American Politics XV: Trump and '24 Already....

[New-Minneapolis]

Establishment doesn't just mean career politicians. The establishment consists of everybody in government who wants to make sure that nothing changes beyond a few minor and incremental reforms. The establishment are those who think the current state of society is acceptable and near being as good as it gets.

You mean realists?

[Emotional Support Crocodile]

Capital riot: Committee to seek charges for Trump

The congressional inquiry into last year's Capitol riot will reportedly recommend three criminal charges against former President Donald Trump.

The House of Representatives select committee will seek an unprecedented charge of insurrection against a former US president, according to US media.

The panel is expected to publish its final report next week.

Apologies if this has already been posted, I'm still half asleep.

[Hyperborean Louis Bloom]

Capital riot: Committee to seek charges for Trump

Yes! Yes! They're sure to get him this time!

[Umeria]

Establishment doesn't just mean career politicians. The establishment consists of everybody in government who wants to make sure that nothing changes beyond a few minor and incremental reforms. The establishment are those who think the current state of society is acceptable and near being as good as it gets.

You mean realists?

Major changes have been accomplished in the past. A realist would recognize that it can and should happen again.

[New-Minneapolis]

You mean realists?

Major changes have been accomplished in the past. A realist would recognize that it can and should happen again.

I don’t believe that the type of change that left wing or right wing radicals want are actually good. I think the former is impossible, and the latter is extremely dangerous and catastrophic.

[Umeria]

Major changes have been accomplished in the past. A realist would recognize that it can and should happen again.

I don’t believe that the type of change that left wing or right wing radicals want are actually good. I think the former is impossible, and the latter is extremely dangerous and catastrophic.

Which left wing changes are impossible? Certainly not universal healthcare or education. Ending wars is arguably the easiest thing to do, at least when we're the aggressor. Police reform? Don't try to tell me that they aren't way over-militarized right now.

We agree on right wing radicalism of course. Although it's not like the traditional Reaganist right wing policies haven't also been dangerous and catastrophic.

[New-Minneapolis]

I don’t believe that the type of change that left wing or right wing radicals want are actually good. I think the former is impossible, and the latter is extremely dangerous and catastrophic.

Which left wing changes are impossible? Certainly not universal healthcare or education. Ending wars is arguably the easiest thing to do, at least when we're the aggressor. Police reform? Don't try to tell me that they aren't way over-militarized right now.

We agree on right wing radicalism of course. Although it's not like the traditional Reaganist right wing policies haven't also been dangerous and catastrophic.

I’m talking about actual left-wing, radicalism not moderate social democracy. I’m speaking of communism or anarchism. Those ideologies are impossible in real world practice.

[The Alma Mater]

Which left wing changes are impossible? Certainly not universal healthcare or education. Ending wars is arguably the easiest thing to do, at least when we're the aggressor. Police reform? Don't try to tell me that they aren't way over-militarized right now.

We agree on right wing radicalism of course. Although it's not like the traditional Reaganist right wing policies haven't also been dangerous and catastrophic.

I’m talking about actual left-wing, radicalism not moderate social democracy. I’m speaking of communism or anarchism. Those ideologies are impossible in real world practice.

In large communities where people can mooch without people knowing- probably. In small communities where there is much accountability they
could work fine. Perhaps also in a very militarised society - the mindset of a US marine for instance is ideal for communism.

[Platoon of Peace]

The hell does Musk have to do with anything?

We are talking about Elon Musk censoring journalists on Twitter.

It looked like that was about DeSantis.

[The Jamesian Republic]

Capital riot: Committee to seek charges for Trump

The congressional inquiry into last year's Capitol riot will reportedly recommend three criminal charges against former President Donald Trump.

The House of Representatives select committee will seek an unprecedented charge of insurrection against a former US president, according to US media.

The panel is expected to publish its final report next week.

Apologies if this has already been posted, I'm still half asleep.

I wonder how the base will react to this.

[Stellar Colonies]

Conservative donors pour ‘dark money’ into case that could upend US voting law (The Guardian)

Conservative donors poured tens of millions of dollars of anonymous “dark money” into groups supporting Republican lawmakers in a supreme court case that could upend American election law.

The donors backed several groups that have filed supreme court amicus briefs in support of North Carolina legislators in Moore v Harper, according to a recent analysis. They are pushing for a ruling that would take ultimate decisions about voting rights and congressional gerrymandering away from state courts and hand those powers to state legislatures, of which Republicans now control the majority.

Eight conservative groups that submitted amicus briefs in the supreme court case have received close to $90m from dark money donors since 2016, according to Accountable.US, a liberal leaning watchdog group that tracks government corruption.

Several of these conservative bastions are also champions of restrictive voting laws.

Conservatives want the supreme court to adopt the independent state legislature theory, a once fringe idea now promoted by a coterie of conservative groups that filed amicus briefs, including the Honest Elections Project, the Claremont Institute, and the Public Interest Legal Foundation. The groups boast strong ties to rightwing lawyers Leonard Leo, John Eastman and Cleta Mitchell respectively. Eastman and Mitchell were allies in Donald Trump’s baseless crusade to overturn the 2020 election.

Sparked by a North Carolina gerrymandering fight, Moore v Harper has attracted strong opposition from many liberal and some conservative legal experts, who call it a partisan attack on voting rights by prominent conservative groups. Opponents of the case say they’re using a discredited legal theory to boost GOP political fortunes in coming elections.

The leading dark money financier of the conservative groups that filed amicus briefs was DonorsTrust, which contributed a whopping $70.5m, Accountable data shows.

Other top dark money donors to groups that filed amicus briefs include the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and America First Works, which, respectively, gave $6.1m and $4.8m to outfits that supported the independent state legislature theory. The long time conservative Bradley Foundation boasts Mitchell on its board, while the non-profit America First Works has been allied with Trump since its founding in 2016 under another name.

The dark money routed to some of these groups took circuitous routes. For instance, America First Works gave $4.8m to DonorsTrust that was earmarked for the Honest Elections Project, according to Accountable.

The Honest Elections Project, which has been a leading advocate for tougher voting laws in recent years, was founded by Leo, a legendary fundraiser, lawyer and co-chairman of the powerful Federalist Society. Leo was instrumental in advising Trump on his three conservative supreme court nominees.

DonorsTrust, known as the ATM of the right, has been very generous with other projects Leo has helped spearhead. In 2021, for example, Leo’s 85 Fund – a dark money conduit for conservative legal campaigns and other priorities – received its largest single grant of $17.1m from DonorsTrust, which doled out close to $190m that year.

Critics of the right’s drive to push the independent state legislature theory note the strong influence of well-financed conservative groups along with several like-minded justices.

“The ISLT [independent state legislature theory] has been fueled by several conservative justices’ dissents, and other statements, coupled with amicus briefs and public arguments supporting the theory from think tanks, litigation shops, and partisan political organizations,” Thomas Wolf, the deputy director of the democracy program at the Brennan Center for Justice, told the Guardian.

Two key Democrats in Congress, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Hank Johnson, submitted an amicus brief arguing forcefully against the independent state legislature theory, highlighting the role of conservative groups funded by dark money who have supported voter suppression efforts.

“Many of the petitioners’ amici actually attempted to undermine the 2020 election by relying on this theory,” Whitehouse and Johnson wrote. “Other amici share connections with groups and individuals who played a role in those attempts. Still others are presently engaged in voter-suppression and election-subversion efforts.

“Rarely has such a noxious assemblage of amici appeared before this court, and their secrecy about their funders and connections does this court a grave disservice,” they added.

The high stakes for democracy behind Moore v Harper and other recent supreme court cases involving dark money funded groups trouble Whitehouse, he said.

In tandem with Johnson, Whitehouse has introduced legislation that would require amicus filers to disclose funders who donated $100,000, or more than 3% of their gross revenues.

In an interview, Whitehouse said his proposed bill coincides with other efforts he has made to have the supreme court change its reporting rules for amicus filers backed by dark money.

“I’ve been pushing the supreme court to update their reporting requirements,” he said about the dark money behind several high-stakes cases, but to date the court has “shown no interest”.

The independent state legislature theory played a key role in Trump’s failed crusade to get states to invalidate the 2020 election results and was the handiwork of Eastman, who filed the amicus brief for the Claremont Institute, a conservative California based thinktank, that made a similar argument.

Eastman’s involvement with Trump’s baseless drive to overturn the 2020 election results, which included promoting an alternative elector scheme to block Congress certifying Joe Biden’s as president, could lead the January 6 panel investigating the Capitol insurrection to file a criminal referral to the justice department for him, as well as Trump and others, according to a recent CNN report.

On a related legal front, Eastman’s refusal to turn over 101 documents to the House panel led federal judge David Carter to rule this year that there was substantial evidence Eastman had conspired with Trump to block Congress from certifying the 2020 election results. The “illegality of the plan was obvious”, Carter wrote.

Just how much the amicus briefs from Claremont and other conservative outfits backed by dark money will influence the supreme court’s ruling on the independent state legislature theory is hard to discern.

Oral arguments in Moore v Harper were heard by the supreme court on 7 December. The court’s three liberal-leaning justices expressed their strong opposition to North Carolina lawmakers’ position, and some conservative justices including Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh also indicated their skepticism about some maximalist versions of the theory.

The genesis of the Moore v Harper case was a ruling by the North Carolina state supreme court in early 2022 that invalidated districts drawn by the Republican-controlled legislature on the grounds they were an “egregious and intentional partisan gerrymander”, unfairly favoring the GOP.

North Carolina legislator Timothy Moore appealed the state supreme court ruling, and a voter named Rebecca Harper was a named plaintiff in a challenge to the state’s gerrymandered maps.

Significantly, North Carolina is one of six states where state courts have ruled in recent years that partisan redistricting plans for Congress violated state constitutions.

Moore v Harper has also sparked significant legal blowback from some prominent lawyers with conservative pedigrees including J Michael Luttig, a former appeals court judge who is a co-counsel for litigants opposing the independent state legislature theory.

“This case swarms with amicus briefs supporting petitioners that elide a salient fact: the doctrine they encourage this Court to adopt – the ‘independent state legislature’ theory – is one of the fringe legal theories deployed in a failed legal plot to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,” Whitehouse and Johnson wrote in their brief.

[Timsvill]

Capital riot: Committee to seek charges for Trump

The congressional inquiry into last year's Capitol riot will reportedly recommend three criminal charges against former President Donald Trump.

The House of Representatives select committee will seek an unprecedented charge of insurrection against a former US president, according to US media.

The panel is expected to publish its final report next week.

Apologies if this has already been posted, I'm still half asleep.

Sigh, this again? Democrats are about to give up control of the house anyway. Why are they wasting their time with something like this when they know Republicans will just drop the charges in January? Do they want to appear like they accomplished something instead of sitting around with their thumbs stuck up their ass?

[Austria-Bohemia-Hungary]

Capital riot: Committee to seek charges for Trump



Apologies if this has already been posted, I'm still half asleep.

Sigh, this again? Democrats are about to give up control of the house anyway. Why are they wasting their time with something like this when they know Republicans will just drop the charges in January? Do they want to appear like they accomplished something instead of sitting around with their thumbs stuck up their ass?

TIL high treason and insurrection should be left unprosecuted because of an election

[Juristonia]

Capital riot: Committee to seek charges for Trump



Apologies if this has already been posted, I'm still half asleep.

Sigh, this again? Democrats are about to give up control of the house anyway. Why are they wasting their time with something like this when they know Republicans will just drop the charges in January? Do they want to appear like they accomplished something instead of sitting around with their thumbs stuck up their ass?

So should they instead actually just sit around with their thumbs stuck up their ass..?
Not at least trying to do something about potential crimes seems like a bad way to go about things.

[American Legionaries]

Which left wing changes are impossible? Certainly not universal healthcare or education. Ending wars is arguably the easiest thing to do, at least when we're the aggressor. Police reform? Don't try to tell me that they aren't way over-militarized right now.

We agree on right wing radicalism of course. Although it's not like the traditional Reaganist right wing policies haven't also been dangerous and catastrophic.

I’m talking about actual left-wing, radicalism not moderate social democracy. I’m speaking of communism or anarchism. Those ideologies are impossible in real world practice.

Even "moderate social democracy" is a change outside the wheelhouse of the political establishment. So if the establishment are "realists" that means universal healthcare can't happen.

[The Black Forrest]

We are talking about Elon Musk censoring journalists on Twitter.

What did Elon Musk censor Journalists over?

CNN Donie O’Sullivan said he was banned for simply posting a story about the elonjet get having the elonjet account and his personal account being banned.

[San Lumen]

Capital riot: Committee to seek charges for Trump



Apologies if this has already been posted, I'm still half asleep.

Sigh, this again? Democrats are about to give up control of the house anyway. Why are they wasting their time with something like this when they know Republicans will just drop the charges in January? Do they want to appear like they accomplished something instead of sitting around with their thumbs stuck up their ass?

The house has no authority to prosecute anyone and therefore cannot drop charges. They only recommended them to the Justice Department.

[The Black Forrest]

Establishment doesn't just mean career politicians. The establishment consists of everybody in government who wants to make sure that nothing changes beyond a few minor and incremental reforms. The establishment are those who think the current state of society is acceptable and near being as good as it gets.

Can you have establishment business leaders?

[Austria-Bohemia-Hungary]

Establishment doesn't just mean career politicians. The establishment consists of everybody in government who wants to make sure that nothing changes beyond a few minor and incremental reforms. The establishment are those who think the current state of society is acceptable and near being as good as it gets.

Can you have establishment business leaders?

aren't wall street filled with them? besides ppl like jeff bezos, that virgin whatever man and elon musk that is

[San Lumen]

Can you have establishment business leaders?

aren't wall street filled with them? besides ppl like jeff bezos, that virgin whatever man and elon musk that is

Can you just admit establishment is a term for anyone you don't like and currently holds a position of power for more than one term?

[American Legionaries]

aren't wall street filled with them? besides ppl like jeff bezos, that virgin whatever man and elon musk that is

Can you just admit establishment is a term for anyone you don't like and currently holds a position of power for more than one term?

No, because that would be stupid. The word has a meaning, and this meaning has been explained to you repeatedly.

[The Black Forrest]

Sigh, this again? Democrats are about to give up control of the house anyway. Why are they wasting their time with something like this when they know Republicans will just drop the charges in January? Do they want to appear like they accomplished something instead of sitting around with their thumbs stuck up their ass?

The house has no authority to prosecute anyone and therefore cannot drop charges. They only recommended them to the Justice Department.

He didn’t say the House would prosecute him. The House is well within it’s means to investigate Trump for Jan 6th. They amassed evidence and will turn it over to the Justice department and they will follow up with charging Trump if at all.

The republicans dropping it? It’s quite valid as they can take the investigation and declare nothing found and “round file” the evidence.

[San Lumen]

The house has no authority to prosecute anyone and therefore cannot drop charges. They only recommended them to the Justice Department.

He didn’t say the House would prosecute him. The House is well within it’s means to investigate Trump for Jan 6th. They amassed evidence and will turn it over to the Justice department and they will follow up with charging Trump if at all.

The republicans dropping it? It’s quite valid as they can take the investigation and declare nothing found and “round file” the evidence.

No they can't stop an investigation by the justice department.

[San Lumen]

Can you just admit establishment is a term for anyone you don't like and currently holds a position of power for more than one term?

No, because that would be stupid. The word has a meaning, and this meaning has been explained to you repeatedly.

Wrong is its a cop out phrase used for anyone who didn't do exactly as they said they would do while campaigning and did the horrible thing of working with fellow legislators.

Its as if people want everyone to stick to their corners and refuse to work with anyone unless they get exactly what they want.

One legislator doesn't exist in a chamber of one. Mayor and Governors aren't kings or queens they have legislatures to work with.

[The Black Forrest]

He didn’t say the House would prosecute him. The House is well within it’s means to investigate Trump for Jan 6th. They amassed evidence and will turn it over to the Justice department and they will follow up with charging Trump if at all.

The republicans dropping it? It’s quite valid as they can take the investigation and declare nothing found and “round file” the evidence.

No they can't stop an investigation by the justice department.

*sighs*. They can drop the House investigation. This is why they are finishing up and submitting their evidence and violation claims over to the Justice department.