General Trump hilarity free-for-all thread

[Brother Mythos]

Making a prediction: When this is all said and done and the US not a glass parking lot (I know, even odds there) with Trump no longer in office, there will be a cry from both sides that we must "move on as a country, together" and not bother with prosecutions or investigations for the sake of "unity" and "not dredging up old stories" because they would "upset people".  There will be a tepid outcry from the farther Left, and then nothing will be done for at least 20 years, until the responsible parties are dead.

You may be right on the Federal level. However, I suspect things will go much differently on the State level.

Future President Pence, if he escapes Comrade Spanky's ouster, will probably pardon Spanky and most of his gang. But, Comrade Spanky and His Gang™ are a real white-collar crime family. I don't believe the Blue States, where they committed many of their crimes, are going to be so forgiving. And, that will make it much harder to sweep the whole sordid mess under the rug on the Federal level.

I suspect any pardons handed out by future President Pence, or whoever, will quickly be challenged in the US Supreme Court by a number of Blue States, and other powerful organizations. And, I sincerely doubt the US Supreme Court, even as politically biased as it is, will uphold those Presidential pardons.

[Doktor Howl]

Making a prediction: When this is all said and done and the US not a glass parking lot (I know, even odds there) with Trump no longer in office, there will be a cry from both sides that we must "move on as a country, together" and not bother with prosecutions or investigations for the sake of "unity" and "not dredging up old stories" because they would "upset people".  There will be a tepid outcry from the farther Left, and then nothing will be done for at least 20 years, until the responsible parties are dead.

You may be right on the Federal level. However, I suspect things will go much differently on the State level.

Future President Pence, if he escapes Comrade Spanky's ouster, will probably pardon Spanky and most of his gang. But, Comrade Spanky and His Gang™ are a real white-collar crime family. I don't believe the Blue States, where they committed many of their crimes, are going to be so forgiving. And, that will make it much harder to sweep the whole sordid mess under the rug on the Federal level.

I suspect any pardons handed out by future President Pence, or whoever, will quickly be challenged in the US Supreme Court by a number of Blue States, and other powerful organizations. And, I sincerely doubt the US Supreme Court, even as politically biased as it is, will uphold those Presidential pardons.

They don't have a say.  The power of the president to pardon at the federal level is absolute.

[Brother Mythos]

This is not the straw that will break the camel's back. It's just one more thing on the list of things we're sure will finally be the end of this nightmare, only to pale in comparison to the next thing.

At this point, I don't know what it's going to take to get Comrade Spanky out of office.

I doubt that his base, who make up about 33 % of The Republicult™, will abandon him for any reason. And given that number of supporters, I don't see how his impeachment will not lead to open violence across the country.

That's good. That means that they can be answered with violence.

Okay ... in all probability, nearly 100 %, or the entire 100 %, of your local police department voted, and would vote again, for Comrade Spanky.

So, whose side do you think your local police department will take a stand against?

[Brother Mythos]

Making a prediction: When this is all said and done and the US not a glass parking lot (I know, even odds there) with Trump no longer in office, there will be a cry from both sides that we must "move on as a country, together" and not bother with prosecutions or investigations for the sake of "unity" and "not dredging up old stories" because they would "upset people".  There will be a tepid outcry from the farther Left, and then nothing will be done for at least 20 years, until the responsible parties are dead.

You may be right on the Federal level. However, I suspect things will go much differently on the State level.

Future President Pence, if he escapes Comrade Spanky's ouster, will probably pardon Spanky and most of his gang. But, Comrade Spanky and His Gang™ are a real white-collar crime family. I don't believe the Blue States, where they committed many of their crimes, are going to be so forgiving. And, that will make it much harder to sweep the whole sordid mess under the rug on the Federal level.

I suspect any pardons handed out by future President Pence, or whoever, will quickly be challenged in the US Supreme Court by a number of Blue States, and other powerful organizations. And, I sincerely doubt the US Supreme Court, even as politically biased as it is, will uphold those Presidential pardons.

They don't have a say.  The power of the president to pardon at the federal level is absolute.

Even when the pardoner is a co-conspirator? Pence is into obstruction of justice up to his eyeballs.

So, who comes after Pence, another Republicultist™ in the spirit of Nelson Rockefeller? Or, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who may not be Lyin' Paul Ryan after the November elections?

I don't believe it's that simple.

[Doktor Howl]

Making a prediction: When this is all said and done and the US not a glass parking lot (I know, even odds there) with Trump no longer in office, there will be a cry from both sides that we must "move on as a country, together" and not bother with prosecutions or investigations for the sake of "unity" and "not dredging up old stories" because they would "upset people".  There will be a tepid outcry from the farther Left, and then nothing will be done for at least 20 years, until the responsible parties are dead.

You may be right on the Federal level. However, I suspect things will go much differently on the State level.

Future President Pence, if he escapes Comrade Spanky's ouster, will probably pardon Spanky and most of his gang. But, Comrade Spanky and His Gang™ are a real white-collar crime family. I don't believe the Blue States, where they committed many of their crimes, are going to be so forgiving. And, that will make it much harder to sweep the whole sordid mess under the rug on the Federal level.

I suspect any pardons handed out by future President Pence, or whoever, will quickly be challenged in the US Supreme Court by a number of Blue States, and other powerful organizations. And, I sincerely doubt the US Supreme Court, even as politically biased as it is, will uphold those Presidential pardons.

They don't have a say.  The power of the president to pardon at the federal level is absolute.

Even when the pardoner is a co-conspirator? Pence is into obstruction of justice up to his eyeballs.

So, who comes after Pence, another Republicultist™ in the spirit of Nelson Rockefeller? Or, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who may not be Lyin' Paul Ryan after the November elections?

I don't believe it's that simple.

Whether or not the president can outright pardon himself is very much in question.  Anyone else he can pardon...The only check on this is that he can't sell a pardon.

[Bruno]

This is not the straw that will break the camel's back. It's just one more thing on the list of things we're sure will finally be the end of this nightmare, only to pale in comparison to the next thing.

At this point, I don't know what it's going to take to get Comrade Spanky out of office.

I doubt that his base, who make up about 33 % of The Republicult™, will abandon him for any reason. And given that number of supporters, I don't see how his impeachment will not lead to open violence across the country.

That's good. That means that they can be answered with violence.

Okay ... in all probability, nearly 100 %, or the entire 100 %, of your local police department voted, and would vote again, for Comrade Spanky.

So, whose side do you think your local police department will take a stand against?

This is the 33% of America who owns 97% of the guns and includes, at a minimum, 60-70% of law enforcement at all levels, and also the military. A couple of bullets from each of them, and they could quickly become 100% of the population. I'm not seeing a Shays Rebellion, here

[Junkenstein]

Making a prediction: When this is all said and done and the US not a glass parking lot (I know, even odds there) with Trump no longer in office, there will be a cry from both sides that we must "move on as a country, together" and not bother with prosecutions or investigations for the sake of "unity" and "not dredging up old stories" because they would "upset people".  There will be a tepid outcry from the farther Left, and then nothing will be done for at least 20 years, until the responsible parties are dead.

You may be right on the Federal level. However, I suspect things will go much differently on the State level.

Future President Pence, if he escapes Comrade Spanky's ouster, will probably pardon Spanky and most of his gang. But, Comrade Spanky and His Gang™ are a real white-collar crime family. I don't believe the Blue States, where they committed many of their crimes, are going to be so forgiving. And, that will make it much harder to sweep the whole sordid mess under the rug on the Federal level.

I suspect any pardons handed out by future President Pence, or whoever, will quickly be challenged in the US Supreme Court by a number of Blue States, and other powerful organizations. And, I sincerely doubt the US Supreme Court, even as politically biased as it is, will uphold those Presidential pardons.

They don't have a say.  The power of the president to pardon at the federal level is absolute.

Even when the pardoner is a co-conspirator? Pence is into obstruction of justice up to his eyeballs.

So, who comes after Pence, another Republicultist™ in the spirit of Nelson Rockefeller? Or, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who may not be Lyin' Paul Ryan after the November elections?

I don't believe it's that simple.

Whether or not the president can outright pardon himself is very much in question.  Anyone else he can pardon...The only check on this is that he can't sell a pardon.

Anyone taking bets on when tangerine scream is going to pull that exact move? Assuming he hasn't already.

[Cain]

There was some discussion about it recently, when Guiliani brought it up as a possibility.

The problem is:

1) He can't.  DoJ looked into it in 1974, it would effectively make the President the judge in his own case, which of course isn't legally permissable
2) If he did, it would mean he would have to admit his guilt on collusion and obstruction.  Can't pardon something that didn't happen.  He would also lose all his 5th amendment rights relating to the investigaton, which opens up a can of worms
3) Congress might actually spontaneously grow a spine and impeach him.
4) Pence could just assassinate Trump, then pardon himself under this legal logic.  It's retarded.

[Brother Mythos]

I've done a little research, and it appears that the POTUS currently does have extremely broad power to grant "reprieves and pardons" on the federal level. I hesitate to use the term "absolute," but his pardoning power is pretty damn close to it.

Here are a couple of pertinent sections of the US Constitution:

Article II – Section 2 – Clause 1:

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

Article II – Section 4:

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.


So, in order to stop the flagrant abuse of the "Reprieves and Pardons" power by the POTUS, it appears to me there are only two options available as follows:

1) A new amendment to the US Constitution.

2) The US Supreme Court accepting to hear a challenge to the flagrant abuse of "Reprieves and Pardons" power by the POTUS, and siding with the challenger.

So, it's likely that the current, criminal administration could easily escape Federal punishment long before a new amendment could be written, submitted, and ratified.

And, based upon past history, I wouldn't bet a thing on Option 2 ever happening.

Apparently, the majority of the Founding Fathers could not conceive of a POS like Comrade Spanky ever holding the office of POTUS.

[Prelate Diogenes Shandor]

This is not the straw that will break the camel's back. It's just one more thing on the list of things we're sure will finally be the end of this nightmare, only to pale in comparison to the next thing.

At this point, I don't know what it's going to take to get Comrade Spanky out of office.

I doubt that his base, who make up about 33 % of The Republicult™, will abandon him for any reason. And given that number of supporters, I don't see how his impeachment will not lead to open violence across the country.

And, the professional politicians in The Republicult™, who make up nearly all of the politicians in the party, are deathly afraid of their own cultists (The Republicultists™). I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I don't see many, if any, of those politicians openly doing a damn thing to get their sociopath out of the White House.

So, when Special Counsel Mueller finally wraps up his investigation, what then? Whatever happens, I don't believe it's going to be at all straightforward. I suspect the Attorney General of New York State is going to end up being the pointman, by default, for Comrade Spanky's ouster.

Making a prediction: When this is all said and done and the US not a glass parking lot (I know, even odds there) with Trump no longer in office, there will be a cry from both sides that we must "move on as a country, together" and not bother with prosecutions or investigations for the sake of "unity" and "not dredging up old stories" because they would "upset people".  There will be a tepid outcry from the farther Left, and then nothing will be done for at least 20 years, until the responsible parties are dead.

That would be in keeping with the disappointing way the civil war wrapped up. On a related note, I kind of hope the south does rise again, so that we can handle the aftermath correctly this time, like how Rome handled things differently after the Third Punic War

[Doktor Howl]

More "It's an Obama policy" lies:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-administration-tightens-rules-for-federal-scientists-talking-to-reporters/ar-AAyXQHh?ocid=spartanntp

A deputy press secretary for the Department of the Interior, Faith Vander Voort, wrote in an email that "the characterization that there is any new policy or that it for some reason targets scientists is completely false." She said the Department of the Interior's communications office "simply asked" the USGS public affairs office to follow media guidelines published in 2012 during the Obama administration. Vander Voort did not answer a question as to what prompted the change in media protocol.

The 10-page media manual says that the Department of the Interior's communications office "must be notified" ahead of media interviews that "may generate significant news coverage, public interest or inquiry." The manual, however, does not say that agency employees must get clearance or approval before responding to a reporter.

[Doktor Howl]

There doesn't seem to be any connection between this guy's rants and reality.  Like none.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-n-korea-blowing-up-test-sites-total-denuclearization-has-already-started/ar-AAyYvqh?ocid=spartanntp

[Cain]

  This is what happens when you have a President who gets his info from FOX and Friends and random internet Nazis who tweet at him, instead of the 19 intelligence agencies (with a combined budget in excess of $50 billion) who report to him daily, because the Daily Presidential brief is "boring"

[LMNO]

This could be an interesting turning point.  This site (and forum) is no stranger to pointing out when a sitting official does something stupid, or when a governing body gets it wrong.

The Obama administration was criticized on this site, and by major media, about their immigration policies, drone strikes, prosecution of whistleblowers, and more.

Oddly Unsurprisingly, people looking to defend Trump forget this. 

And now, the Trump people have shifted their focus somewhat; rather than spend their time rolling back Obama-era regulations, they're jacking up old policies that restrict freedoms, spiking them with additional vitriol and xenophobia, and then saying, "but Your God Obama did the same thing."

It's incredibly tiresome to remind all of them that there was plenty of criticism about those measures, and regardless, immorality by one administration does not make it moral for the next one.

[Doktor Howl]

This could be an interesting turning point.  This site (and forum) is no stranger to pointing out when a sitting official does something stupid, or when a governing body gets it wrong.

The Obama administration was criticized on this site, and by major media, about their immigration policies, drone strikes, prosecution of whistleblowers, and more.

Oddly Unsurprisingly, people looking to defend Trump forget this. 

And now, the Trump people have shifted their focus somewhat; rather than spend their time rolling back Obama-era regulations, they're jacking up old policies that restrict freedoms, spiking them with additional vitriol and xenophobia, and then saying, "but Your God Obama did the same thing."

It's incredibly tiresome to remind all of them that there was plenty of criticism about those measures, and regardless, immorality by one administration does not make it moral for the next one.

What's REALLY awesome is that they are more or less saying "WE'RE DOING EVIL THINGS AND WE KNOW IT" which is why they offer the justification of "THE LAST GUY DID IT", even if - especially if - it's a complete crock.