In the beginning of the week we had media stories about the political fight for witnesses for the Donald Trump impeachment trial…
Then we had John Bolton land with a ‘tell all’ book….
Republican US Senator’s talking about witnesses!
But with all of this?
Donald Trump….
The President and puppet master wants this whole thing over…
The Democrats in the House impeached him…
That’s in the books…
But?
No Robert Mueller investigation….
No House impeachment …..
Neither ?
Is gonna stop and anAmerican President from using his office to do things that would put others in jail….
In the end?
Congress has continually ceded more power to the chief executive ….
Prime example is going on now….
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is sitting on trial against the President…
Anything he does can be overruled by the majority of the jury…
The jury we ALL KNOW WILL vote to acquit the defendant ….
The defendant is working WITH the jury Forman, Senate Majority Leader McConnell to craft the defense against the charges…
America is supposed to be a Democracy ….
It actually isn’t when it comes to the Presidency ….
Trump’s lawyers are in trial where they haven’t addressed the charges…
They don’t need to…
The defendant OWNS the jury….
( Of Course?….We knew the verdict before the trail…)
It was clear to Senate Republicans on Wednesday after a morning meeting between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that the question of having additional witnesses is settled, and the Senate will vote Friday to wrap up the impeachment trial of President Trump.
There was no discussion of witnesses at a Senate GOP lunch meeting Wednesday, which was held a couple hours after McConnell and Murkowski met for about 20 to 30 minutes.
That was seen as a sign by several senators that Democrats will fail to convince four Republicans to join them in calling for witnesses. Without a vote to hear from witnesses, the trial could end as soon as Friday.
“We’re going to get it done by Friday, hopefully,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said following the meeting.
Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), emerging from the lunch, said, “I think I can say the mood is good.”
Braun expressed confidence that McConnell will be able to keep his conference unified enough to defeat a motion to consider subpoenas for additional witnesses and documents.
“If I had to guess, no witnesses,” he said.
“We’ll be in a place where I think everyone is going to have their mind made up and I believe that we’ll be able to move to a verdict, and the witness question will be clear at that point,” Braun added.
Murkowski did not attend the lunch.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who has been the most outspoken advocate for calling additional witnesses, declined to comment as he left the lunch.
Romney and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) are both expected to back witnesses. Murkowski has been seen as a third possible vote, though she had not announced any decision.
Instead of discussing the possibility of having former national security adviser John Bolton appear as a witness in the trial at Wednesday’s meeting, lawmakers talked about voting Friday to move quickly to an up-or-down vote on two articles of impeachment.
“There was no discussion about that today,” Rounds said. …
image…mashviral.com
This perception will matter to virtually nobody in the country, but watching a little bit of the “question” portion yesterday, I came away struck at how competent Chief Justice John Roberts seems to be. I know we would expect any CJ to be that way, but I just came away with a good feeling about him being in that role…. which has nothing to do with his judicial opinions necessarily, though I expect agree with him far more than I disagree. (Trumpists already hated him.)
I’m happy with how John Roberts has presided over this.
Howevet if Republicans vote dpwn witnesses this will be remembered by history as a sham trial and their votes to quickly acquit Trump will be noted in their obituaries.
Maybe my Obit will say I supported the Impeachment of two U.S. Presidents, a Governor, and a Student Association President.
(but was neutral on Del Boca Vista’s long condo nightmare)
I should probably acknowledge that I partially only voted to impeach the Student Association President because that is what my “party bosses” wanted and maybe that was not the right thing to do. I did pull a Bob Livingston at the “trial” and offered him a chance to resign on his own accord. He looked shocked as hell.
I realize nobody probably cares but I want to tell one more story from college..
So, in the next general election to replace the impeached President, one of the “party leaders” ran and I voted against him because I thought he was unethical. Literally at the moment I marked my ballot against him, unbeknownst to me, he was standing over my shoulder watching. He has since changed his last name and is now a very prominent historical author. He not long ago was appointed to a county office in a very large U.S. county but lost a Republican primary for the full term. From what I understand he found religion and became a better person.
The person I voted for in that election because I thought he was a nice guy, and who won, was the son of a suburban Cook County Democrat Mayor who had served or was at the time serving time in the joint for corruption. This person’s younger brother is now the Mayor of that same town and was recently indicted by the Feds.
I was a Student Government Rep in college but can’t remember a thing about who our President was or the elections. Other than that one of my fellow reps was a guy I had a few classes with and hung out with sometimes who later served two terms as Missouri State Treasurer.
longer time ago…
I founded and was President of the Seton Hall Youmg Democrats while in college, but I don’t have any great stories that would interest anyone. The Vice President at the time is currently serving as an elected official in a small NJ town.
The trial will probably NOT end today….
Democrats may try to string things out till at least Monday….
This would NOT help Sanders, Warren and Klobuchar …..
Ok….
Romney says he will vote FOR witnesses in the Senate….
Murkowski will NOT….
She has been under YUGE pressure to NOT break ranks with McConnell and Trump despite the Bolton book revelations…
Barring a unexpected change of heart by any other Senate GOPer?
Donald J. Trump beats the rap and keeps his day job….
Of course well ALL KNEW he would….
Kudos to Mitt Romney. Clearly, he puts the country first, even when online tribalists on both sides rejoice in calling him “scumbag.”
Kudos to Mitt for finding his spine.
Murkowski’s is lost in the Alaskan tundra I guess.
The vast majority of elected Republicans cannot be counted on to do the right thing.
Congrats to Romney. If he were up for re-election, I would likely vote for him (for one time only) purely to send a message thanking him for doing what is right.
Everybody who appreciates political courage should also realize that there will continue to be Republican U.S. Senators next year, in whatever number, and Susan Collins should at least have one voice within a party that desperately needs it. If she is defeated, it will only make more Senators more afraid to show independence in the future.
Has Romney or Collins announced how they are going to vote on the actual impeachment itself?
Nope….
But we ALL KNOW there isn’t gonna be 67 vote to convict….
Well, before we start passing out accolades or demerits as the case may be?
Maybe we should see the actual vote on impeach conviction.
I mean that’s what this is all about,right?
51 votes needed for Censure.
Let’s see just how deep the devotion goes.
What “censure?”
Has a censure resolution been introduced?
It should be. Take what you can get. Trump will hate it.
There will be various skittish Republicans who want to be able to say they did “something.”
You have Alexander and Portman and from what you said Rubio, now basically admitted that yes, he did it, but “it doesn’t rise to the level of removal during an election year, blah blah blah.”
Ok, how about Censure then?
How about it?
I’m in favor.
Good luck with it though.
Mitch McConnell will likely find some way to kill it.
McConnell is more scared than ever now of keeping the Senate majority. He will be open to doing whatever he thinks has to be done to give the most vulnerable GOP Senators cover, whether Trump likes it or not. Or at least he would be making a very bad mistake not to.
McConnell has shown himself to be a total sycophant for Trump.
I’m not at all convinced that he will allow any censure resolution to see the light of day.
Trump will be tweeting like mad, his followers will be bombarding Republicans in Congress. And on and on.
I rate the chances of a censure very small at present.
What’s stopping the House then?
See how bipartisan they can get it to be or make it clear who is “fully devoted.”
I think one way or another, there will be Republican Senators asking for some sort of “middle ground” option.
As I said last night, House Democrats need to take the opportunity on Tuesday night to exert the rights of Congress and at the beginning or a designated point in Trump’s SOTU, drown him out with chants of “Censure, Censure.”
Pelosi will have it in her power to let the demonstration last as long as she wants. (Obviously it would be bad form to stop the whole speech.. but hey, maybe Trump storms out of there. That would be on him.)
Well… any minute now, Lamar! will play the role of the Groundhog.
About to find out if we will have six more weeks of Impeachment.
You suck Lamar.
Or:
You suck!Lamar!
Alexander, that plaid shirt wearing loser, who would finish behind Bob Dole in one caucus and primary after another, only to call on Dole to drop out after losing to him each time did release an interesting statement…
He said that the House’s case is proven (on the first Article). Trump did it. There is no need for more evidence. Trump did it. But let the American people decide by their votes…I don’t want to be part of it. Well, I guess one will have to ask Lamar! if he will not vote for Trump in November since he agrees Trump did something improper.
Romney and Collins will stay strong on the vote. Who knows about Murkowski. I doubt the Chief Justice is going to try to insert himself into this in a nuclear-like fashion.
So, acquittal probably happens tomorrow, but I think there will be momentum for Congress to pass some sort of “Censure”
The rest is up to the American people. Can the Democrats nominate a candidate who can actually make the case why Trump must be removed for actions like this?
The majority House Democrats should greet the beginning of Trump’s speech Tuesday night with chants of “Censure! Censure!” Maybe others in the Chamber will join in.
Pelosi should wait at least two minutes before gaveling the House to order. Let Trump stand there and have to take it. Politics is theater, whether it should be or not.
In a private speech tonight, John Bolton praised Lt. Col Vindman, Ambassador Yovanovitch and the others who testified about what Trump did.
I have a strong hunch Ben Sasse will be crying himself to sleep tonight.
He knows better. That was very clear when the Trump miniseries began but has chosen to neuter himself rather than risk losing an election or possibly a chance to make a lot of money in the private sector.
With Lamar folding it looks like the expected outcome of the Trump trial will be upon us in less than 24 hours….
No surprises ….
Meanwhile, Marco Rubio has essentially conceded that Trump deserved to be impeached but still shouldn’t be removed from office.
He will vote to acquit.
Surprise!
How are those positions any different than yours though? While you conceded Trump is guilty of what he was charged with, you said Impeachment was a waste of time, they shouldn’t even bother to hear from witnesses and that only the election should determine Trump;s fate.
I said from the beginning that it was a waste of time because Republican moral cowards like Marco Rubio and the rest would never vote to remove Trump.
You on the other hand were implying that as things went along Republicans might wake up to their cowardice
Unsurprisingly they haven’t .They won’t.
Not a waste of time at all.
Just demonstrative of the paralyzed political times we live in. And remember, no member of a Presidents Party has ever voted to remove. All of our rare impeachments have been very partisan.
What I said from the beginning is the American people would determine Trump’s impeachment fate. Clearly, a slight majority want him gone, (and overwhelming majority wanted witnesses) but not enough people were convinced about the emergency aspect of removing him. They think the voters are going to have the final say, and they are right in that respect.
The biggest question of all of this is (as it has been in the past) “Where is the outrage?”
As the saying goes, this will be up to history.
It won’t be a waste of time if we hammer the fact that the Republican Party is completely complicit in this cover up and miscarriage of justice.
No fair minded Senator should have officially made their mind up before hearing from witnesses.
Clearly, that should have been the next step of the process. We all know the final result. Without a truly fair trial though, all of this does become less relevant.
Republicans never wanted “a truly fair trial.”
That’s what’s been evident from the beginning.
It was never going to happen.
So exactly what’s becoming “less relevant?”
Most of the Republicans absolutely wanted a cover-up. They absolutely were scared about what the witnesses would say and how it might sway the public.
But you agreed with them jack. “No witnesses.” and “Get this over with.”
CG you and I may have disagreed with Jack about wanting witnesses. But his reasoning is 180 degrees from the reasonong of the vast majority of Senate Republicans.
They simply do not want to do anything that is not in Trump’s self interest. They are people like Ted Cruz who now bend over backwards for the man who once said his dad killed JFK and his wife is ugly. They are cultists. Jack is not. Big difference,
I have no problem with you fellows disagreeing with me on this.
I still contend that all that’s happened here has been foreseeable and unlike some here?
No, I don’t believe any of this will have a significant effect on this years election for President.
It may though have some impact in individual Senate races.
This better have a negative impact on Trump for the election or “you guys” are going to lose.
The election has to be a referendum on Trump’s character and fitness.
What else are the Democrats going win on? The economy? Extending voting rights to people currently serving time in prison? Slavery reparations?
People have mostly already formed their opinion of the Republican Presidents character.
What came out in this matter merely reinforced it.
Unfortunately.most member of “your party” have no problem with his “character.”
And the risk for Democrats is people who think Trump has unworthy character might vote for him again because they think the other option will hurt the country.
A.) This goes along with the Democrats’ position of Economy over Character, going back to 1992.
B) that’s how Trump won last time
Stop focusing on how die-hard Republicans are going to vote and think about how you might be able to get back those who used to vote Democrat but switched to Trump. Shouldn’t it be easier to win over *them?*
What will Democrats win on? Expanding health care, ending tax cuts for the wealthiest of the wealthy, addressing climate change.
You know, the issues that more Americans agree with us than the Trump Republicans on.
And yes I think fatigue over Trump’s narcissistic and illegal behavior is a part of the equation. But far from the whole thing. If it were we would have won in 2016 when many centering on his boorish behavior was enough for Democrats to win.
If Sanders or Warren are the nominee, those money-based issues become liabilities for Democrats. I think you guys sort of fear that, even if you will be reluctant to admit it in front of me.
No more than you fear that four more years of Trump will essentially destroy the Republican Party as you know it.
This little daily routine where you pretend that it’s all on “you guys” is laughable.
You have as much to lose from a re-elected Trump as any of us or any other person for that matter.
I made it very clear I do not want Sanders to be the nominee for the reasons I have stated. I said very clearly I will be “rooting” for Biden to win Iowa (since I think he has a better chance of doing so than Buttigieg or Klobuchar)
In regards to the general election, barring something unforeseen, I’m going to “lose” either way. I can’t waste my life dwelling on it. Everything is ultimately up to G-d. At least I saw the Cubs win one World Series.
I realize that. But his position gives them “cover.”
Yeah Im sure my “position” effects United States Senators.
Hyperbole much?
The position you represent extrapolated of course.
These Senators have cover because they think they can paint the whole thing as a “waste of time” designed to somehow counter the election.
In actuality, this was about trying to prevent him from actively cheating in the current election. Right now, it looks like nothing can stop him if he wants to. That is what Democrats need to run on.
This should be considered the farthest thing from a “waste of time” (while I do not know if they will get all the outcomes they desire, at least Scott and H. Keith get that part and I can’t blame them for their position.) Democrats need to turn this to their advantage. 75% wanted witnesses, including half of Republicans. Never shut up about it and never stop repeating it.
Yeah it is .
The information as to Trumps actions, Bolton’s book etc are all over the news and will continue to be long after this “trial” is over with.
The impeachment “trial” itself?A big zero.What is happening was foretold.
Even James says We All knew this was going to be the result.
For some odd reason you act as if me saying that has been some big deal .It hasn’t.
The bottom line is that this needed to drag on as long as possible for Democrats. The longer things goes, the more wildcards at play. Nothing was ever going to come out to make things look better for Trump.
With this matter of not having witnesses, there is also of course the aspect of Democrats wanting to protect the Bidens and not wanting to see them have to testify.
So there is of course a cause and effect relationship there too which is causing this to end prematurely… not that the Bidens would have been material witnesses and that could have been made clear at the time.
Well your fellow Republicans just closed it down.
Instead of engaging in this endless little minuet about some nobody like me ,why don’t you spend your afternoon individually denouncing each cowardly Republican who are actually ending this?
They aren’t here for me to address.
Would you prefer to be “left alone?”
I don’t care.
However ,when it reaches the point where you have to blame me for giving “cover” to the Republicans in the Senate?
Maybe a dose of reality is called for.
I didn’t “blame” you nearly as much point out the weirdness of you complaining about it when you all had the same conclusion.
I was simply pointing out that, by their actions, Republicans were proving my point.
They never had any intention of conducting a real hearing with witnesses.
They had made up their minds that no matter what Trump did they weren’t going to convict him
It’s really quite simple and has bern for weeks .
But during the time you were insisting that there should not be witnesses, it should just end as soon as possible.
Whatever differing motives, you came to the same conclusion. You wanted no part of “Well, we’ll use this against them in the election.”
Uh yeah.
Summary…..
While the media mills this spectacle ?
The end result was forgone….
Pelosi did NOT want a impeachment
But was forced to do so….
There will be no censure if Trump doesn’t want it…
The best part of this exercise is reinforcing how fucked up Republicans are kissing Trump’s ass….
In places where GOPer’s are running this fall?
THEY will have explaining to do…
Democrats WILL have to get out the vote
Lets’NOT forget
Donald Trump has MONTHS screw up his act even MORE for November….
If Sanders is the nominee?
At least Trump and the GOPer’s will breath easy….
Having the White House and all but 2 of 53 Senate Republicans oppose something 75% of Americans wanted is not good for the GOP.
Yes Democrats should remind everyone that the vast majority of one party stood firmly in the way of the public’s opinion.
Actually not having gotten witnesses makes it easier to make that argument. If witnesses had been heard a lot of voters would have just thought the system worked somehow.