Nov 2023 Mod notice:
There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.
If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations
and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines
before posting here.
Rumor-based, fear-mongering and/or inflammatory statements that damage the quality of the thread will be thumped. Off-topic posts will also be thumped. Repeat offenders may be suspended.
If time spent moderating this thread remains a distraction from moderation of the wiki itself, the thread will need to be locked. We want to avoid that, so please follow the forum rules
when posting here.
In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.
Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
I'm probably the least qualified to speculate on this of all this thread's regular contributors, but I'd say less than the chances of the Russia-related impeachment hearings going forward.
> So what are the chances of this going anywhere?
It will somewhere no doubt,like it might come very close it won't succeed unless they unite the entire house against Trump.
So the chances:Slim,boarding on 'no chance,depending on which way the wind in Washington in blowing'
have a listen and have a link to my discord serverThe House has enough Democrats to impeach. The Senate will not convict. So it's a political stunt with no future. End of conversation.
Edited by Fighteer on Jul 15th 2019 at 2:58:47 PM
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"It's not a political stunt with no future yet. Right now it's another voice to the growing movement demanding a political stunt with no future.
And I say that as someone who actually wants the stunt.
Edited by TobiasDrake on Jul 15th 2019 at 1:11:04 PM
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.And I say that as someone who actually wants the stunt.
Bingo, what matters is whether or not more Democrats join the call and push Pelosi to reconsider her position.
And I say this as someone who doesn't want the stunt
I can guess what would actually get the republicans to convict: Trump doing something genuinely helpful for minorities. Of course, such a thing will never happen.
My musician pageTo be fair, one major argument made by the supporters of impeachment is that impeachment will involve the dirty laundry of Trump and his administration being clearly shown in a very high visible manner and thus when the Republicans inevitably squash it voters will punish them in the election.
It's not an argument I entirely buy but it's not reliant on Republicans impeaching Trump.
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangI'm going to paraphrase a comment I saw about impeachment (may have been from here actually): We all know the Republicans will abort impeachment in the Senate. This is a reflection of their character. Regardless of that fact, however, failure to even attempt impeachment is a reflection of Democrats' behavior.
That said, while it would ideally* happen sooner than later, so as to prevent as much further damage from being done as possible, it is genuinely worth considering the impact that an impeachment attempt would have on the now active primary. It may be more tactically sound to delay impeachment until the general election, so that the people can make the best and most informed decision possible regarding the Democratic nominee (Warren), who could then go on to thoroughly destroy Trump on the debate stage while he simultaneously has to defend himself from the House.
PSN ID: FateSeraph | Switch friendcode: SW-0145-8835-0610 Congratulations! She/They
As if anyone would expect differently at this point. Trump is proof-positive that The Unfettered would be absolutely appalling outside of fiction.
And his argument (if one could even call it that) made me think of Al Franken's line from Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.
Edited by ironballs16 on Jul 15th 2019 at 4:56:18 AM
"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"Crossposting from the Wikileaks thread; a CNN report (via security documents and footage) on Assange's use of the Ecuadorian embassy to interfere with the 2016 election.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/15/politics/assange-embassy-exclusive-documents/index.html
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/07/15/day-907/
https://apnews.com/728ada1e918a482c9e9b1f3e24937caa
https://www.vox.com/2019/7/15/20694616/donald-trump-racist-tweets-omar-aoc-tlaib-pressley
2/ Trump denied that his racist tweets were racist, insisting that "If you're not happy here, then you can leave." Earlier, Trump accused the four congresswomen of "spewing" "racist hatred" and that "many people" agree with his view that they "hate our country." (CNN / The Guardian / Buzz Feed News / New York Times / Washington Post)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/15/politics/donald-trump-racist-tweets-democrats/
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/15/politics/treasury-secretary-steven-mnuchin-trump-tweets-reaction/
3/ The four congresswomen condemned Trump's racist tweets, calling them "the agenda of white nationalists" and "a continuation of his racist and xenophobic playbook." During a press conference, Rep. Pressley responded to Trump's comments, saying: "Our squad is big. Our squad includes any person committed to building a more equitable and just world, and that is the work that we want to get back to and given the size of this squad and this great nation, we cannot, we will not be silenced." Trump – again – attacked the four congresswomen in a series of tweets, saying, "IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY HERE, YOU CAN LEAVE." (Washington Post / CNN / CNN / CBS News)
4/ House Democrats are drafting a resolution to condemn Trump's racist tweets. Pelosi said Trump "went beyond his own low standards using disgraceful language" and implored House Republicans to vote with Democrats to condemn Trump's language. (Politico)
5/ Trump's threats of mass ICE raids and deportations failed to materialize on Sunday, marking the second time Trump has threatened large-scale ICE enforcement actions that never came to fruition. ICE would not confirm any arrests. Trump, however, claimed that "The ICE raids were very successful — people came into our country illegally, illegally. Many, many were taken out on Sunday, you just didn't know about it." (NPR / Washington Post / Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/15/trump-ice-raids-1416128
6/ The Trump administration moved to end asylum protections for most Central American migrants. The new rule would require asylum-seeking immigrants who pass through a third country on their way to the U.S. to first apply for refugee status in that country rather than at the U.S. border. The rule is expected to go into effect on Tuesday, and would also apply to children who have crossed the border by themselves. The only exceptions are for people who were trafficked, people who pass through a country that isn't a party to one of the major international refugee treaties, and people who sought asylum in a country on the way to the U.S. but were denied. (NPR / Associated Press)
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-central-americans-asylum-protections-20190715-story.html
7/ Trump is considering firing Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross after the attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census failed. Trump has expressed frustration with Ross in the past over failed trade negotiations, but Ross' personal friendship with Trump has saved him. Ross may still be in the clear now that Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned last week, but some White House officials expect Ross to be gone as soon as this summer. Trump is reportedly making calls to allies outside the White House and musing about replacing Ross. (CNBC / NBC News)
8/ At Trump's request, Kellyanne Conway will ignore a House Oversight Committee subpoena and refuse to testify about a government watchdog's findings that she violated the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in politics during work. (Washington Post / Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/15/kellyanne-conway-subpoena-oversight-hearing-1416132
Puerto Rico is having a series of protests.
The short of it is, public opinion of the Governor apparently had been smoldering since at least Hurricane Maria, but after sexist and homophobic chat logs he participated in were discovered, widespread protests arguing that he should step down have occurred. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray to break up the latest, and the burning trash bins used as a barrier have resulted in pictures of the capital looking like the city is on fire.
The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer

House Democrat to move forward on articles of impeachment against Trump
Green, who filed articles of impeachment in 2017 and has threatened for months to try again, said things “came to a boiling point” with Trump’s weekend tweets as well as his handling of the crisis along the southern U.S. border.
Trump tweeted Sunday that a group of minority, liberal congresswomen should “go back” to their home countries. All four are U.S. citizens, and three of them were born in the United States. On Monday, Trump expressed no regrets about the statement when asked by reporters whether he was concerned that many people have called it racist.
“It doesn’t concern me because many people agree with me. And all I’m saying — they want to leave, they can leave,” he said at the White House.
“To tolerate bigotry when you can do something about bigotry is to perpetuate it,” Green said in an interview Monday. “I will not tolerate the level of bigotry emanating from the president, especially in policy.”
The House voted 364 to 58 in December 2017, with Republicans in the majority, on a motion to table Green’s previous impeachment push. Green said Monday that things have changed: “I have had enough. I believe a good many of my colleagues have had enough. We’ll find out how many. And I think the American people are fed up with this behavior . . . This is the only place, by the way, where the president can be checked. There’s no other place.”
Green’s announcement threatens to complicate House Democratic leaders’ plans for July, including the much-anticipated July 24 testimony of former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. While more than 80 House Democrats have called for an impeachment inquiry based on Mueller’s report and other factors, many more have withheld judgment.
Green said his impeachment push stood apart from the efforts to rebuke Trump for his alleged obstruction of justice.
“This is in no way going to impede that investigation. This is separate and apart from that,” the congressman said. “This deals with our original sin — it deals with the hatred and bigotry that has developed through the years for people of color, for members of the LGBTQ community, the trans community, those who are of the Islamic faith, those who are of the Jewish faith. It’s about people who have been marginalized and how we cannot allow the president of the United States to . . . fuel the flame of confusion as it relates to this level of bigotry.”
Democratic leaders could choose to move to table Green’s impeachment resolution, as Republican leaders did in 2017. He said such an outcome would be “greatly disappointing.”
“We have 235 members of the House — we cannot blame Republicans if this did not go forward,” he said, referring to the number of Democrats. “The question is, are we going to stand up to this president and let him know that there are some boundaries in this country when it comes to the bigotry that he seeks to impose.”