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Author Topic:   The Trump Presidency
Percy
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Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


(1)
Message 3683 of 4573 (868698)
12-17-2019 9:46 AM
Reply to: Message 3682 by Percy
12-17-2019 9:06 AM


Re: Rudy Giuliani Declares He Forced Out Yovanovitch
The New York Times also interviewed Giuliani. It's worth reading because it cuts down the detail of everything Giuliani did into a more succinct narrative: Giuliani Provides Details of What Trump Knew About Ambassador’s Removal - The New York Times
--Percy

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3682 by Percy, posted 12-17-2019 9:06 AM Percy has seen this message but not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


(1)
Message 3684 of 4573 (868699)
12-17-2019 9:55 AM


Mr. Kellyanne Conway Speaks Again
George T. Conway, husband of Kellyanne Conway, has an editorial in today's New York Times, along with three co-authors, in which he says:
quote:
"Our many policy differences with national Democrats remain, but our shared fidelity to the Constitution dictates a common effort."
It is nice to know there are sane conservatives out there: Opinion | We Are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated - The New York Times
Mitt Romney is supposedly also adhering to core conservative principles in opposition to Trump, but he has been remarkably silent.
--Percy

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


(1)
Message 3689 of 4573 (868865)
12-19-2019 9:26 AM
Reply to: Message 3686 by jar
12-18-2019 9:21 PM


Re: Trump has been impeached.
As already reported, Trump has been impeached by the House, here's the Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/...53-dce4b94e4249_story.html.
There were two articles of impeachment:
  • Article I: Abuse of Power (passed 230-197)
  • Article II: Obstruction of Justice (passed 229-198)
The Articles of Impeachment can be found here: Read the Articles of Impeachment Against President Trump - The New York Times
--Percy

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3686 by jar, posted 12-18-2019 9:21 PM jar has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 3690 by Percy, posted 12-19-2019 10:34 AM Percy has seen this message but not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 3690 of 4573 (868868)
12-19-2019 10:34 AM
Reply to: Message 3689 by Percy
12-19-2019 9:26 AM


Re: Trump has been impeached.
I just started watching Mitch McConnell live speaking on the floor of the Senate. I came in in the middle, and the very first thing I heard him say appears to be a lie. He said that Schiff and someone on his committee said, "If the president asserts his constitutional rights it's that much more evidence he's guilty." This seems a particularly crazy thing to say. If Schiff or someone on his staff said this then they're wrong. But searching the Internet I can find no record of anyone anywhere, let alone Schiff or someone on his committee, saying this.
Do Democrats in the Senate get a chance at rebuttal to this McConnell statement?
I've disapproved of McConnell's conduct in the Senate, especially after he declared he would be a biased juror colluding with the Trump defense team, but I had no idea he was also a brazen liar.
Here's a link to the video at PBS. The words I quoted come at time 17:00: WATCH LIVE: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks on Senate floor after House impeachment vote | PBS NewsHour
I haven't listened to the entire video, maybe 40%, but it's mostly a hatchet job.
--Percy
Edited by Percy, : Add forgotten link.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3689 by Percy, posted 12-19-2019 9:26 AM Percy has seen this message but not replied

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 Message 3691 by Phat, posted 12-19-2019 10:38 AM Percy has seen this message but not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


(1)
Message 3692 of 4573 (868918)
12-20-2019 8:06 AM


Trump Should Be Very Happy
At his rally Wednesday night while the House was preparing to vote on impeachment Trump held a campaign rally in Michigan where he said :
quote:
"This lawless, partisan impeachment is a political suicide march for the Democratic party — have you seen my polls in the last four weeks?"
Source: Trump reacts to his impeachment: 'It's a political suicide march for the Democratic party' —video | US news | The Guardian
The president should be delighted at this turn of events where Democrats are taking the very actions that will cause the demise of their party.
Trump's words echo those of many Republicans who apparently believe the same thing, that Democrats are committing political suicide.
A Yahoo News/YouGov poll (In new Yahoo News/YouGov poll, most voters agree with Trump's impeachment but support for his removal falls just short of 50% [Video]) says that 53% of registered votes believe Trump abused the powers of his office, and that 51% believe he obstructed Congress.
48% of Americans support removing Trump from office, compared to 40% who do not.
--Percy

Replies to this message:
 Message 3694 by RAZD, posted 12-20-2019 12:52 PM Percy has seen this message but not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 3693 of 4573 (868919)
12-20-2019 9:18 AM


An Evangelical Voice Regains its Moral Sanity
Christianity Today, the evangelical magazine founded by the late Reverend Billy Graham, yesterday ran an editorial endorsing Trump's impeachment and removal: Trump Should Be Removed from Office | Christianity Today. Significant excerpts:
quote:
Let’s grant this to the president: The Democrats have had it out for him from day one, and therefore nearly everything they do is under a cloud of partisan suspicion. This has led many to suspect not only motives but facts in these recent impeachment hearings. And, no, Mr. Trump did not have a serious opportunity to offer his side of the story in the House hearings on impeachment.
But the facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.

His Twitter feed alonewith its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slandersis a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.

We believe the impeachment hearings have made it absolutely clear, in a way the Mueller investigation did not, that President Trump has abused his authority for personal gain and betrayed his constitutional oath. The impeachment hearings have illuminated the president’s moral deficiencies for all to see. This damages the institution of the presidency, damages the reputation of our country, and damages both the spirit and the future of our people. None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character.

That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.
To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this:...Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come? Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation’s leader doesn’t really matter in the end?

To use an old clich, it’s time to call a spade a spade, to say that no matter how many hands we win in this political poker game, we are playing with a stacked deck of gross immorality and ethical incompetence. And just when we think it’s time to push all our chips to the center of the table, that’s when the whole game will come crashing down. It will crash down on the reputation of evangelical religion and on the world’s understanding of the gospel. And it will come crashing down on a nation of men and women whose welfare is also our concern.
Sorry for the long excerpt. I would have summarized in my own words, but they wouldn't have the same power and eloquence.
--Percy

Replies to this message:
 Message 3695 by Minnemooseus, posted 12-20-2019 11:47 PM Percy has seen this message but not replied
 Message 3706 by Phat, posted 12-24-2019 11:46 AM Percy has replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


(1)
Message 3697 of 4573 (868986)
12-21-2019 10:00 AM


Putin has Trump's Back
From Salon magazine: Vladimir Putin attacks Democrats for made up impeachment charges as he defends President Trump | Salon.com
How much evidence do Trump supporters need before they understand that there is an improper relationship between President Trump and Vladimir Putin. With Putin as with the Ukraine, Trump has enlisted foreign help for personal gain regarding his political standing and his chances in the 2020 election.
Trump supporters by and large, from rank and file supporters all the way up to members of Congress and of his administration, seem incapable of seeing the snake in the room. They're unable to look at this from the opposite perspective, to ask themselves, "If Putin defended Obama would we be okay with that? We wouldn't, of course. So why are we okay with Putin defending Trump?"
--Percy

Replies to this message:
 Message 3698 by jar, posted 12-21-2019 10:37 AM Percy has seen this message but not replied
 Message 3700 by Hyroglyphx, posted 12-21-2019 10:49 PM Percy has replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


(3)
Message 3705 of 4573 (869128)
12-23-2019 5:58 PM
Reply to: Message 3700 by Hyroglyphx
12-21-2019 10:49 PM


Re: Putin has Trump's Back
Interesting avatar.
Hyroglyphx writes:
I see this impeachment process as pretty much handing Trump another term on a silver platter.
What choice did the House have? No one thinks it a serious lack when the police don't give out jaywalking tickets or when they let most rolling through stop signs go and most rolling right-turn-on-reds go, but people would probably take a pretty dim view of the police letting a bank robbery go.
This impeachment will not amount to one damn thing that's useful.
But, continuing the analogy, if the police set a precedent by letting one bank robbery go, don't they have to let all future bank robberies go?
He's not going anywhere because its obvious at this point its based on a popularity contest and not actually identifiable impeachment charges.
Even this is absolutely true, what choice did the House have?
When he survives it, and he will just as Clinton did, he and his supporters will use it to their advantage.
Trump uses every crime he commits to his advantage. He accuses those who catch him with committing the same crime he committed. He's been trying to blame the 2016 election interference on the Ukraine and the Democrats for the past three years. Rudy Giuliani's Ukraine shenanigans were an attempt to nail this down by getting rid of Yovanovich so that the way was clear to coercing the Ukraine into announcing investigations into the DNC server and the Bidens. Rudy's just returned from another visit to the Ukraine where he supposedly gathered more "evidence" of Ukrainian interference and DNC collusion. It is no coincidence that these are the very crimes Trump is accused of. This is what he does.
So it doesn't matter that Trump's mendacity, his domination of the party of no conscience, integrity or backbone, and the gullibility of his supporters will allow him to turn this to his advantage. No matter what he's criticized for in the run-up to the 2020 election, he will turn it to his advantage. Assuming that stooping to his level is not an option the Trump opposition would ever consider, the only option is to keep reporting the facts and telling the truth.
But I really don't think they have anything on him that is going to rise to the level of ousting him...
If this isn't impeachable then nothing is.
The Democrats couldn't have picked a worse time to do this either.
Again, what choice did they have?
--Percy

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3700 by Hyroglyphx, posted 12-21-2019 10:49 PM Hyroglyphx has not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 3708 of 4573 (869198)
12-25-2019 11:20 AM


New Poll on Impeachment
https://thehill.com/...-voters-approve-of-trumps-impeachment:
quote:
The poll found that 49 percent of voters approve of impeachment, while 42 percent disapprove. Nine percent are unsure.
The poll also found that 47 of voters percent think Trump should be removed from office, compared to 42 percent who do not think he should be removed from office. Eleven percent are not sure.
--Percy

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 3709 of 4573 (869199)
12-25-2019 11:33 AM
Reply to: Message 3706 by Phat
12-24-2019 11:46 AM


Re: An Evangelical Voice Regains its Moral Sanity
Napp Nazworth, Christian Post Editor, Quits Amid Evangelical Newspaper Civil War Over Trump:
quote:
An editor at The Christian Post has abruptly quit the publication after it aligned itself with Donald Trump as part of a spiraling evangelical Christian civil war. Another evangelical newspaper, Christianity Today, slammed the president as immoral and called for his removal from office last weekend, prompting a backlash and recriminations within the evangelical community. Journalist Napp Nazworth, who has worked for The Christian Post website since 2011 and sits on the website’s editorial board as politics editor, tweeted: Today, rather abruptly, I was forced to make the difficult choice to leave The Christian Post. They decided to publish an editorial that positions them on Team Trump. I can’t be an editor for a publication with that editorial voice. Trump called Christianity Today a far-left magazine, after its attack on him.
--Percy

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3706 by Phat, posted 12-24-2019 11:46 AM Phat has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 3710 by Chiroptera, posted 12-25-2019 11:57 AM Percy has seen this message but not replied
 Message 3711 by RAZD, posted 12-25-2019 12:03 PM Percy has seen this message but not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 3713 of 4573 (869265)
12-27-2019 9:20 AM


Could McConnell's Supreme Court Strategy Come Back to Haunt Him?
In 2016 when a Supreme Court vacancy opened with the death of Justice Antonine Scalia, Mitch McConnell refused to consider Barack Obama's nominee Merrick Garland. Preferring a more conservative nominee, McConnell argued that it wouldn't be appropriate to consider the Garland nomination in an election year, that the process should wait until after the election's outcome. The constitution says nothing about when a Supreme Court nominee must be considered, so McConnell wasn't violating the constitution
In a few days we'll be in an election year. The constitution says nothing about when the House must send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Knowing that the Republican controlled Senate under McConnell has already pledged to collude with the White House defense team and that an outcome of acquittal is already preordained, the House could simply hold up the articles of impeachment indefinitely while waiting the outcome of the election.
The election would be deeply affected by this strategy. Democratic urgency and energy to regain the Senate would accelerate because of the possibility of Trump winning reelection and the Democrats gaining control of the Senate. The House could then send the articles of impeachment over to the Democratic controlled Senate and a free and fair trial could take place, one where people like Mulvaney and Perry and Giuliani are subpoenaed to testify. Trump would still be acquitted, but at least the trial would be fair.
There are, of course, other possibilities. President Trump could lose reelection, rendering the issue moot. The Republicans could maintain control of the Senate, also rendering the issue moot since the Senate Trial would obviously acquit.
But there are even other possibilities. As 2020 rolls by we'll learn about other Trump impeachable offenses, and he'll of course continue to commit more. As the House has made clear, it feels free to add to the existing articles of impeachment.
During 2020, short of major concessions by Senate leadership, there is no advantage to the House sending the articles of impeachment over to the Senate where' they'll be subjected to a faux trial. The House should just hold onto them until they obtain the necessary promises from the Senate that it will actually carry out its constitutional duties, not a promises about outcomes but about constitutionally mandated processes. The Senate members must demonstrate a commitment to carry out their oath of office.
--Percy

Replies to this message:
 Message 3714 by RAZD, posted 12-28-2019 9:16 AM Percy has replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


(1)
Message 3715 of 4573 (869325)
12-28-2019 11:50 AM
Reply to: Message 3714 by RAZD
12-28-2019 9:16 AM


Re: Could McConnell's Supreme Court Strategy Come Back to Haunt Him?
RAZD writes:
Add Rudy ...
And Pompeo.
--Percy

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3714 by RAZD, posted 12-28-2019 9:16 AM RAZD has seen this message but not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


(1)
Message 3716 of 4573 (869407)
12-30-2019 7:46 AM


Tired of Winning Yet?
Those who believe Trump is actually looking out for the little guy as opposed to bamboozling him into giving Trump his vote should give How Big Companies Won New Tax Breaks From the Trump Administration - The New York Times a read. The sub-headlines tell us:
quote:
  • The 2017 overhaul of the federal tax law reduced the tax burden for big companies, but a lobbying effort created a windfall for large corporations.
  • The budget deficit has jumped more than 50 percent since President Trump took office and is expected to top $1 trillion in 2020, partly as a result of the law.
  • As the Treasury Department prepared to enact the 2017 Republican tax overhaul, corporate lobbyists swarmed and won big.

That pretty much says it all. Lobbyists succeeded in winning big money grabs from the Republican Congress at the expense of all the little guys who voted for Trump who are still waiting to get tired of all the winning. They haven't yet learned that, as with all populists, it doesn't matter what actually happens, it's all a win.
So you're losing healthcare, but hey, you're getting out from under government's thumb, that's a win. Your taxes went down a little while fat cat's taxes went down a lot, but hey, Trump's reducing government's role in your lives, that's a win. You're marginalizing non-white ethnicities, but hey, this is a white country and non-whites should go back where they came from, including all blacks and any other non-white citizens and even non-citizens who are US military veterans, so that's a win. You want infrastructure improved, but hey, by not doing anything we're saving money, so that's a win. This is a Christian nation, but hey, getting rid of all those inconvenient Moslems and Buddhists and Hindus is a win. You want clean air for your children, but hey, that would inconvenience businesses, so reducing and eliminating environmental standards is a win. You want your children's children to live in a world with normal weather and coastlines, but hey, there's no proof man is responsible for this rapid climate change, so hey, dropping out of the Paris Climate Accords is a win. As a conservative you want free trade, but hey, tariff battles are easy to win as long as the suffering consumers and industries and farmers don't make too much noise, so all these tariff battles Trump has started are wins.
Any iPhone users out there? Care to guess why iPhone prices have risen 10-15%? It wouldn't have anything to do with their being manufactured in China, would it?
Tired of winning yet?
--Percy
Edited by Percy, : No reason given.

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


(1)
Message 3717 of 4573 (869449)
12-30-2019 1:06 PM


The Results Are In: Trump's Tariffs Have Hurt the Economy
According to a just released Federal Reserve report (Disentangling the Effects of the 2018-2019 Tariffs on a Globally Connected U.S. Manufacturing Sector), Trump's tariffs have raised prices and hurt jobs and manufacturing.
Tired of winning yet?
Salon article: Federal Reserve report finds Trump's tariffs raised prices, cut employment and hurt US manufacturers | Salon.com
--Percy

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


(2)
Message 3725 of 4573 (869796)
01-05-2020 4:32 PM


The Assassination of Soleimani: Why Now?
Why did Trump order the assassination of Soleimani now? Just watch today's Sunday political programs (Meet the Press, Face the Nation, etc.) and the answer is obvious. Instead of talking about impeachment they're talking about Iran. Trump did what he always does when his misdeeds draw too much attention: he causes a distraction to benefit himself and hang the consequences that the country and world must suffer.
The US and the world are not a safer place after Soleimani's assassination. Americans are being warned to leave Iraq and the surrounding region. More troops are being sent to the Middle East. Homeland Security has been placed on higher alert. Our cyber targets are being warned to expect increased attacks. Security is being stepped up at our embassies around the world, as well as for our senior military officials. Our navy is stepping up its alertness in the Persian Gulf. Great Britain has just dispatched two destroyers to the region to protect British shipping.
Soleimani was responsible for many deaths, including Americans. He required our careful and continuous attention. But Trump's assassination of Soleimani will cause a greater number of American deaths and place an increased number of American lives at risk.
--Percy

Replies to this message:
 Message 3726 by Minnemooseus, posted 01-05-2020 11:20 PM Percy has seen this message but not replied

  
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