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

Imca (Veteran)
#291501: Oct 3rd 2019 at 7:53:54 PM

I'm not sure "the law doesn't apply to us" would hold up in court.

Especially if they had ample opportunity to silence Trump.

The courts have already ruled they cant do any thing about the presidents account, since it counts as a public address.

Like wise, because of that its technicaly illegal for trump to block people on twitter as well, yet he does.

Steven (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
#291502: Oct 3rd 2019 at 7:57:21 PM

@Dingo

That'd be pretty fucking hilarious if that's what brings Trump down; not impeachment, not any hearings, but his big fat mouth making him unable to run for President.

Remember, these idiots drive, fuck, and vote. Not always in that order.
BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#291505: Oct 3rd 2019 at 8:19:42 PM

The article notes that this may be due to Perry's possible involvement in the Ukraine scandal, though others claim that he's been planning to retire for months.

Not looking forward to whoever replaces him.

Edited by M84 on Oct 3rd 2019 at 11:20:03 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#291506: Oct 3rd 2019 at 10:55:08 PM

Yeah, after the Sessions->Barr transition I am pretty much resigned that no matter how crooked, odious or incompetent a Trump official is, their replacement is almost certainly worse.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#291507: Oct 3rd 2019 at 11:53:42 PM

@Imca: Which reminds me, do they still let him delete his tweets, which IIRC is also illegal?

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
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
#291508: Oct 4th 2019 at 12:25:41 AM

@Imca, That doesn’t square with them removing copyrighted material from his tweet, they just did act on one of his tweets.

You’re confusing the legal requirement for the president to not hide official communications (which is a thing), there’s no legal requirement for private organisations to provide the president with a platform from which to speak.

On the FEC, are they able to order ballot bans, I thought they were effectively shutdown due to lack of staff? Also who enforced a ballot ban, because I could see some people refusing to enforce such an order.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#291509: Oct 4th 2019 at 2:24:17 AM

Also...honestly, the idea that anyone has the power to ban someone from being voted for is a problem, even if it's Trump's.

Do we really want a future Republican President to have the power to appoint commissioners who will take his Democratic opponent off the ballot and invalidate them as a write-in?

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#291510: Oct 4th 2019 at 2:31:49 AM

Note that while this commissioner is a registered Democratic Party member, she was appointed by a Republican President.

Edited by M84 on Oct 4th 2019 at 5:34:39 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Hylarn (Don’t ask)
#291511: Oct 4th 2019 at 2:33:08 AM

The article linked doesn't actually say anything about Trump being removed from the ballot, nor does Weintraub's Twitter. I'm not sure it's actually something that's been considered anywhere other than this thread

Edited by Hylarn on Oct 4th 2019 at 2:33:25 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#291512: Oct 4th 2019 at 2:35:12 AM

It does however open them up to an investigation from the FBI.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#291513: Oct 4th 2019 at 2:35:21 AM

[up][up][up]She was appointed by a Republican President who believes in the rule of law, free and fair elections, and at least trying to do what's best for America and the world. And who doesn't like Trump anymore.

That's different from a commissioner appointed by President Jared Kushner because he was wearing a MAGA hat and a Blood and Soil t-shirt.

Edited by Ramidel on Oct 4th 2019 at 1:36:50 AM

Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#291514: Oct 4th 2019 at 6:28:39 AM

I mean, the Ukraine thing is only a thing because of the threatening. His calling on China is nothing new, considering in 2016 he was openly asking Russia for help.

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TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#291515: Oct 4th 2019 at 6:31:47 AM

The FEC Chairwoman, Ellen Weintraub, posted for the first time ever on Twitter, warning President Trump that his repeated demand that Foreign Countries investigate his primary Rival, Joe Biden, violates Election law. If he continues to break election law, the FEC may have to ban Trump from official ballots. In other words, Trump may be banned from running in 2020, not because he's been impeached, but because he's violating election law. He also wouldn't be a valid write-in name either (similar to Mickey Mouse or that Gorilla that died in 2016).

So now I hope Trump keeps running his big mouth so he'll be ineligible to run for office in 2020.

Banning a sitting President from the ballot is one of those things where I'm holding my applause until it moves from empty threats to real action.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#291516: Oct 4th 2019 at 6:40:03 AM

Incoming firing of the FEC chair in three... two... one...

Edited by Fighteer on Oct 4th 2019 at 9:40:13 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#291517: Oct 4th 2019 at 6:43:29 AM

Isn't the FEC effectively inactive because Congress can't be added to confirm replacements?

"You can reply to this Message!"
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
#291518: Oct 4th 2019 at 6:44:32 AM

Also...honestly, the idea that anyone has the power to ban someone from being voted for is a problem, even if it's Trump's.

So what’s the alternative if people cheat at elections? Declare the election invalid? Then who gets the office, the incumbent? Then every incumbent is untouchable because they can cheat without facing consequences.

If Trump can’t be removed from the ballot and he’s allowed to rig the ballot then the US is no longer a democracy.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#291519: Oct 4th 2019 at 6:47:31 AM

Yes, election watchdogs are critical to the proper functioning of any democracy.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#291520: Oct 4th 2019 at 6:47:36 AM

Its the big problem Pelosi has and almost an admirable one. Until now, she's basically been acting like Trump is an awful horrible person that can be defeated by democracy. The problem is that Trump actively does not care about democracy and is a different personal character than other Republican candidates. It's now a fight to the death for the country's institutions.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Oct 4th 2019 at 6:49:08 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#291521: Oct 4th 2019 at 6:53:44 AM

Pelosi, Biden, and many other parts of the Democratic Party have been acting for years as if Trump is a normal politician that can be defeated by normal politics... as if appeal to democratic and institutional norms will have any effect. The process of waking up to reality has been a slow and painful one, but it is happening at breakneck pace now.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
NativeJovian Jupiterian Local from Orlando, FL Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Maxing my social links
Jupiterian Local
#291522: Oct 4th 2019 at 8:13:38 AM

I give them more credit than that. I think they are and have been fully aware of just how bad Trump is and how much of a threat he represents, but they've been holding back until they can hit him for maximum effect — a combination of timing (near enough to the election that it won't be old news by the time voting begins, but early enough that it doesn't come off as just an election stunt) and circumstances (the whistleblower complaint is so obviously blatantly wrong that it makes for a more effect anvil to hammer Trump against than a huge collection of "minor" things would be).

I think it's less that they've been considering this "business as usual" until suddenly they aren't, and more that they've been hanging back and waiting for an opportunity to go after it with maximum effect rather than diluting their efforts.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#291523: Oct 4th 2019 at 11:25:23 AM

I think there was a certain level of:

  • Believing Trump was an embarrassment rather than a monster.
  • Being stunned at the sheer level of how little Trump gave a shit about anything resembling the law.
  • Being thrown by how perfectly willing the Republicans were willing to betray their own country.

It's a bit like waking up and finding the Hamburglar murdered your family and your next door neighbor (who you've never liked) is actively trying to burn the evidence to protect him.

You lose some SAN points from the whole thing.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Iaculus Pronounced YAK-you-luss from England Since: May, 2010
Pronounced YAK-you-luss
#291524: Oct 4th 2019 at 1:23:20 PM

So, uh, did everybody know that Tulsi Gabbard is a member of a racist cult? Can't say I did.

What's precedent ever done for us?
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
#291525: Oct 4th 2019 at 1:25:27 PM

On the one hand, that wouldn't surprise me.

On the other, I'm sure we should trust that publication

The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.

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