- Joined
- Apr 22, 2019
- Messages
- 47,072
- Reaction score
- 22,923
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Progressive
1. Ignore the facts, the law, and the constitution, and acquit trump. This will give them a legacy forever of terrible corruption (on that - they already have it on policy), please the base, make them pariahs to non-Republicans, risk a massive electoral loss in 2020, and give them a lawless, out of control trump who will feel more than even no rules apply to him and all Republicans have to be his servants.
Not to make Hitler comparisons in other ways here, but it reminds me a bit of when German leaders thought they could control Hitler, and he ended up a powerful dictator with all of them at his mercy. It will cement Republicans as the party of trump and nothing more, nothing less. It'll be as if the Republicans had completely let Joe McCarthy own the party to chase votes.
2. Vote to remove trump. In my opinion, they'd be helping themselves long term, but it's not an attractive choice politically either. trump and his 90% of the party would largely be at war with all who did. It'd either be most of them, or split the party's politicians.
It'd be a very popular move with the rest of the country, but unlikely to get them many of those votes. They'd have some 'honor' for following their oaths, the constitution, but not much more. We'd have a president Mike Pence, who the obvious comparison to is Gerald Ford. Someone who was unpopular, and has done little to build support for him as president.
My point is, they have no 'good' choices in terms of a political win. They have to either take their no-trump medicine to get rid of the disease but have continuing side effects, or stay sick with a real threat of being crippled as trump takes over.
Blame? Republicans have been horribly corrupt which led voters to want someone like trump; those voters have caused this mess as a result. Like a drug addict who feels fine if they take the drug but it harms them, Republicans will 'feel fine' in the short term with their base if they acquit, but will make things a lot worse.
They'd like any out - to say the Democrats are wrong and they're right.
The Democrats have been far too effective for them to have that option outside their base. Sadly, there's probably a 95-98% chance they'll take option 1. We've seen a lot of them lying and attacking House Democrats; none who have said the excellent case by the Democrats is making them consider convicting trump.
At this point, it appears even a 'Nixon Tapes' event be would to unlikely change their votes - it's just pure corruption defending the crimes. They are now approving of a president committing crimes and completely using his powers to cover them up and denying Congress's oversight role forever. But they're painted into a corner with only those options. Whether they allow witnesses or not.
Not to make Hitler comparisons in other ways here, but it reminds me a bit of when German leaders thought they could control Hitler, and he ended up a powerful dictator with all of them at his mercy. It will cement Republicans as the party of trump and nothing more, nothing less. It'll be as if the Republicans had completely let Joe McCarthy own the party to chase votes.
2. Vote to remove trump. In my opinion, they'd be helping themselves long term, but it's not an attractive choice politically either. trump and his 90% of the party would largely be at war with all who did. It'd either be most of them, or split the party's politicians.
It'd be a very popular move with the rest of the country, but unlikely to get them many of those votes. They'd have some 'honor' for following their oaths, the constitution, but not much more. We'd have a president Mike Pence, who the obvious comparison to is Gerald Ford. Someone who was unpopular, and has done little to build support for him as president.
My point is, they have no 'good' choices in terms of a political win. They have to either take their no-trump medicine to get rid of the disease but have continuing side effects, or stay sick with a real threat of being crippled as trump takes over.
Blame? Republicans have been horribly corrupt which led voters to want someone like trump; those voters have caused this mess as a result. Like a drug addict who feels fine if they take the drug but it harms them, Republicans will 'feel fine' in the short term with their base if they acquit, but will make things a lot worse.
They'd like any out - to say the Democrats are wrong and they're right.
The Democrats have been far too effective for them to have that option outside their base. Sadly, there's probably a 95-98% chance they'll take option 1. We've seen a lot of them lying and attacking House Democrats; none who have said the excellent case by the Democrats is making them consider convicting trump.
At this point, it appears even a 'Nixon Tapes' event be would to unlikely change their votes - it's just pure corruption defending the crimes. They are now approving of a president committing crimes and completely using his powers to cover them up and denying Congress's oversight role forever. But they're painted into a corner with only those options. Whether they allow witnesses or not.
