A report card on the Trump administration

[Sandy Shanks]

All that makes for an even higher degree of difficulty for Biden’s Cabinet and early legislative priorities to pass the Senate in his critical first few days in office.

Why hold an impeachment trial for Trump after he leaves office? Some argue to teach a lesson to future Presidents. That argument is spurious at best as well as illogical if for no other reason than Trump is an aberration.

There is only one reason to try Trump in the Senate after Jan. 20. Upon conviction, the Senate in a separate vote can bar Trump from running for office. Many deem that unnecessary. Trump has already done that to himself.

However, in this case that purpose may be based on a false premise.

Allow me to explain. In politics, as well as in life, one encounters the future by weighing the odds. In a Senate trial of a Republican President it is extremely unlikely that there will be a conviction since 17 Republicans would have to vote with the Democrats. It is extremely likely that a Senate trial lasting for weeks will be a complete waste of time.

Biden needs to get his cabinet certified ASAP. Another 965,000 Americans filed for unemployment for the first time last week. The pandemic is setting records for new deaths, cases, and hospitalizations. The pandemic and the economy is at its worst right now.

The Senate is split right down the middle, 50/50. Biden needs the cooperation of those 50 Republicans to accomplish his tasks.

What are the odds of Republicans cooperating with a Democratic President while the Democrats are trying to convict Trump of "Incitement of Insurrection?"

The answer: slim and none.

In all likelihood Trump will be indicted for any number of crimes ranging from sedition to tax fraud.

What would it cost for the House to hold onto the Articles of Impeachment for a hundred days or forget the trial entirely and be satisfied the incompetent President was impeached twice?

What are the odds of that happening? Slim and none, common sense and politicians are terms that don't belong in the same paragraph.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

You’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”

“When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."

“We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

A mob incited by the President ransacked the Capitol, killing one policeman, pummeling others, and caused considerable damage including theft of valuable items and documents. They also interrupted the session of Congress that was about to certify the Biden election victory.

Michelle Goldberg writes, "Suddenly, all but the most fanatical partisans admitted that Trump was exactly who his fiercest critics have always said he was."

Trump now becomes the first President in American history to be impeached twice. Half of all Presidential impeachments since the Republic began have been impeachments of Trump.

Goldberg continued, "Banks promised to stop lending to him. Major social media companies banned him. One of the Trump Organization’s law firms dropped it as a client. The coach of the New England Patriots rejected the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the P.G.A. pulled its namesake tournament from a Trump golf course. Universities revoked honorary degrees. Some of the country’s biggest corporations, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, pledged to withhold donations from congressional enablers of his voter fraud fantasy. Bill de Blasio announced that New York City would end contracts with the Trump Organization to run two ice rinks and other concessions worth millions annually."

This is what happens when a sociopathic, narcissistic President really thinks he is above the law.

 

[Common Sense 1]

See you at Trump's inauguration January 20,2021! :2wave:

Have to say this post did not age very well! Have to change this to see president Trump
at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, January 20, 2021!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

A mob incited by the President ransacked the Capitol, killing one policeman, pummeling others, and caused considerable damage including theft of valuable items and documents. They also interrupted the session of Congress that was about to certify the Biden election victory.

Trump's insurgency targeted the vice-president of the United States after Trump threatened him.

Trump lives in a fantasy world all his own. In it, he makes up his own personal reality which has no relationship to the reality we all know. He refuses to accept that he has become the most despised man in the free world.

His approval rating amoung his supporters has hit bottom at 29%. The only people supporting him now are white supremacists, anarchists, and neo-Nazis, similar to the group of Trump-led insurgents on January 6. We have all seen pictures of Trump supporters.

All that aside, Trump plans to leave office on the morning of Biden's inauguration with ruffles and flourishes.



ABC News reports, "He hopes to depart to the blare of a military band, with a red carpet and military honors, according to sources briefed on the plans. Even some sort of military flyover has been suggested, they said."

Trump, the comedian.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

ABC News reports, "He hopes to depart to the blare of a military band, with a red carpet and military honors, according to sources briefed on the plans. Even some sort of military flyover has been suggested, they said."

As Pence assumes the duties of our President, with less than six days remaining in his Presidency, Trump’s inner circle is shrinking, offices in his White House are emptying, and Trump is lashing out at some of those who remain. He is angry that his allies have not mounted a more forceful defense of his incitement of the mob that stormed the Capitol last week.

Nothing has changed in four years. Trump has never been able to accept responsibility for what he has done. He committed sedition, but he blames others for not defending him.

The Post reports, "As he watched impeachment quickly gain steam, Trump was upset generally that virtually nobody is defending him — including press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, economic adviser Larry Kudlow, national security adviser Robert C. O’Brien and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

"Though Trump has been exceptionally furious with Vice President Pence, his relationship with lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, one of his most steadfast defenders, is also fracturing."

I almost feel sorry for Trump.

Almost!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Biden needs to get his cabinet certified ASAP. Another 965,000 Americans filed for unemployment for the first time last week. The pandemic is setting records for new deaths, cases, and hospitalizations. The pandemic and the economy is at its worst right now.

The Times reports, " A day after the [Democratic] House impeached President Trump for inciting a violent insurrection at the Capitol, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate were developing plans on Thursday to try the departing president at the same time as they begin considering the agenda of the incoming one."

“It’s far from ideal, no question,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut. But, he said, “a dual track is perfectly doable if there is a will to make it happen.”

The Democrats want to convict a Republican President of inciting an insurrection. Someone tell me why in the world would Republican Senators would cooperate with the Democrats in an impeachment trial?

Someone tell why they think Trump will be convicted in the Senate so that the trial isn't a complete waste of extremely valuable time. Americans are dying at the rate of over 4,000 per day and the economy is going in the tank.

Are House Democrats screwing over the Democratic President?

I have scoured hundreds of news stories. I have not found adequate answers to those questions. The media does wish to cover that aspect of the dilemma. So they avoid it entirely.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Former FBI director James Comey makes a good point.

He says Trump should not be criminally prosecuted for inciting Capitol rioters. Convicted in the Senate, but not indicted for violating our Constitution and federal law.

Comey argues it would give Trump a soapbox for three years.

“The country would be better off if we did not give him the platform that a prosecution would for the next three years,” Comey told British broadcaster Sky News.

“Instead, turn off the camera lights,” said Comey, who was fired from his role as FBI Director in 2017 by Trump while he was leading a probe into the President's 2016 Presidential campaign’s possible collusion with Russia, added.

"I'd like to see some of the lights go out and he can stand on the front lawn at Mar-a-Lago and shout at cars in his bathrobe and none of us will hear it," he said.

Interesting point of view.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Democrats want to convict a Republican President of inciting an insurrection. Someone tell me why in the world would Republican Senators would cooperate with the Democrats in an impeachment trial?

Someone tell why they think Trump will be convicted in the Senate so that the trial isn't a complete waste of extremely valuable time. Americans are dying at the rate of over 4,000 per day and the economy is going in the tank.

For once I agree with Senator Graham.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) (soon to be Senate majority leader) in a letter on Sunday to support a vote to table Trump's Senate impeahment trial.

“We will be delaying indefinitely, if not forever, the healing of this great nation if we do otherwise,” warned Graham, a top Trump ally. “Our obligation to the people we represent is clear. History will judge us harshly, as it should, if we do not rise to the occasion of this historic moment in our history.”

Literally everyone agrees with me. The Democrats conducting a Senate trial in a losing effort serves no useful purpose. The Senate has no time for this.

Imagine this. Once again Trump will be able to say on national television, "I have been vindicated again!"

Do we need to hear that? He is the only President in American history to be impeached twice.

Let it go at that.

I don't hear anyone endorsing a Senate trial. The experts can only say it will happen. That isn't necessarily true.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Biden needs to get his cabinet certified ASAP. Another 965,000 Americans filed for unemployment for the first time last week. The pandemic is setting records for new deaths, cases, and hospitalizations. The pandemic and the economy is at its worst right now.

“It’s far from ideal, no question,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut. But, he said, “a dual track is perfectly doable if there is a will to make it happen.”

The Democrats want to convict a Republican President of inciting an insurrection. Someone tell me why in the world would Republican Senators would cooperate with the Democrats in an impeachment trial?

Someone tell why they think Trump will be convicted in the Senate so that the trial isn't a complete waste of extremely valuable time. Americans are dying at the rate of over 4,000 per day and the economy is going in the tank.

CNN reports, "While Biden has made it clear that he wants to split the day in half to allow his nominees to be confirmed in the morning ahead of the trial, that takes agreement from everyone. And it's not clear that all 100 senators are going to agree to it even if McConnell and Schumer could come to a consensus."

I have been following this issue for days, ever since the House impeached Trump. The Democrats are completely avoiding the ramifications of a Senate impeachment trial, and, of course, so are members of this forum.

I am right about the assessment of a trial. If anyone thinks differently, taking into account the issues mentioned above, please explain. Simply saying the trial has to happen won't cut it.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

A sprawling report released Tuesday by a Republican-controlled Senate panel that spent three years investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election laid out an extensive web of contacts between Trump campaign advisers and Kremlin officials and other Russians.

It provided an extraordinary set of facts: The Russian government disrupted an American election to help Mr. Trump become president, Russian intelligence services viewed members of the Trump campaign as easily manipulated, and some of Mr. Trump’s advisers were eager for the help from an American adversary.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/us/politics/senate-intelligence-russian-interference-report.html

The American President incited an insurrection against the capitol.

The American capital looks like the Green Zone in Baghdad because of threats made by the supporters of the American President.

Because the American President refuses to recognize the President-elect, there will be no peaceful transfer of power on Inauguration Day in the American capital.

The new American government will be bogged down by an impeachment trial of the outgoing American President.

The despised American President leaves with the lowest approval rating of his Presidency.

The Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, is extremely pleased by Trump's performance.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The BBC reports, "There are reports of armed groups planning to gather at all 50 state capitols and in Washington DC in the run-up to his 20 January inauguration.

"Security will be tight for the event after a pro-Trump mob stormed Congress."

The media is going nuts over this warning from the FBI.

I don't believe it for a minute.

There is little doubt that one or more far right groups consisting of Trump's friends like Boogaloo, QAnon, and the Proud Boys are responsible for the threat.

Why do I not believe it? They want to drive the media nuts. They love publicity. Issuing threats is what they do. They have issued countless threats in support of Trump for the past four years.

And lastly, you don't start an insurrection by telling the target where and when the strike is coming.

Trump's followers, like Trump himself, are cowards. It is one thing to attack an unguarded capitol building. It is quite another to attack targets that are guarded by armed troops and/or police. Trump's anarchists arm themselves for display purposes only.

How do we know they are cowards? Take a close at this thread. They can't even defend themselves. Like Trump, they reject reality and live by an alternate reality they cannot describe, which, of course, explains their silence and inability to defend themselves.

Relax, folks, nothing serious will happen on Inauguration Day. It's all talk.

 

[HangLow]

​

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"While Biden has made it clear that he wants to split the day in half to allow his nominees to be confirmed in the morning ahead of the trial, that takes agreement from everyone. And it's not clear that all 100 senators are going to agree to it even if McConnell and Schumer could come to a consensus."

I have been following this issue for days, ever since the House impeached Trump. The Democrats are completely avoiding the ramifications of a Senate impeachment trial, and, of course, so are members of this forum.

Fortunately, House Democrats are beginning to make excuses as to why the transfer of the Articles of Impeachment may be delayed. Would it hurt if the delay was extended to 100 days? Of course not.

The Times reports, "The speaker called the impeachment of President Trump “urgent,” but did not send the charge to the Senate to prompt the start of a trial, nor commit to when she would do so.

"Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday that House impeachment managers were preparing to prosecute President Trump in the Senate, but she refused to offer a timeline for when they would move forward with a never-before-attempted trial of a former president."

Now she wants to go after the other bad guys, and it is possible some of the perpetrators may be called as witnesses, but, first, there has been no decision on a witness list or if witnesses will be called, prompting more delay.

The Times continued, "She also pledged to pursue the perpetrators of the rampage as well as far-right lawmakers if they were found to have aided in the assault."

Pelosi should listen to what the Democratic President and his team is saying. Under the dire circumstances caused by the previous administration, a 100-day delay would be advisable.

Pelosi should not allow Trump to interfere in the Biden government!

 

[Ethel2]

McConnell is all but accusing the jackass of insurrection and sedition:

" “The mob was fed lies," McConnell said. “They were provoked by the president and other powerful people, and they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of branch of the federal government.” "

 

[Sandy Shanks]

A sprawling report released Tuesday by a Republican-controlled Senate panel that spent three years investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election laid out an extensive web of contacts between Trump campaign advisers and Kremlin officials and other Russians.

It provided an extraordinary set of facts: The Russian government disrupted an American election to help Mr. Trump become president, Russian intelligence services viewed members of the Trump campaign as easily manipulated, and some of Mr. Trump’s advisers were eager for the help from an American adversary.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/us/politics/senate-intelligence-russian-interference-report.html

The Times reports, "Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, said on Tuesday that the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 had been “provoked by the president and other powerful people,” stating publicly for the first time that he holds President Trump at least partly responsible for the assault."

“The mob was fed lies,”Mr. McConnell said, referring to attempts by Mr. Trump to overturn the election based on bogus claims of voter fraud. “They were provoked by the president and other powerful people. And they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government which they did not like.”

"Mr. McConnell made the remarks on his last full day as majority leader, speaking on the eve of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s inauguration and as the Senate was bracing to receive a single article of impeachment from the House charging Mr. Trump with “incitement of insurrection.”

With Trump leaving in disgrace as one of the most despised men in America, McConnell is now the defacto leader of the Republican Party. With Trump gone, McConnell will be an effective leader, and, speaking as a former Republican driven out by Trump's incompetence, stupidity, and super ego, I like him as the GOP leader. I believe he will be able to work with Biden, and positive things will happen in our government for the first time in four years.

 

[Ethel2]

The Times reports, "Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, said on Tuesday that the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 had been “provoked by the president and other powerful people,” stating publicly for the first time that he holds President Trump at least partly responsible for the assault."

“The mob was fed lies,”Mr. McConnell said, referring to attempts by Mr. Trump to overturn the election based on bogus claims of voter fraud. “They were provoked by the president and other powerful people. And they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government which they did not like.”

"Mr. McConnell made the remarks on his last full day as majority leader, speaking on the eve of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s inauguration and as the Senate was bracing to receive a single article of impeachment from the House charging Mr. Trump with “incitement of insurrection.”

With Trump leaving in disgrace as one of the most despised men in America, McConnell is now the defacto leader of the Republican Party. With Trump gone, McConnell will be an effective leader, and, speaking as a former Republican driven out by Trump's incompetence, stupidity, and super ego, I like him as the GOP leader. I believe he will be able to work with Biden, and positive things will happen in our government for the first time in four years.

I hope you are right about McConnell being willing to work with Biden. He sure stonewalled just about everything Obama wanted to do. It would be nice to have a country that is not gridlocked anymore.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports, "Trump received an unsettling warning on his final Saturday night in the White House.

"Huddled for a lengthy meeting with his legal advisers, Trump was warned the pardons he once hoped to bestow upon his family and even himself would place him in a legally perilous position, convey the appearance of guilt and potentially make him more vulnerable to reprisals.

"So, too, was Trump warned that pardons for Republican lawmakers who had sought them for their role in the Capitol insurrection would anger the very Senate Republicans who will determine his fate in an upcoming impeachment trial.

"White House counsel Pat Cipollone and another attorney who represented Trump in his first impeachment trial, Eric Herschmann, offered the grave warnings as Trump, his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner listened. Other lawyers joined by telephone. They all told Trump he should not pardon himself, his family or any GOP lawmakers in a prospective manner unless he was prepared to list specific crimes."

Let's see if Trump listens to sound advice. If he does, that would be a first.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This is my last entry on this thread.

Mercifully, Trump has only hours left in his forlorn Presidency. All of America is looking forward to sanity returning to the White House.

While writing for this thread I experienced the whole range of emotions, dismay, anger, sadness, anger, laughter, anger, confusion, anger, and, at times, numbness at the outrage.

Did I mention anger?

I got weary telling people Trump was the first ever President to do this, that, or the other thing.

In a very real sense I will miss Trump from a writer's standpoint. He was a fascinating character to write about who never ceased to amaze. Imagine our President leading an insurgency against the American capital.

That's the point. You don't have to imagine it. Trump did it.

It is only fair that I start a new thread entitled, "A report card on the Biden administration." I promise to be just as scrutinizing of Biden as I was with Trump. My style will remain the same, heavy on documentation and basing opinion on facts, not speculation.

I have to admit something, though. Biden will not be nearly as interesting as Trump. That will be okay. No doubt Americans are yearning for bordom and efficacy in Washington.

 

[Ethel2]

This is my last entry on this thread.

Mercifully, Trump has only hours left in his forlorn Presidency. All of America is looking forward to sanity returning to the White House.

While writing for this thread I experienced the whole range of emotions, dismay, anger, sadness, anger, laughter, anger, confusion, anger, and, at times, numbness at the outrage.

Did I mention anger?

I got weary telling people Trump was the first ever President to do this, that, or the other thing.

In a very real sense I will miss Trump from a writer's standpoint. He was a fascinating character to write about who never ceased to amaze. Imagine our President leading an insurgency against the American capital.

That's the point. You don't have to imagine it. Trump did it.

It is only fair that I start a new thread entitled, "A report card on the Biden administration." I promise to be just as scrutinizing of Biden as I was with Trump. My style will remain the same, heavy on documentation and basing opinion on facts, not speculation.

I have to admit something, though. Biden will not be nearly as interesting as Trump. That will be okay. No doubt Americans are yearning for bordom and efficacy in Washington.

I want to see the jackass held accountable for him poor decisions and for his outright crimes.