Post by QuadiblocPost by QuadiblocPost by Dorothy J HeydtHmmm, I see that this was posted yesterday, before the Capitol
was cleared of miscreants, the House and the Senate both
re-assembled, and they proceeded to do their lawful thing.
All of which happened, ending in the small hours of this morning.
Indeed.
And, during those heady times, or shortly thereafter, I wondered if
Donald Trump would demoralize the FBI by pardoning those special
people who stormed the Capitol.
But on further reflection, I realized that this was a groundless
fear. There is a pattern to his pardons.
Those he pardons are those who know where the bodies are
buried and thus might pose a risk of testifying against him.
There's no percentage in pardoning the suckers who stormed the
Capitol at his behest. Perhaps if this gains wider recognition,
it will reduce the likelihood of similar violent acts in future.
Reality appears to be closing in on Donald J. Trump with sufficient
speed that he _is_ likely to pardon himself before it's too late.
But that would be at best a stalling tactic, forcing court cases
and appeals on it's legality.
And CNN and others are pointing out a self-pardon would likely
encourage the Biden AG to prosecute Trump if for no other
reason to get the self-pardon tossed once and for all time.
Trump is in a box in so many ways, better if he could
spend some time in a cage like he put so many immigrant
children.
Post by QuadiblocWhat else can we say about what we are likely to expect in the
future?
Is Mike Pence going to remove Trump from office with the help
of his cabinet, under Section 25 of the Constitution? No.
Is a second impeachment attempt in Congress going to succeed?
No.
Don't be so sure, impeachment can continue into Biden's term
and then the only punishment is banning future office.
You just might get the 15 Senators to vote to convict
if that's the only result.
There's plenty of repubs now that don't want Trump back
in 2024. And if sticking it to Trump becomes a vote
magnet as it appears to be, even easier for the
Senate to convict.
After all, no one wants to be branded as supporting terrorism.
Post by QuadiblocWill this lead to Donald J. Trump starting World War III in the next
two weeks? Unlikely.
He couldn't launch if he wanted, there's a general in the path
that must determine if there's a genuine national emergency
and that nukes are a proportional response.
If not, the order is illegal and he can't obey the launch order.
If he can acknowledge reality enough to
Post by Quadiblocutter words about an orderly transition of power, despite my low
opinion of him, I have to concede that his grasp on reality is better
than what would be required for that to happen.
Will Joseph R. Biden succeed in healing the divisions in America,
restoring the Democratic Party to a significant degree of popularity
in rural America and the "flyover states"?
But Biden is a genuine moderate the believes in bipartisanship.
His history in the Senate gives him the reputation to bring
both sides back to the middle, instead of each being in
their respective extremes.
Post by QuadiblocThis is unlikely. Whatever he may say, and whatever policies he
may adopt, because Trump is perceived as having been such a
disaster for America, it will not be possible to convince the people
of the regions that continued to support him in the 2020 election
that much of the Democratic Party does not view them with
contempt.
Will the Republican Party go back to its roots, and cleanse itself
of the stain of Trumpism?
Looks to me that movement has left the station.
Sen. "I Object" Hawley just got his book deal canceled.
Social media of all sizes are starting to ban Trump, people
seen at the Capital are getting fired left and right, and
so on.
The cleansing of right wing extremism is starting already.
And anyone branded a domestic terrorist faces the harshest
penalties under the Patriot Act. These extremists will be
hunted like they were bin Laden himself, soon enough.
Terrorism Penalties
If any person was killed as a result of terrorist activities
the punishment can include the death penalty.
https://www.carmichaellegal.com/federal-terrorism-charges
Patriot Act
Domestic Terrorism
A person engages in domestic terrorism if they do an act
"dangerous to human life" that is a violation of the
criminal laws of a state or the United States, if the act
appears to be intended to:
(i) intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii) influence the policy of a government by intimidation
or coercion; or
(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass
destruction, assassination or kidnapping.
Seizure of assets - Sec. 806: Section 806 of the Act could
result in the civil seizure of their assets without a
prior hearing, and without them ever being convicted
of a crime.
Section 806 amended the civil asset forfeiture statute to
authorize the government to seize and forfeit: all assets,
foreign or domestic
(i) of any individual, entity, or organization engaged
in planning or perpetrating any act of domestic or
international terrorism against the United States, or
their property, and all assets, foreign or domestic,
affording any person a source of influence over any
such entity or organization
https://www.aclu.org/other/how-usa-patriot-act-redefines-domestic-terrorism
And don't forget Trump's executive order making it a ten year
felony to destroy govt property. It was of course meant to
protect Confederate symbols, but what's that old saying?
Be careful for what you wish, Trumpsters.
Post by QuadiblocTo examine this question, we need to look at just what alternatives
the Republicans have.
They're not likely to pick another Eisenhower as their new leader, if
for no other reason than that any suitable candidates have either
fled the party under Trump, or passed away, such as John McCain.
What do they have to work with?
Well, they could indeed pick a leader who is close to being a
"traditional Republican". This would mean a leader that only Big
Business could love. Low tariffs, low taxes. If so, they would not
do well in the next election.
They could pick a social conservative who is on the radical wing
of the Republican Party, but not similar to Trump. Someone like
Sarah Palin. Such a candidate would definitely have a chance in
the areas of the country that supported Trump, even though not
having quite the ability to generate the same level of enthusiasm.
The remaining possibility is to offer another populist candidate.
They could offer a genuine populist this time, someone who
unlike Trump, is genuinely concerned with making America great
again - by which I mean making America once again the land of
opportunity it was during the period of the post-war economic boom,
up until somewhere during the Nixon-Ford years.
I would look with favor myself on such a candidate, but I don't think
it very likely one will be found, or that if one is found and is elected,
that his term will be crowned with success. Even if I don't agree that
some progress on this goal is impossible, I certainly admit that it
will be difficult.
What is far more likely is that we will get another opportunist, but one
who is not going to be limited in the damage he will cause by being as
incompetent as Trump was.
Or, to put it another way, someone who will be 'literally Hitler' the way
Trump wasn't.
And, at the moment, such a candidate appears likely to win the 2024
election, and such a candidate appears to be the most likely category
of candidate that the Republican Party will offer in that election.
America, please prove me wrong.
John Savard
--
https://twitter.com/Non_Linear1