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GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#290551: Sep 20th 2019 at 7:15:58 AM

I wonder if his anti-Obama drive is payback for Obama's Lion King gag, mocking birtherism when Trump was literally in the room?

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
RedSavant Since: Jan, 2001
#290552: Sep 20th 2019 at 7:26:13 AM

In all seriousness, most likely, yes.

It's been fun.
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#290553: Sep 20th 2019 at 7:31:21 AM

So apparently Giuliani went apeshit on Cuomo's show last night re: the Ukraine scandal.

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#290554: Sep 20th 2019 at 7:34:48 AM

De Blasio has officially dropped out.

TitanJump Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Singularity
#290555: Sep 20th 2019 at 7:34:56 AM

[up][up]Saw it too.

(ended up laughing out loud and facepalming at the same time.)

He just confessed to a highly (if not the textbook example) impeachable crime committed by Donald Trump right then and there...

...How can congress not impeach him at this point!?

Edited by TitanJump on Sep 20th 2019 at 4:35:10 PM

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#290556: Sep 20th 2019 at 7:40:45 AM

Because Republicans

Edited by sgamer82 on Sep 20th 2019 at 8:40:56 AM

ShadowWingLG Since: Dec, 2013
#290557: Sep 20th 2019 at 7:46:07 AM

Cuz his purpose as a useful idiot to the Evil Turtle is worth more than the integrity of the country it seems.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#290558: Sep 20th 2019 at 7:52:21 AM

...How can congress not impeach him at this point!?

Because many Democrats remain unconvinced that being acquitted by the Senate will hurt Trump.

"Sandwiches are probably easier to fix than the actual problems" -Hylarn
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#290559: Sep 20th 2019 at 7:56:36 AM

GOP Senators are lacking in...everything, really. So they won't vote against Trump in impeachment no matter what.

Disgusted, but not surprised
TitanJump Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Singularity
#290560: Sep 20th 2019 at 7:58:27 AM

But the issue here is that if isn't impeached for this (or any of the other corrupt business he has done as a president), then why on earth does even the mere concept of impeachment exist in the constitution if the bar to invoke it is raised up into other space where it can never be invoked?

Doesn't this risk to undermine one of the guard-rails set by the founders for the rule of law in this country which was founded to escape the rule of a "monarch/autocrat" in favor for an independent government ruled by its people?

Edited by TitanJump on Sep 20th 2019 at 4:59:08 PM

Fighteer MOD Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#290561: Sep 20th 2019 at 7:59:05 AM

Oh, look, another impeachment argument.

Edited by Fighteer on Sep 20th 2019 at 11:00:19 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#290562: Sep 20th 2019 at 8:01:23 AM

It's a constitutional crisis/breakdown at the most charitable reading. The Senate has committed itself to aiding and abetting criminal action by the President, effectively rendering him immune to it. There is nothing against that except voting him out of office because the government is not set up for a wholesale The Illuminati conspiracy of half the Federal government to side with a man serving a foreign power, perjuring himself, obstructing, and otherwise displaying gross criminal behavior.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#290563: Sep 20th 2019 at 8:05:48 AM

then why on earth does even the mere concept of impeachment exist in the constitution

Put quite simply, impeachment is a political process first and foremost, not a criminal one.

Congress isn’t required to impeach a president if he commits crimes. They choose to impeach.

Edited by archonspeaks on Sep 20th 2019 at 8:08:13 AM

They should have sent a poet.
TitanJump Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Singularity
#290564: Sep 20th 2019 at 8:07:29 AM

[up] Even if his crimes threatens the country and its people as a whole?

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#290565: Sep 20th 2019 at 8:10:58 AM

[up] Yep, even then. Whether or not to impeach is solely up to the discretion of the House of Representatives.

Like I said, it’s a political process, not a criminal one.

They should have sent a poet.
Robrecht Your friendly neighbourhood Regent from The Netherlands Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
Your friendly neighbourhood Regent
#290566: Sep 20th 2019 at 8:12:28 AM

Unlike, say, the District Attorney who is ethically obligated to pursue any crime they are aware of, even if it's done by someone they like or if they don't think the crime is morally objectionable, Congress has no ethical obligation to pursue impeachment.

Whether they have a moral obligation is up to one's personal opinion.

Edited by Robrecht on Sep 20th 2019 at 5:12:42 PM

Angry gets shit done.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#290567: Sep 20th 2019 at 8:16:41 AM

There are two ways under the Constitution to remove a sitting President: impeachment and the 25th Amendment.

Impeachment requires a majority vote by the House and conviction requires a two-thirds vote by the Senate. That's it. It's not a judicial process; it's a political one. If not enough Members of Congress decide to do it, it doesn't happen.

The 25th Amendment provides a mechanism by which the executive officers (i.e., the Cabinet) may declare the President incapable of discharging the duties of the office. This is intended for use in situations of infirmity, and the President may apply to Congress for reinstatement once they are fit again. It has never been used for an "internal coup", and seems unlikely to be in this case. It is also unclear whether "acting" Cabinet members have the authority to initiate a proceeding, and so Trump could forestall it simply by not confirming anyone to those posts.

Absent the above? Vote him out.

Edited by Fighteer on Sep 20th 2019 at 11:19:33 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
thok That's Dr. Title, thank you! (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Non-Canon
That's Dr. Title, thank you!
#290568: Sep 20th 2019 at 8:17:11 AM

On impeachment, the Founding Fathers didn't really anticipate political parties when writing the Constitution (the 12th Amendment being needed as an Obvious Rule Patch to fix Presidential election is another example of this). They certainly didn't anticipate a rogue President with a political party behind him making impeachment impossible.

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#290569: Sep 20th 2019 at 8:25:04 AM

[up] Political factions already existed in the US when the Constitution was written. The Founders didn’t particularly like them, but they were definitely anticipated at the very least.

Edited by archonspeaks on Sep 20th 2019 at 8:25:45 AM

They should have sent a poet.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#290570: Sep 20th 2019 at 8:26:46 AM

Washington was the only Independent President for a reason. Political parties started forming pretty much right after he left office for good, much to his irritation.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#290571: Sep 20th 2019 at 8:59:21 AM

They formed while he was in office. They were much more informal than today, but the factions started forming as soon as the Constitution left the convention to be ratified, mostly over whether the Constitution should be ratified at all.

Washington was technically an independent but he's always listed as a "de facto Federalist" for a reason. Popular history calls Hamilton the leader of the party and that Washington just happened to agree with his policies, but in reality most of the marching orders came from Washington himself. He just understood the importance of maintaining the veneer of being above it all to keep the country united.

DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#290572: Sep 20th 2019 at 9:06:42 AM

[up] They actually formed during the Constitutional Creation Process; the Democrats (now referred to as the Democratic-Republicans) were the Anti-Federalists that were worried about a super powerful Federal Government impeding on the rights of States, and were the main pushers of the Bill of Rights in order to support the Constitution.

Robrecht Your friendly neighbourhood Regent from The Netherlands Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
Your friendly neighbourhood Regent
#290573: Sep 20th 2019 at 9:09:57 AM

Does anyone want me to one-up this by pointing out that the parties pre-date independence as there was some level of self-governance as well as adherence to the parties of the home country in the colonies?

Angry gets shit done.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#290574: Sep 20th 2019 at 9:12:35 AM

[up][up]Essentially, factions have kind of always been a thing in the USA.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Ultimatum Disasturbator from Second Star to the left (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Disasturbator
#290575: Sep 20th 2019 at 9:17:25 AM

ergo,creating a country without factions is impossible,even if you don't have a royal family or nobility you'll still have powerful groups of people coming together because of a common interest

New theme music also a box

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