Politics Are Still Loco: 2024

[Benjamin Grimm]

I’m still worried about whether he’d be allowed to have a second term this time

I meant, if he wins, a second term. As in 12 years total out of 16

The Constitution prohibits that. Hopefully that will continue to matter.

[The Hot Corner]

I'm not as worried about Trump getting a third term, if elected for a second term. I'm more worried about Trump trying to stage a military coup with the support and backing of his most crazed/militant supporters to remain in power at the completion of a second term (if elected), rather than allow the democracy to elect someone else. I imagine him declaring that it is in the best interest of the country that he remain in the presidency and his most radical/militant supporters eating it up.

[MFS62]

I'm not as worried about Trump getting a third term, if elected for a second term. I'm more worried about Trump trying to stage a military coup with the support and backing of his most crazed/militant supporters to remain in power at the completion of a second term (if elected), rather than allow the democracy to elect someone else. I imagine him declaring that it is in the best interest of the country that he remain in the presidency and his most radical/militant supporters eating it up.

I can't understand how so many military people still support a draft dodger who insulted a gold star mother, said those who died were suckers and wants to trash the constitution they swore to support. Our daughter's in-laws lost a son in Afghanistan and they still support him.
Later

[metsmarathon]

"strength", othering, and fox news. also, libs hate soldiers.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I'm not as worried about Trump getting a third term, if elected for a second term. I'm more worried about Trump trying to stage a military coup with the support and backing of his most crazed/militant supporters to remain in power at the completion of a second term (if elected), rather than allow the democracy to elect someone else. I imagine him declaring that it is in the best interest of the country that he remain in the presidency and his most radical/militant supporters eating it up.

There's no doubt in my mind that if he wins next year, he's not leaving the White House voluntarily. He'll take the same page out of the Dictators' Tried and True Playbook to try and commandeer enough of the courts and military to acquire the necessary power to achieve his aims.

[metirish]

Trump is not winning, I refuse to believe anything else

[Edgy MD]

The problem is that we have a goofy and gerrymandered system, where you don't have to be winning to win.

[ashie62]

There is reporting that Fani Willis has been having an affair with one of her lead prosecutors

[MFS62]

There is reporting that Fani Willis has been having an affair with one of her lead prosecutors

And that matters... how?

It is another attempt by the MAGA machine to besmirch the reputation of a woman of color (raw meat to his followers), a sleazy attempt to direct attention away from the facts of the case, and another delaying tactic.

Whether true or not, it has nothing to do with the facts of this case.
Later

[Edgy MD]

More importantly, we're continuing to put prosecutorial content in the politics thread, and political content in the prosecutorial thread.

[batmagadanleadoff]

There is reporting that Fani Willis has been having an affair with one of her lead prosecutors

And that matters... how?

It is another attempt by the MAGA machine to besmirch the reputation of a woman of color (raw meat to his followers), a sleazy attempt to direct attention away from the facts of the case, and another delaying tactic.

Whether true or not, it has nothing to do with the facts of this case.
Later

It matters and it's looking like a problem. But yes, it doesn't minimize the crimes the sociopathic ex-president is charged with. Willis allegedly hired an attorney who, so far has been paid by the Atlanta, Georgia DA's office, which Willis more or less runs, almost three quarters of a million dollars for his legal work on the Georgia Trump case. He apparently has an intimate relationship with Willis and took her on many vacations which he paid for with the aforementioned funds he received from the Atlanta, Georgia DA's office.

[metirish]

DeSantis drops out and endores Trump

[nymr83]

There is reporting that Fani Willis has been having an affair with one of her lead prosecutors

And that matters... how?

It is another attempt by the MAGA machine to besmirch the reputation of a woman of color (raw meat to his followers), a sleazy attempt to direct attention away from the facts of the case, and another delaying tactic.

Whether true or not, it has nothing to do with the facts of this case.
Later

It matters and it's looking like a problem. But yes, it doesn't minimize the crimes the sociopathic ex-president is charged with. Willis allegedly hired an attorney who, so far has been paid by the Atlanta, Georgia DA's office, which Willis more or less runs, almost three quarters of a million dollars for his legal work on the Georgia Trump case. He apparently has an intimate relationship with Willis and took her on many vacations which he paid for with the aforementioned funds he received from the Atlanta, Georgia DA's office.

it is an incredibly bad look for her and possible she has broken the law herself.

Trump has probably broken laws in all 50 states - it would behoove us ("us" being anyone who would like to see Trump convicted of things) to have the people prosecuting him be clean of their own crimes. It is a distraction from the goal and ammunition for his followers to create these sideshows for him.

[nymr83]

DeSantis drops out and endores Trump

Solidifying his place as another D-bag.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

"Never give in" pussy

[Edgy MD]

And that matters... how?

It is another attempt by the MAGA machine to besmirch the reputation of a woman of color (raw meat to his followers), a sleazy attempt to direct attention away from the facts of the case, and another delaying tactic.

Whether true or not, it has nothing to do with the facts of this case.
Later

It matters and it's looking like a problem. But yes, it doesn't minimize the crimes the sociopathic ex-president is charged with. Willis allegedly hired an attorney who, so far has been paid by the Atlanta, Georgia DA's office, which Willis more or less runs, almost three quarters of a million dollars for his legal work on the Georgia Trump case. He apparently has an intimate relationship with Willis and took her on many vacations which he paid for with the aforementioned funds he received from the Atlanta, Georgia DA's office.

it is an incredibly bad look for her and possible she has broken the law herself.

Trump has probably broken laws in all 50 states - it would behoove us ("us" being anyone who would like to see Trump convicted of things) to have the people prosecuting him be clean of their own crimes. It is a distraction from the goal and ammunition for his followers to create these sideshows for him.

No doubt. And I'd add that it deeply undercuts the case against him. If one or both of these figures lose their jobs, and their successors have to start over, how much appetite could they possibly have? If they don't lose their jobs, the prosecution is tainted.

When prosecutors are found to have violated the law, every case of theirs, even long-closed ones, are potentially (or actually, frequently enough) re-opened.

[Frayed Knot]

DeSantis drops out and endores Trump

Who he endorses is essentially irrelevant.
If nothing else this reduces the splitting of the 'Never Trump' vote.

[Edgy MD]

I think it means something.

If he, or any of them, were able to stand up and say, "This is an anti-American criminal — vote for someone else by any means necessary, and I will continue to oppose him with all my being," it would matter.

But going around saying "You should vote for me, but I'll totally pardon him, and he's totally right about the conspiracy against him" is horseshit to the nth degree. Even Chris Christie didn't have it in him to disown his 2016 endorsement of the guy.

It's beyond cowardice. It's pathetic.

[kcmets]

Another one bites the dust, and sucks on Trump's stump on way out.

Details at eleven.

[batmagadanleadoff]

It matters and it's looking like a problem. But yes, it doesn't minimize the crimes the sociopathic ex-president is charged with. Willis allegedly hired an attorney who, so far has been paid by the Atlanta, Georgia DA's office, which Willis more or less runs, almost three quarters of a million dollars for his legal work on the Georgia Trump case. He apparently has an intimate relationship with Willis and took her on many vacations which he paid for with the aforementioned funds he received from the Atlanta, Georgia DA's office.

it is an incredibly bad look for her and possible she has broken the law herself.

Trump has probably broken laws in all 50 states - it would behoove us ("us" being anyone who would like to see Trump convicted of things) to have the people prosecuting him be clean of their own crimes. It is a distraction from the goal and ammunition for his followers to create these sideshows for him.

No doubt. And I'd add that it deeply undercuts the case against him. If one or both of these figures lose their jobs, and their successors have to start over, how much appetite could they possibly have? If they don't lose their jobs, the prosecution is tainted.

When prosecutors are found to have violated the law, every case of theirs, even long-closed ones, are potentially (or actually, frequently enough) re-opened.

Good summary. First few paragraphs excerpted. The title says it all.

Opinion
What in the world was Fani Willis thinking?
By Ruth Marcus

Excerpt:

As a legal matter, the allegations about a romantic relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis and the chief prosecutor in the election interference case against former president Donald Trump are irrelevant. Even if all the claims are true, they wouldn’t imperil the prosecution or justify dismissing the indictment, as one of Trump’s co-defendants is seeking.

As a question of atmospherics, though, the situation is a disaster — an unexpected gift to Trump that he will exploit not only to discredit the Georgia prosecution but also to augment his broader claims of being unfairly persecuted. It would be advisable for special prosecutor Nathan Wade to step aside, as a group of legal ethics experts has suggested, but the harm has already been done and could get worse: On Monday, a judge ordered records unsealed in Wade’s divorce case.

Assuming that the allegations are accurate, Willis displayed monumentally poor judgment by bringing in Wade, a former municipal court judge and lawyer in private practice with scant expertise in complex criminal cases; he has been paid some $650,000, at an hourly rate of $250. (That might sound like a lot, but it’s reasonable and consistent with compensation for other outside attorneys.) Adding fuel to the fire are records, filed in Wade’s divorce proceedings, indicating that he paid for Willis’s travel to San Francisco and Aruba.

What in the world was Willis thinking? She did not help herself after the allegations surfaced by insinuating that the criticism was racially motivated since there were no complaints about her hiring two other special counsels, who are White. “They only attacked one,” Willis said. Um, she’s only accused of having a romantic relationship with one.

And this is not complicated. In government or out, you don’t hire your boyfriend. You know who knows this? Fani Willis. “I certainly will not be choosing people to date that work under me,” she said in a 2020 campaign appearance helpfully recirculated by the Georgia GOP chairman.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... ift-trump/

[Lefty Specialist]

Fani, Fani, Fani, you were our best shot to get a speedy conviction that couldn't be pardoned. At best, this looks bad. At worst, it's criminal. But what it's almost guaranteed to do is delay things, either with hearings or with the need to replace the prosecutor. Trump cackles with laughter.

[Frayed Knot]

It also plays into the already pre-determined conclusion of his fans that the ones prosecuting
him are playing at least as fast and loose with the rules as they're accusing him of doing.

[TransMonk]

I haven't seen any evidence that laws have been broken. A bad look, maybe...but these are allegations by a MAGA lawyer stemming from a divorce dispute not any sort of criminal investigation.

Let's not get too far out over our skis here.

[metsmarathon]

that being said, if one of your cheif complaints about trump is that not only is he a criminal, but he's also unethical and shady AF, it'd be best to have clean hands when you go after him.

ffs, its why hunter biden has so much traction. "how can you complain abut don junior and ivanka when hunter is over there??" despite the fact that one is worse than the other, you still open your side up to all the whataboutisms in the world. and why biden's sloppiness with classified documents is such a stupid self-own.

[Edgy MD]

Can I move this water-cooling discussion to the hot-water thread? Or does it deserve it's own "Fani Willis in Hot Water" breakout?