President Donald Trump

[Sour Masher]

seriously - why are people not extremely concerned about this? - it was hard to even find a report on these unidentifiable patrols in DC - get any member of congress and a TV crew down there and start asking some questions

https://twitter.com/GarrettHaake/sta...070731778?s=20

It's all in the name of law and order. Are you against law and order?

Seriously, it is amazing to me that more people can't see the existential threat Trump represents to our democracy. He will take this as far as he is allowed. I keep waiting to see where the line in the sand is for the majority of the GOP. I want to believe they would stand up to protect country over party, if it comes to that, but I am beginning to fear that when they do, it might be too late.

[Ken]

It's all in the name of law and order. Are you against law and order?

Seriously, it is amazing to me that more people can't see the existential threat Trump represents to our democracy. He will take this as far as he is allowed. I keep waiting to see where the line in the sand is for the majority of the GOP. I want to believe they would stand up to protect country over party, if it comes to that, but I am beginning to fear that when they do, it might be too late.

He's draining the swamp - none of those previous lines in the sand that those corrupt politicians went by apply to him. Try to keep up.

[umjewman]

He's draining the swamp - none of those previous lines in the sand that those corrupt politicians went by apply to him. Try to keep up.

Based on the prior comments from the GOP that were posted about the church visit, he will have to do something when Congressmen aren’t late for lunch.

[revo]

Former SecDef James Mattis:
“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us,

We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children."

[swampdragon]

Former SecDef James Mattis:
“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us,

We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children."

another coward formerly of the Trump administration - good thing he tells us now that Trump is bad

[Sour Masher]

another coward formerly of the Trump administration - good thing he tells us now that Trump is bad

IDK, compared to many who served under Trump, Mattis resigning based on Trump's Syria policy and finally speaking out in damning terms seems pretty admirable to me. We need more allies in the fight to remove Trump from office so our country can begin the slow and long healing process from the harm he has done to us, and I'm hesitant to condemn any new allies in that fight, no matter how late to the party they may be, especially a man who everyone knew disapproved of Trump, but felt it a matter of decorum to not speak out publicly (I disagree strongly with that stance, but I think it came from a place of integrity in Mattis).

I say bravo to each and every voice that speaks out against him--especially ones that may have some pull on the right (although to his base, anyone who speaks out against Trump for any reason is a traitor and suddenly their years of respected service mean nothing).

ETA: Hell, I hold out hope that the biggest sycophantic, craven, tree-slugs I can think of--Graham and McConnell--come out and say, "enough is enough, this man does not represent American ideals, we need to be better, we need him gone." A fella can dream!

[swampdragon]

IDK, compared to many who served under Trump, Mattis resigning based on Trump's Syria policy and finally speaking out in damning terms seems pretty admirable to me. We need more allies in the fight to remove Trump from office so our country can begin the slow and long healing process from the harm he has done to us, and I'm hesitant to condemn any new allies in that fight, no matter how late to the party they may be, especially a man who everyone knew disapproved of Trump, but felt it a matter of decorum to not speak out publicly (I disagree strongly with that stance, but I think it came from a place of integrity in Mattis).

I say bravo to each and every voice that speaks out against him--especially ones that may have some pull on the right (although to his base, anyone who speaks out against Trump for any reason is a traitor and suddenly their years of respected service mean nothing).

ETA: Hell, I hold out hope that the biggest sycophantic, craven, tree-slugs I can think of--Graham and McConnell--come out and say, "enough is enough, this man does not represent American ideals, we need to be better, we need him gone." A fella can dream!

Graham did say bad things about Trump and then ... oh well

everyday I hold for some republican leader to speak out and every night I go to sleep with little satisfaction - I will try to get some from Mattie today

[Sour Masher]

Graham did say bad things about Trump and then ... oh well

everyday I hold for some republican leader to speak out and every night I go to sleep with little satisfaction - I will try to get some from Mattie today

Yeah, that is why Graham angers me more than most, including McConnell. He showed he knows who Trump really is before kow-towing. To say he lacks the courage of his convictions is an understatement. Nothing he ever does could lead me to respect him again, but I'd still like to see him or anyone take a stand against Trump. I really do see it as putting country above party, and have from the start. Trump has taken the republican party down a dark and dangerous path, and I have to believe there must be a line at which most republicans say, this is not the party I signed on for, he represents the worst of us, not the better tomorrow I believe my ideals represent. I have to believe there is that line, because I also believe that Trump will continue to take us away from our values to a point of societal decay that may be impossible to fully come back from for a generation or more, if he is allowed to do that.

The bleeding must be stopped now, so our wounds can begin to heal. At the very least, Trump must be a one term president. He is not who we should want to be. He is not the best of us. He does not represent our future. He is the darkness, and we get further from the light each day we allow him to take us there.

[revo]

GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska says Mattis's criticism was "true and honest and necessary and overdue."

[DMT]

GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska says Mattis's criticism was "true and honest and necessary and overdue."

Yes, her "struggles" might become "concerns" soon. She's full of shit until she unequivocally denounces president shitbag.

[fuhrdog]

In her defense, she has been infected with the Susan Collins virus.

[GwynnInTheHall]

So dipshit in charge is threatening (again) to force congress into recess. Essentially shuttering Congress for the remainder of his term. Can someone tell me #1 Can he do that, #2 why would this be a bad thing? and #3 what can be done to stop him?

[revo]

GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska says Mattis's criticism was "true and honest and necessary and overdue."

Poor widdle baby tweeted that in 2 years he will be campaigning against Murkowski. What a fool this clown is.

[Sour Masher]

Poor widdle baby tweeted that in 2 years he will be campaigning against Murkowski. What a fool this clown is.

IDK. I call Trump much worse things than a fool, but he has effectively bullied most republicans into cowering and kow-towing, so I don't know if his petty attacks and threats are necessarily foolish. They serve as a whip to keep anyone else whose conscience may be getting the better of them from speaking up, for fear of losing their position or power.

[chancellor]

So dipshit in charge is threatening (again) to force congress into recess. Essentially shuttering Congress for the remainder of his term. Can someone tell me #1 Can he do that, #2 why would this be a bad thing? and #3 what can be done to stop him?

I'll dive into this instead of baseball and food....in very simplistic terms.

#1 - Not on his own, IMO. You'll hear some quoting part of Article 2, Section 3 about adjourning the two branches of Congress, but he could only do that if the House and Senate disagree on adjournment. So he'd need Cocaine Mitch to actively help and attempt to force an adjournment that differed from Chardonnay Nancy. The only other way it could happen is via budget deadlock, so again, he'd need the help of the Senate to make that work. I don't think either of those are happening in the near term. I know you detest Mitch McConnell, but let's concede Mitch ain't stupid enough to engineer a budget deadlock after the GOP debacle during the late '90s during Clinton's term.

#2 - Depends on your POV on any additional stimulus. I don't think the Dems will get the $3 trillion they want; nor do I think the GOP will stand still and do nothing. If, for some wacky reason dismissal of both branches of Congress happened, then any stimulus goes out the window. Understanding your POV, getting McConnell out would stop the federal judge assembly line he's successfully created. Other than that, the machinations of government would keep moving forward until budget time came around.

#3 - If the president tried to force Congress into recess, I suspect he'd get slammed with suits from both the Dems in the House and the GOP in the Senate. And Trump would lose in court, and quickly. Given that no president has tested this clause, I'd expect it would go in the most expedited path possible to SCOTUS, where he'd lose 9-0. That part is easy. Even if you believe the justices pretty much vote their belief set and bend the law to reflect their belief set, the conservatives will think "Do I want Crazy Joe Biden possibly having this power?", and the liberals will think "Give Crazy Donnie this power?" and the decision will be made in about 15 seconds, with poor sucker law clerks working 90-hour weeks finding appropriate law and writing up pretty responses.

My apologies to all posters for the green ooze coming out of your computer right now. I believe it's cynicism.