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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#265876: Jan 5th 2019 at 11:31:27 PM

@Silas; If Trump is not elected in the next election, there's legally nothing he can do to stay in office, even if they do have to drag him out. For my part, I think it more likely he'll say a bunch of stupid stuff on Twitter but still leave without causing anyone to literally have to kick him out. In any case, I very much doubt that any future president will be eager to repeat his behavior, so I think you're being a bit hyperbolic about "the end to the peaceful transfer of power" there. It's not like what he does have to stain everything forever. That's giving him far more influence over the world than he deserves, and he's already got more than he deserves.

Oh boy page topper.

Edited by AceofSpades on Jan 5th 2019 at 1:31:42 PM

Hylarn (Don’t ask)
#265877: Jan 6th 2019 at 12:18:49 AM

If Trump is not elected in the next election, there's legally nothing he can do to stay in office, even if they do have to drag him out. For my part, I think it more likely he'll say a bunch of stupid stuff on Twitter but still leave without causing anyone to literally have to kick him out.

Blustering for a bit and then giving up when it doesn't work does indeed appear to be his default... but Fox News has been shown to be able to prevent the giving up part. If Trump's cult of personality ends up buying his bullshit I think the transfer of power could go very poorly

Oruka Since: Dec, 2018
#265878: Jan 6th 2019 at 1:19:03 AM

The Siege of the White House, huh?

Is there any way to shut Fox News down, that complies with the First Amendment?

Edited by Oruka on Jan 6th 2019 at 1:20:05 AM

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#265879: Jan 6th 2019 at 1:35:41 AM

Best bet is to go after their sources of funding.

No way they aren't getting something from the Russians are aren't dodging taxea

Oh really when?
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#265880: Jan 6th 2019 at 5:21:47 AM

@Ace my statement would be less hyperbolic if you hadn’t edited it. Maybe ad back in the word you removed?

But yes I expect that Trump will have to be removed by force, I’m sure that the secret service will be able to do it quietly and discreetly, though I expect Trump to try and do dangerous things (like start a war, though he will be told no) before settling for doing incredibly petty things small things (I’m talking literal shit on the walls kinda stuff).

That’s assuming it gets that far, when narcicisists snap it’s not pretty, if Trump looses in 2020 he might snap and end up trying something crazy enough that he gets 25thed for the transition.

Edited by Silasw on Jan 6th 2019 at 1:22:16 PM

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#265881: Jan 6th 2019 at 5:57:30 AM

So, I've come across a third theory regarding the Democrats and impeaching Trump: They may be trying to bait him into committing an impeachable offense. After all, the case against him, legally speaking, is quite weak (really, they only have him on those two campaign payoffs). By antagonizing him with supeanas and investigations, they may be hoping he will act impulsively and do something they can nail him for.

Or not, YMMV.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#265882: Jan 6th 2019 at 6:04:24 AM

[up]Attempting to use presidential emergency powers to steamroll over representative democracy is a little on the "impeach yesterday" list of governmental no-nos, yes.

DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#265883: Jan 6th 2019 at 6:10:05 AM

Well, no. If he does that, it will be legal, hence, not impeachable. He could, however, face lawsuits that would tie up the funding basically forever. Since that money would have to come from existing military projects, there would also be a lot of resistance from his own party. It would make the attempt to repeal Obamacare look like a well-considered strategy.

Edited by DeMarquis on Jan 6th 2019 at 9:14:15 AM

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#265884: Jan 6th 2019 at 7:10:08 AM

The issue isn't that Trump hasn't committed impeachable offenses. He's committed several.

It's that the Republicans won't approve the Senate part.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#265885: Jan 6th 2019 at 7:54:47 AM

Just a reminder: That Trump won at all was not some overwhelming victory, it was literally all the stars aligning paired with widespread voter manipulation and repression. The Democrats are currently fighting against the latter, and the votes which Trump has lost are already enough that he won't get the slim majorities which handed him the electoral college again.

The average American voter might be stupid (or at least the ones who fall for Trump are), but the majority is not THAT stupid. Trump will be voted out during the next election.

While I completely agree that Trump's victory was implausible and if anyone could be a one term President it'd be him I think it's a mistake to assume that he can't win come 2020, implausible things can happen repeatedly and our nation is partisan enough that you'd probably have to be dead or a maniac to have no chance of victory.

We should not overestimate Trump's chance of victory but by the same merit we shouldn't assume it cannot happen.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jan 6th 2019 at 10:55:10 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#265886: Jan 6th 2019 at 7:59:33 AM

The Public Blamed Trump For The Shutdown — But That May Be Changing

That makes sense. Not negotiating with terrorists is an important policy to have in the long run but the immediate short-term consequence is to make you look heartless and cruel. People have an aversion to conflict that makes it very easy to wind up looking like the bad guy for drawing out that conflict, regardless of who started it.

On a kneejerk emotional level, people want to negotiate with terrorists. In a vacuum, thinking only of the here and now, it's easy to say, "Just give them what they want. People's lives are in jeopardy! What kind of sick monster do you have to be to not just do what it takes to end this right now?"

Consequentially, a certain amount of public opinion turning against the Democrats is to be expected here. There are going to be plenty of people saying, "Would you just give him his f*cking wall so that we can have our government back?! My god, this could be solved TODAY if the Democrats weren't so f*cking stubborn!"

That's expected. But we need to be willing to endure it. If we give in, then we make asses of ourselves in the public eye for nothing. This is the first major act of defiance against the Trump regime from the newly-elected Democratic House. It will set the stage for the next two years, and it must not end in us ultimately conceding defeat and accepting the Republican mandate.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#265887: Jan 6th 2019 at 8:01:37 AM

[up] Well said [awesome]

If we give in then we clearly signal that holding the nation hostage is a workable tactic, and once that door is open it will never be closed.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jan 6th 2019 at 11:02:09 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#265888: Jan 6th 2019 at 8:03:13 AM

[up] Mitch Mc Connell should be blamed honestly, since he refuses to let anything even come for a vote in the Senate.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#265889: Jan 6th 2019 at 8:08:19 AM

Mitch Mc Connell should be blamed honestly, since he refuses to let anything even come for a vote in the Senate.

That's more or less what's happening.

51% Disapprove of Democrat's handling of the shutdown.

33% Approve of Democrat's handling of the shutdown.


58% Disapprove of the Republican's handling of the shutdown.

25% Approve of the Republican's handling of the shutdown.

It seems that people are just angry with Congress in general, which isn't really unusual. Everyone hates Congress while loving their representative.

It's annoying that people are blaming Democrats at all but in this case, the public's lack of long-term memory is actually a good thing. There's no real reason to believe that standing firm against Trump's depredations will hurt us in any real way.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jan 6th 2019 at 11:08:48 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#265890: Jan 6th 2019 at 9:35:44 AM

Everyone keeps assuming Trump was a miracle of circumstance but he is literally the ideal Tea Party candidate. The Tea Party seized a lot of Republican seats and has a much more motivated base than the Republicans in general.

He's not a fly by night but something that has been building for years.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/09/07/how-the-tea-party-paved-the-way-for-donald-trump/?utm_term=.e100d0332229

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jan 6th 2019 at 9:37:12 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#265891: Jan 6th 2019 at 9:52:51 AM

I don't think that anyone was expecting that Trump would be that person, though.

(I remember a post by Fighteer back in 2012 here about Trump but I can't find it, can anyone?)

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#265892: Jan 6th 2019 at 10:11:36 AM

The Tea Party was founded by hate of the Republican Party not being extreme enough and being too "elitist" (just like the dirty Democrats!). Trump just took the language and ran with it. It was always anti-corporatist language in the service of corporations.

So Trump was a perfect storm as its figurehead.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#265893: Jan 6th 2019 at 10:32:33 AM

I will point out that corporatism does not refer to rule by or in favor of corporations, that would be corporatocracy.

Rather corporatism refers to the economic and political arrangement of society alongside the lines of interest groups such as the scientific establishment, military, unions, etc. The prefix -corpus (or human body) in its name refers to the objective of achieving harmony through aligned interests, not anything that is specifically connected with for-profit entities.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jan 6th 2019 at 1:34:40 PM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#265894: Jan 6th 2019 at 11:46:48 AM

Snerk:

In a bold gambit to end the government shutdown, the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said on Saturday that she would bypass Donald J. Trump and negotiate directly with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

“I owe it to the American people to bring this shutdown to the swiftest possible conclusion, and so I’m avoiding the middleman,” she said.

Pelosi, who is scheduled to board a plane to Moscow Saturday night, said that she had not informed Trump of her plans to deal directly with Putin. “Whatever,” she said.

In an official statement, Putin said that he welcomed Pelosi’s overture and shared her desire to end the shutdown. “At some point, I’d like to visit Yellowstone,” he said.

A moment of levity for our current unpleasant situation.

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#265895: Jan 6th 2019 at 12:14:57 PM

Quick, someone tweet this at Trump so we can watch him explode!

Edited by MarqFJA on Jan 6th 2019 at 11:15:16 PM

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#265896: Jan 6th 2019 at 12:25:51 PM

Putin: No. Wall go up.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#265897: Jan 6th 2019 at 12:26:21 PM

Alternative:

Trump Tweet: MORE EVIDENCE OF THE DEMOCRATS COLLUSION WITH RUSSIA.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
MrHellboy The Shadow from A world of my own Since: Dec, 2017 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
The Shadow
#265898: Jan 6th 2019 at 12:31:55 PM

Guys, realistically, how long can this go on? Do you really think the Republicans will let the government be shutdown for months or years?

Edited by MrHellboy on Jan 6th 2019 at 2:32:14 PM

The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#265899: Jan 6th 2019 at 12:35:32 PM

No, once foodstamps run out and tax returns won't go out they'll have to crack.

Oh really when?
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#265900: Jan 6th 2019 at 12:36:15 PM

Guys, realistically, how long can this go on? Do you really think the Republicans will let the government be shutdown for months or years?

Mitch has literally prevented programs so hungry children can eat in Kentucky. He is the head of the Republican party.

http://www.farmworldonline.com/News/NewsArticle.asp?newsid=16487

He has tried to make it so this crisis gets worse, opiods continue to be freely available, alternatives get smashed, and any medical coverage that's free is denied.

....

What part of this crisis do you think will cause him to change his mind?

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.

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