American Politics III: New President, Same Old Country

[Myrensis]

McConnell's being weird. Why would he 'betray' Trump like he has, and now take a stand in his defence?

Either worship Trump like the rest, or get with reality. Stop hopping back and forth and pissing off both sides.

I'd guess it's partly that he was deluding himself earlier on that after the riot and with Trump out of office the "sensible" Republicans could take over again and put the crazies back on the leash, but the reality that the Republican base belongs to Trump body and soul has finally set in. And partly that he's seen the polls, and that despite the fact that a bunch of lunatics stormed the US Capitol and got several people killed trying to overturn the election for the sake of protecting Trumps bruised ego, only a plurality to a bare majority of Americans actually think that maybe he shouldn't be allowed back in office.

Sit back and enjoy the death spiral, people.

[Kowani]

The EPA is alleging that Trump officials interfered to overrule scientists in a safety assessment for a toxic chemical linked to health issues

[Omniabstracta]

Some massive Amtrak overhauls and expansions being planned in Ohio, which I imagine will be a trend under the Biden administration.

[The Black Forrest]

McConnell's being weird. Why would he 'betray' Trump like he has, and now take a stand in his defence?

Either worship Trump like the rest, or get with reality. Stop hopping back and forth and pissing off both sides.

How did he betray Trump? Calling him a bad bad man? Words are cheap. A politicians words are even cheaper.

He voted against the first impeachment. He voted against this impeachment and he voted against the Constitutionality of it.

[Kowani]

Trump is unhappy

Former President Donald Trump was unhappy with the performance of his defense team on the opening day of his Senate impeachment trial, a source providing informal advice to the team told NPR.

The rambling opening statements of Trump attorney Bruce Castor were openly panned by Republicans. The team is now working to regroup, though no major changes were imminent, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to describe private conversations on the record.

The informal adviser said Castor, a former district attorney in Montgomery County, Pa., and David Schoen, an Alabama-based lawyer who has previously represented Trump friend Roger Stone, suffered from a lack of experience in Senate trials and a lack of time to prepare.

The source was incredulous that the team had not anticipated nor prepared for the highly charged and emotional appeal that Democrats would make at the opening of the trial.

Very Unhappy

Mr. Trump was said to have meetings that were put on his calendar to coincide with his defense team’s presentation and keep him occupied. But he still managed to catch his two lawyers, Bruce L. Castor Jr. and David I. Schoen, on television — and he did not like what he saw, according to two people briefed on his reaction.

Mr. Castor, the first to speak, delivered a rambling, almost somnambulant defense of the former president for nearly an hour. Mr. Trump, who often leaves the television on in the background even when he is holding meetings, was furious, people familiar with his reaction said.

On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the angriest, Mr. Trump “was an eight,” one person familiar with his reaction said.And while he was heartened that his other lawyer, Mr. Schoen, gave a more spirited performance, Mr. Trump ended the day frustrated and irate, the people familiar with his reaction said.Several of the former president’s advisers and associates said they cringed at the performance by Mr. Castor, a former prosecutor from Pennsylvania who spoke first after the House Democratic managers presented their impeachment case using graphic videos of the Jan. 6 attack, delivering a meandering defense.

An adviser to Mr. Trump, speaking on background as the lawyer was making his defense, insisted that Mr. Castor had always planned to try to reduce the temperature in the chamber because the former president and his aides anticipated an emotional presentation by the Democrats.

But Mr. Castor undercut that by declaring at the outset that he and Mr. Schoen had switched their presentation order because the Democrats’ case had been so good.

That one of his own lawyers praised the prosecutors surprised and infuriated Mr. Trump, people familiar with his reaction said. And other Trump allies said privately that some members of the legal team seemed surprised by the raw clips from the riot that the Democrats showed, even though the House managers had signaled for days that was their plan.

Mr. Schoen presented a more forceful argument, with the type of intensity that Mr. Trump prefers. Mr. Schoen, who is based in Atlanta, argued that the trial itself was unconstitutional because the former president is no longer in office, and that the effort sought to undermine Mr. Trump’s First Amendment rights.

But even with his acquittal all but certain, Mr. Trump was far from satisfied with the arguments made on his behalf.

[The Black Forrest]

The EPA is alleging that Trump officials interfered to overrule scientists in a safety assessment for a toxic chemical linked to health issues

Hmmmm. Maybe we should get said officials, their families and possibly grand children. Pour them all a glass of it and tell the to drink it.

I suspect their views would change very quickly.

[Albrenia]

McConnell's being weird. Why would he 'betray' Trump like he has, and now take a stand in his defence?

Either worship Trump like the rest, or get with reality. Stop hopping back and forth and pissing off both sides.

How did he betray Trump? Calling him a bad bad man? Words are cheap. A politicians words are even cheaper.

He voted against the first impeachment. He voted against this impeachment and he voted against the Constitutionality of it.

He accepted Biden won the election. He congratulated him, and said that conspiracy theories are a cancer in the Republican party.

From what I've seen from reactions in certain parts of the internet, a large number of Trump's greatest fans consider McConnell to be a traitor.

[A-Series-Of-Tubes]

McConnell's being weird. Why would he 'betray' Trump like he has, and now take a stand in his defence?

Either worship Trump like the rest, or get with reality. Stop hopping back and forth and pissing off both sides.

I'd guess it's partly that he was deluding himself earlier on that after the riot and with Trump out of office the "sensible" Republicans could take over again and put the crazies back on the leash, but the reality that the Republican base belongs to Trump body and soul has finally set in. And partly that he's seen the polls, and that despite the fact that a bunch of lunatics stormed the US Capitol and got several people killed trying to overturn the election for the sake of protecting Trumps bruised ego, only a plurality to a bare majority of Americans actually think that maybe he shouldn't be allowed back in office.

Sit back and enjoy the death spiral, people.

I think McConnell wants to retire soon and doesn't have much moral reputation left. So he might prefer a conviction to redeem himself personally, but tactically (for the party) the best result is somewhere between No Republicans and Nearly Conviction.

Of course he may not see it like that. Maybe preferring a conviction and disbarment. Personally I think that would be worse for the GOP as the best way to put Trumpism down for good would be to beat him in another election. Depends on how much weight McConnel puts on the mid-terms.

Him changing sides on conviction is not a sincere change of stance. I think he's "shaking the web" of his former power to find who's with him either way, and thus single out the waverers who could be threatened or bribed into a conviction vote. Also creating confusion and drawing attention away from the Senate numbers, knowing that will give any pro-conviction Republicans cover. "I got confused and in the end I followed the leader" is more plausible a denial than "I was not lying before, I just left the decision to the last moment and misled people a bit before that ..."

McConnell didn't get to be leader by changing his mind. Lying about his position, perhaps.

[Zurkerx]

Trump is unhappy

Former President Donald Trump was unhappy with the performance of his defense team on the opening day of his Senate impeachment trial, a source providing informal advice to the team told NPR.

The rambling opening statements of Trump attorney Bruce Castor were openly panned by Republicans. The team is now working to regroup, though no major changes were imminent, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to describe private conversations on the record.

The informal adviser said Castor, a former district attorney in Montgomery County, Pa., and David Schoen, an Alabama-based lawyer who has previously represented Trump friend Roger Stone, suffered from a lack of experience in Senate trials and a lack of time to prepare.

The source was incredulous that the team had not anticipated nor prepared for the highly charged and emotional appeal that Democrats would make at the opening of the trial.

Very Unhappy

Mr. Trump was said to have meetings that were put on his calendar to coincide with his defense team’s presentation and keep him occupied. But he still managed to catch his two lawyers, Bruce L. Castor Jr. and David I. Schoen, on television — and he did not like what he saw, according to two people briefed on his reaction.

Mr. Castor, the first to speak, delivered a rambling, almost somnambulant defense of the former president for nearly an hour. Mr. Trump, who often leaves the television on in the background even when he is holding meetings, was furious, people familiar with his reaction said.

On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the angriest, Mr. Trump “was an eight,” one person familiar with his reaction said.And while he was heartened that his other lawyer, Mr. Schoen, gave a more spirited performance, Mr. Trump ended the day frustrated and irate, the people familiar with his reaction said.Several of the former president’s advisers and associates said they cringed at the performance by Mr. Castor, a former prosecutor from Pennsylvania who spoke first after the House Democratic managers presented their impeachment case using graphic videos of the Jan. 6 attack, delivering a meandering defense.

An adviser to Mr. Trump, speaking on background as the lawyer was making his defense, insisted that Mr. Castor had always planned to try to reduce the temperature in the chamber because the former president and his aides anticipated an emotional presentation by the Democrats.

But Mr. Castor undercut that by declaring at the outset that he and Mr. Schoen had switched their presentation order because the Democrats’ case had been so good.

That one of his own lawyers praised the prosecutors surprised and infuriated Mr. Trump, people familiar with his reaction said. And other Trump allies said privately that some members of the legal team seemed surprised by the raw clips from the riot that the Democrats showed, even though the House managers had signaled for days that was their plan.

Mr. Schoen presented a more forceful argument, with the type of intensity that Mr. Trump prefers. Mr. Schoen, who is based in Atlanta, argued that the trial itself was unconstitutional because the former president is no longer in office, and that the effort sought to undermine Mr. Trump’s First Amendment rights.

But even with his acquittal all but certain, Mr. Trump was far from satisfied with the arguments made on his behalf.

Well, he is trying to re-brand himself and this certainly doesn't help him. That said, he's going to be acquitted: he really shouldn't complain that much- unless we're in for a surprise here and they convict him.

How did he betray Trump? Calling him a bad bad man? Words are cheap. A politicians words are even cheaper.

He voted against the first impeachment. He voted against this impeachment and he voted against the Constitutionality of it.

He accepted Biden won the election. He congratulated him, and said that conspiracy theories are a cancer in the Republican party.

From what I've seen from reactions in certain parts of the internet, a large number of Trump's greatest fans consider McConnell to be a traitor.

Yes. However, they're still terrified of their own fucking base, which Trump has wrapped around his finger still because they idolize him has a cult-like figure. They may say "Trump was wrong" but like in past efforts, they stop short of punishing him and eventually reverse themselves if necessary, kind of like condoning him. It seems the side of "let's weather this out and let Trump do himself in" is the belief the party has of getting rid of Trump and his base. But I'm the mind set of just ending it right now and suffer the short term pain: because give them an inch, they'll take a mile and boom, they'll take complete control of the party.

[Postauthoritarian America]

A few excerpts:
Dems Play Trump’s Remarks at Impeachment Trial But Leave Out Call to ‘Peacefully and Patriotically Make Your Voices Heard’

We all know what happened. We all know why it happened. We all know who made it happen. Parsing words in a speech whose theme was "march to the Capitol and fight for me" is pointless and absurd. The facts are clear. The previous president incited a violent mob to stage an attempted coup against the legitimate government of the nation. And his enablers in the Republican Party are fine with letting him get away with it.

I think the impeachment process against any person, is biased, partisan and political. Like it was against Democrat President Bill Clinton, whose impeachment I did not support.

I think it is un constitutional to impeach any person from any office who is not conducting the office, as impeachment leads to the removal of the person from conducting the office.

If this excerpt is true, it proves this is a biased, partisan, anti Trump, anti Republican, political impeachment trial, based on nothing but personal and political hate, not about justice in America, not about justice in the USA. Just like the first impeachment trial. I said if this excerpt is true. Based on my conversations with many persons, I am not the only person who strongly believes so, there are millions of us American citizens all across the nation of the USA who strongly agree with me.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021 ... ces-heard/

GMS.

The previous president was impeached by the House of Representatives when he was still in office. The previous Senate Majority Leader delayed the trial until after President Biden's inauguration. Had you listened to the arguments today you would have learned that every single House impeachment and Senate trial held during the lifetime of the Framers was against an official who was no longer in office. And the sitting Senate, the body that Article I Section 3 of the US Constitution gives the sole power to try all impeachments, just voted 56-44 against the idea that former officials can't be impeached and tried. That ends the matter, QED, next case.

[San Lumen]

Some massive Amtrak overhauls and expansions being planned in Ohio, which I imagine will be a trend under the Biden administration.

Excellent. Amtrak will finally get the money and respect it deserves. A rail fan is president.

[Kowani]

Michigan GOP Senate majority leader Mike Shirkey said the Capitol insurrection "wasn't Trump people," called it "staged" and "a hoax."

[San Lumen]

Michigan GOP Senate majority leader Mike Shirkey said the Capitol insurrection "wasn't Trump people," called it "staged" and "a hoax."

Democrats just got something to use against every state legislator in Michigan next year and they would be foolish not too.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

Michigan GOP Senate majority leader Mike Shirkey said the Capitol insurrection "wasn't Trump people," called it "staged" and "a hoax."

If it had succeeded he wouldn't be saying that. He'd be in Washington going "YEEEEEAH FUCK YEEAH" as the MAGA militants lined up and executed people on the national mall, but because it didn't work he's trying to save face by saying ItS aNtIfA.

Hey Mike did Antifa kill the dinosaurs too? Maybe Antifa shot down the Hindenberg. Or perhaps Antifa did 9/11. Or Antifa faked the moon landing. Is antifa behind everything bad that happens in the world?

[A-Series-Of-Tubes]

Some massive Amtrak overhauls and expansions being planned in Ohio, which I imagine will be a trend under the Biden administration.

Excellent. Amtrak will finally get the money and respect it deserves. A rail fan is president.

No love for canals? Trump's infrastructure plan was YUUGE on canals!

[Comerciante]

Antifa has poisoned our Water Supply! Burned our Crops! and delivered a plague unto our Houses!

[Kowani]

Antifa has poisoned our Water Supply! Burned our Crops! and delivered a plague unto our Houses!

Not antifa, buttttt...

[Borderlands of Rojava]

Maybe Antifa was behind the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Y'all should look into that shit.

[A-Series-Of-Tubes]

Antifa has poisoned our Water Supply! Burned our Crops! and delivered a plague unto our Houses!

They bought up all the black balaclavas in Gap and I don't dare go out in the street wearing a brown balaclava or Antifa will think I'm a racist. Clothing choice is free speech and I'm being oppressed!

[Major-Tom]

Some massive Amtrak overhauls and expansions being planned in Ohio, which I imagine will be a trend under the Biden administration.

Ohio is getting railed, we love to see it.

[San Lumen]

Some massive Amtrak overhauls and expansions being planned in Ohio, which I imagine will be a trend under the Biden administration.

Ohio is getting railed, we love to see it.

This is what happens when a railfan gets elected president.

[The Reformed American Republic]

Some massive Amtrak overhauls and expansions being planned in Ohio, which I imagine will be a trend under the Biden administration.

Ohio is getting railed, we love to see it.

We should go further, and implement a national system of bullet trains.

[Major-Tom]

Ohio is getting railed, we love to see it.

This is what happens when a railfan gets elected president.

Now if only Biden can help rail the Southwest.

Ohio is getting railed, we love to see it.

We should go further, and implement a national system of bullet trains.

Yes.

[San Lumen]

Ohio is getting railed, we love to see it.

We should go further, and implement a national system of bullet trains.

We absolutely should. It would be a long term project but so worth it.

[Kowani]

Ohio is getting railed, we love to see it.

We should go further, and implement a national system of bullet trains.

there's a plan for going further, not certain about the bullet trains

Democrats to release plan to provide more than $50 billion in additional assistance to U.S. airlines, transit systems, airports and Amtrak, as well as create a new $3 billion program to assist aviation manufacturers with payroll costs