:19pm

This team?

by ocean-kat on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 6:26pm

now I am really confused, are these not relations of an infamous Dagblog member?

by artappraiser on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 6:34pm

He's got the law firm of Howard, Fine and Howard to work with, but with that Tom Cruz senator fella on his side, I'm betting on A Few Good Men repeat.

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 11:26pm

One of Trump's new impeachment lawyers met with Jeffrey Epstein in prison and told Fox he didn't believe he killed himself.

The other declined to prosecute Bill Cosby in 2005 for sexual assault, citing insufficient evidence. https://t.co/yEdhKfHfsW
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) February 1, 2021

by artappraiser on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 9:22pm

I think Omar is seeing the answer to "why do it?"

.@seanilling: What’s the biggest lesson for people like Cruz or Hawley…?@jasonintrator: That there are no restraints, no punishments, no accountability. That you can go much further than you ever thought possible in seizing power in the United States.https://t.co/zHOvCp2JBh
— Omar Wasow (@owasow) January 30, 2021

by artappraiser on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 7:04pm

now I see Wasow's been thinking on this for several days, where it fits in our history and how we operate, and including the possible remedies:

Striking how the outside-the-system vigilante wing of the far-right are being arrested and charged with serious crimes while inside-the-system elected officials who encouraged vigilante violence are living their best lives & have faced almost no social or political consequences.
— Omar Wasow (@owasow) January 30, 2021

What’s the professional price for endorsing violence against your political opponents and calling deadly school shootings ”‘false-flag’ operations”? A seat on the House education committee and continued support from many big donors. https://t.co/Vm7VVVSoeu
— Omar Wasow (@owasow) January 30, 2021

Drawing on research by @daschloz & @sam_rosenfeld, @ThePlumLineGS notes ”the GOP and conservative movement have allowed the boundary between fringe and mainstream to remain ‘porous’ going back through Joe McCarthy’s anti-communist crusades in the 1950s.” https://t.co/xRALApKeV8
— Omar Wasow (@owasow) January 30, 2021

Now, there are greater incentives for extremism & fewer costs. ”Donors are cheering on her continued false claims that Trump won, illustrating the perverse incentive facing newer members of Congress who find viral stardom in denying a legitimate election” https://t.co/Vm7VVVSoeu
— Omar Wasow (@owasow) January 30, 2021

How to create different incentives? As in other countries facing democratic erosion, broad pro-democracy movements can be a powerful check on anti-democratic forces. See @andrewmarantz’s prescient article highlighting @EricaChenoweth’s essential research. https://t.co/ALLuYjUQhA
— Omar Wasow (@owasow) January 30, 2021

by artappraiser on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 7:12pm

NYTimes gathers a team of 7 for the job of being the main prosecutors as the House is busy with other stuff and can't do a fancy job:

77 Days: Trump’s Campaign to Subvert the Election

Hours after the United States voted, the president declared the election a fraud — a lie that unleashed a movement that would shatter democratic norms and upend the peaceful transfer of power.

By Jim Rutenberg, Jo Becker, Eric Lipton, Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Martin, Matthew Rosenberg and Michael S. Schmidt @ NYTimes.com, Jan. 31, 202, Updated 7:46 p.m. ET

There is a lot in this article, but to me this passage about McConnell is the most blaring takeaway.

Republican lawmakers knew how absurd Trump’s fraud claims were, but allowed them to fester anyway — a calculation that eventually led to the Capitol riot. https://t.co/jzvrHPhc7Y pic.twitter.com/Dbz8fB4loG
— Gabe Fleisher (@WakeUp2Politics) February 1, 2021

by artappraiser on Sun, 01/31/2021 - 7:46pm

“The allegations about manipulated voting machines were ridiculously false, Barr added; the lawyers propagating them, led by Mr. Giuliani, were “clowns.”

“Mr. Trump paused, thought about it and said, “Maybe.” https://t.co/J798Fbp9ga
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) February 1, 2021

by artappraiser on Tue, 02/02/2021 - 5:04am

David Schoen, impeachment trial lawyer for Trump, on Hannity previews the defense: calls this impeachment a “very very dangerous road to take with respect to the First Amendment.”

Adds it’s “the most ill-advised legislative action I’ve ever seen in my lifetime”
— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) February 2, 2021

So often about money for Trump https://t.co/kOOtU8pYjk
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) February 2, 2021

by artappraiser on Tue, 02/02/2021 - 5:07am

Dems screw up 2nd impeachment?

(long thread)

This is unpersuasive, in part bc Congress ISN'T getting to the bottom of what happened and didn't in Impeachment 1.0.

Why not just let DOJ prosecute? pic.twitter.com/9VAATHfe6G
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) February 2, 2021

by PeraclesPlease on Tue, 02/02/2021 - 12:37pm

Trump's Brief defending himself in impeachment is so on-brand. It begins by addressing itself to the "Members of the Unites States Senate"
"https://t.co/MlR5t2KM5F
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) February 2, 2021

by artappraiser on Tue, 02/02/2021 - 1:37pm

'He invited us': Accused Capitol rioters blame Trump in novel legal defense https://t.co/2Sk1hYMZ20 via @Yahoo
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) February 2, 2021

by artappraiser on Wed, 02/03/2021 - 2:06am

New with @nytmike, David Schoen, Trump's new lawyer for the impeachment trial, suggests that some of those involved in the insurrection pre-planned their attack on the Capitol is a line of defense he will use https://t.co/mtGjjFkhSu
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 2, 2021

by artappraiser on Wed, 02/03/2021 - 4:02am

Can the senate set the impeachment rules so the vote is by secret ballot?

Seems to make a difference.
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 4, 2021

by artappraiser on Wed, 02/03/2021 - 9:07pm

If that was done to cover GOP rear ends, I think it would backfire. The Trumpsters would lap up the conspiratorial feast of wondering who the traitors were.

by moat on Wed, 02/03/2021 - 9:56pm

daring him to appear in person:

Former President Chickenshit won't do it.

He's impotent. Weak. Soft. Mentally incapable of defending himself.

Right, Donald? You can't do it, can you? https://t.co/32m3uVMKWG
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 4, 2021

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/04/2021 - 3:20pm

Taunting like it ought to be.

by moat on Thu, 02/04/2021 - 4:21pm

now this is quite the intriguing angle on it, especially given the cult's effect on our society:

The World Mental Health Coalition will be holding a special online national town hall, "The Imperative to Convict Trump," on Sunday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m. EST.
Speakers: @tribelaw @NormEisen @RWPUSA @GerryConnolly @COFinkelstein @ruthbenghiat & Dr. Bandy Lee.https://t.co/iIqWSx454i
— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) February 5, 2021

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/04/2021 - 10:52pm

Republican Accountability Project is doing an ad campaign to convict Trump in the home states of 22 Republican senators:

Republican senators must do the right thing and vote to convict Trump for inciting the attack on the Capitol, and to disqualify him from holding future office.

Some coverage of our $500k ad campaign in the home states of 22 Republican senators pic.twitter.com/cvxpZhVt2k
— The Republican Accountability Project (@AccountableGOP) February 5, 2021

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/05/2021 - 5:23pm

Cheney/Chris Wallace must-watch

"President Trump claimed for months that the election was stolen and then apparently set about to do everything he could to steal it himself – and that ended up in an attack on the Capitol." - Liz Cheney https://t.co/FYXcJJEb9E
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) February 7, 2021

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 02/07/2021 - 8:46pm

Stop the Football Steal, Trump edition (longer thread)

Frankly, we did win this game. So our goal now is to ensure the integrity for the good of this nation. This is a very big moment. This is a major fraud in our nation. So we’ll be going to Canton. We were up 3-0, and they just kept playing, and we wanted it to stop.
— Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) February 8, 2021

by PeraclesPlease on Mon, 02/08/2021 - 9:32am

Biden definitely staying out of it:

I think White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said about a half-dozen times today that the administration is focused on covid relief, not the impeachment proceedings
— Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) February 8, 2021

by artappraiser on Mon, 02/08/2021 - 12:55pm

Frankly it's a matter for Congress - would be unseemly and counterproductive to get involved.

by PeraclesPlease on Mon, 02/08/2021 - 2:48pm

I'm certainly happy with the decision.

by artappraiser on Mon, 02/08/2021 - 3:03pm

If you click through you will see that they found online evidence that this particular Boogaloo was sympathetic to BLM causes. This guy claims he did not take part in storming the Capitol though.

But overall, what this shows is defense intent to find examples of the silly stuff that we have heard on on Fox News, et. al. that what they call "antifa" infiltrators caused all the agitation to violence, that it wasn't Trump's words that inspired violence:

Trump's impeachment defense memo actually cites a Gateway Pundit article about "boogaloo boy" Mike Dunn as evidence that Trump did not inspire the Capitol Insurrection.

Dunn has since said he was in DC, but not the Capitol building, on J6.https://t.co/rt9sFzh96M pic.twitter.com/yYRnfLZq22
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) February 8, 2021

by artappraiser on Mon, 02/08/2021 - 7:40pm

a reminder that impeachment is not necessarily about criminal behavior or speech:

Trump’s First Amendment rights don’t matter for his impeachment trial, @IlyaSomin writes in @PostEverything https://t.co/hqvXLC0Fqq PostOpinions
— Dr. Joseph Frusci (@JFrusci) February 9, 2021

by artappraiser on Mon, 02/08/2021 - 9:20pm

.@RepLizCheney destroys Trump in Fox interview

“We have never seen that kind of an assault by a president of the United States on another branch of government, and that can never happen again” https://t.co/6NZqrtBrCJ pic.twitter.com/xwtveiDrr4
— Peter Wade (@brooklynmutt) February 7, 2021

by artappraiser on Tue, 02/09/2021 - 12:21am

Rep. Adam Kinzinger op-ed @ WaPo: My fellow Republicans, convicting Trump is necessary to save America, Feb. 8

Winston Churchill famously said, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” All Americans, but especially my fellow Republicans, should remember this wisdom during the Senate’s trial of former president Donald Trump.

I say this as a lifelong Republican who voted to impeach Trump last month. Virtually all my colleagues on the right side of the aisle took the opposite path. Most felt it was a waste of time — political theater that distracted from bigger issues. The overwhelming majority of Senate Republicans appear to feel the same way about conviction.

But this isn’t a waste of time. It’s a matter of accountability. If the GOP doesn’t take a stand, the chaos of the past few months, and the past four years, could quickly return. The future of our party and our country depends on confronting what happened — so it doesn’t happen again.

The immediate cause for Trump’s impeachment was Jan. 6. But the president’s rally and resulting riot on Capitol Hill didn’t come out of nowhere. They were the result of four-plus years of anger, outrage and outright lies. Perhaps the most dangerous lie — or at least the most recent — was that the election was stolen. Of course it wasn’t, but a huge number of Republican leaders encouraged the belief that it was. Every time that lie was repeated, the riots of Jan. 6 became more likely.

Even now, many Republicans refuse to admit what happened. They continue to feed anger and resentment among the people. On Jan. 6, that fury led to the murder of a Capitol Police officer and the deaths of four other Americans. If that rage is still building, where does it go from here?

Impeachment offers a chance to say enough is enough. It ought to force every American, regardless of party affiliation, to remember not only what happened on Jan. 6, but also the path that led there. After all, the situation could get much, much worse — with more violence and more division that cannot be overcome. The further down this road we go, the closer we come to the end of America as we know it [....]

by artappraiser on Tue, 02/09/2021 - 12:52am

Capitol riot suspect Jacob Chansley, known as the "QAnon Shaman," says in a statement that former Pres. Trump "was not honorable."

"What he said day in, day out, that we all permitted, included untruths... out and out lies," says Albert Watkins, Chansley's attorney. pic.twitter.com/L1QqkKL2Qu
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) February 9, 2021

by artappraiser on Tue, 02/09/2021 - 1:16am

"...20 minutes before Trump finishes he will then let you out to go lead the crowd... and that indeed happened."

-Alex Jones pic.twitter.com/ZJUph8zCLm
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) February 9, 2021

Last October, Senate juror Lindsey Graham was at Trump International with Florida Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs.

72 hours earlier, Trump had told the Proud Boys to "stand by."

Biggs' response: "He basically said to go f—k them up! this makes me so happy." https://t.co/AmaQ5DIMkE
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) February 8, 2021

by PeraclesPlease on Tue, 02/09/2021 - 2:28am

Hang my client, please? Anyone understand what the heck he is going after here, I haven't been following it at all until now.

Trump's impeachment lawyer says American voters were 'smart enough to pick a new administration' https://t.co/y3NQN6nyaa businessinsider
— Dr. Joseph Frusci (@JFrusci) February 9, 2021

by artappraiser on Tue, 02/09/2021 - 4:41pm

comments on overall Castor performance from some who did watch--guess the Business Insider headline was just a minor part of the shtick:

Initially Schoen was a better speaker (more prepared) than Castor -- but went on way too long and hard to follow his arguments. https://t.co/iU45lLD3h2
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) February 9, 2021

and nastier and more unpleasant
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) February 9, 2021

Very nasty and even threatening. I mean he was suggesting a second civil war if Trump impeached.
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) February 9, 2021

by artappraiser on Tue, 02/09/2021 - 5:09pm

ah, yes, historical revisionism, makes perfect sense now, synchs totally with his being the first Post Modern president, what they are doing is making up a new story for the history books:

Understandably, the president’s lawyers are not particularly eager to discuss what happened on January 6. https://t.co/fFQv4oQlrM newrepublic
— Dr. Joseph Frusci (@JFrusci) February 9, 2021

by artappraiser on Tue, 02/09/2021 - 5:26pm

Longer JustSecurity timeline

https://www.justsecurity.org/74622/stopthesteal-timeline-of-social-media...

by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 10:53am

Good one:

Twitter has been more effective at punishing Trump than Senate Republicans.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) February 10, 2021

by artappraiser on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 12:10pm

Republicans want to ride Trump into the next election - they're scared of him and his true believers. Punish? They want to exalt.

by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 12:18pm

Yes, but, the tweet really made me think: Twitter just cut him off because of certain very specific behavior. He's still there, he can talk to the media, he can still do other political things. That if they were smart, there are ways they can agree with certain parts of what appealed about him to followers while punishing behavior. That they are selling out a whole political party for the skills of a narcissist demagogue.If you look at it from the perspective of a Lincoln Project member, it just seems lazy and crazy, as if they had no one else who can appeal to all these voters. When they started out in 2016, all hating him and they just let him take over!

by artappraiser on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 12:37pm

P.S. Romney is such a good comparison. He just shrugs it off when he has some Trumpie hecklers at the airport, he has confidence in self and that his constituents mostly trust him to take care of them. It's really just insane to cower in fear of Trump if you have any self-confidence, he's just a man, not a god. And Senators need to stop thinking like House members.

by artappraiser on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 12:43pm

I think the intimidation is physical - one of these nuts can come out anywhere, and it could get quite worse. It's kind of amazing it hasn't get 10-15,000 nuts together..

by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 1:02pm

True, but this whole thing is how you stop that! The founders gave them the same power that Jack Dorsey has. It's: are you a mouse or a man? You want to live like this for the rest of your career? There's 50 of you and one of him, for chrissakes. You want to live in a civilization or a jungle? RULE OF LAW. Start sending the message: rule of law for everyone, "lock em up" if they don't agree.

by artappraiser on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 1:14pm

powerful righteous men, not meese:

Congress needs to make sure that no future President can ever abuse his or her vast powers to cling to the Presidency, even if he or she is turned out by American voters.
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) February 10, 2021

by artappraiser on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 1:16pm

Maybe can hire Pussy Riot to give seminars in being ballsy.

by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 1:20pm

Interesting fine point on populist demagoguery I just ran across here, just reiterates for me why we have a Senate in the founders design, that's what they are there for, that's their main raison d'etre, to counteract when this happens, the House is for the rabble and they are supposed to be the elite grownups who keep it from spinning out of control when some of "the masses" go off the rails

One small data point I didn't include in my @monthly voting rights deep dive https://t.co/cwI96qDEje

What's the greatest example of same-day registration upending an election?

Answer: Jesse Ventura's '98 MN Gov win

...
— Bill Scher (@billscher) February 10, 2021

...the former wrestler won with a 37% plurality thanks to young wrestling fans taking advantage of same-day registration.

An estimated 70% of Ventura's vote came from same-day registrants https://t.co/LOz2IWyqAG

...
— Bill Scher (@billscher) February 10, 2021

...Ventura ran on a third-party ticket and was not easy to peg ideologically (radical centrist/anti-establishment is how I'd put it). But same-day registration allowed non-voters captivated by a charismatic figure to determine the outcome.

In other words...
— Bill Scher (@billscher) February 10, 2021

We don't have a "one man, one vote" simple democracy where demagogues can rule the day, we have a republic....

‘A republic, if you can keep it’: Did Ben Franklin really say Impeachment Day’s favorite quote?

Here’s the history behind the quote.

by artappraiser on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 1:43pm

A few to many "theys" but assume you mean the GOP mostly. But I don't think they want to punish anything. Any behavior by Repubs is fine as long as it's owning or shocking the libs. There's simply not a lot of principle left - i guess passing certain legislation or appointing more judges, but does that really get them across the River Jordan, and is that a real goal, or simply a well-worn prop they don't take theologically/literally? I mean, do they really think Jesus is pro-2nd Amendment and Reagan would be happy with Trump deficit/debt?

by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 12:59pm

Twitter to uphold permanent ban on Trump, even if running for office

Twitter has the First Amendment right to prevent use of its platform to incite violence, and they have done the right thing here. No more @RealDonaldTrump.https://t.co/eHhjuwls80
— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) February 11, 2021

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/11/2021 - 1:28am

very talented retired veteran reporter of war and foreign civil unrest still worrying about "the troops":

i hope officer goodman is getting support from his command & has readily available mental health care. he deserves the gratitude & accolades. but this kind of public profile can be hard to bear; it can be disorienting, draining, damaging. here’s hoping someone has the man’s back.
— C.J. Chivers (@cjchivers) February 11, 2021

by artappraiser on Wed, 02/10/2021 - 7:18pm

Wow.

Orange dot = Mike Pence

Blue dot = Eugene Goodman

Red Dot = Mob

Hero. Full stop. pic.twitter.com/hFgrXmVM5R
— Angry Staffer (@Angry_Staffer) February 10, 2021

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/11/2021 - 3:05am

Biden is trying to walk a disciplined line regarding comments on the impeachment trial. The trial itself is helping keeping focus off Biden and on the Republicans' fracture, a boon to the White House. @anniekarni and me https://t.co/a3xEZkJXoW
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 12, 2021

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/11/2021 - 11:40pm

Impeachment related news and analysis

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