Mad_Machine76
Mad_Machine76's JournalI'm not even prepared to mentally go there yet
My ideal vision of the future would be Trump and McConnell being gone and a Democratic President and Democratic Congress taking their oaths of office in January 2021. I'm not even going to consider any other realities for the moment.
This is something that I've struggled with a bit
There is a LOT to question about the CIA and FBI and what they've have been engaged in over the years and both institutions are constantly in need of reform. And there is still a lot of skullduggery about 2016 and their animus against Hillary under James Comey's leadership that still needs to be addressed, however that doesn't mean that I endorse Trump's unwarranted attacks against them or his fever dream conspiracy theories about them either, nor do I support his attacks against the rank and file members of the agencies. See, unlike Republicans, *we* can do nuance and see the bigger picture. While they just look.......crazy. I will bet everything I own that Republican opinions will shift with the next Democratic President who, BTW, needs to find a Democrat or at least a non-Republican to manage both agencies.
I assume your question is rhetorical
Through massive obstruction (which Mueller felt was prosecutable) and Bill Barr's interference, Trump managed to skate by the Mueller Report but his and Rudy's scheme with Ukraine, of course, got detected but Rudy is back over there, presumably trying to find some way to find dirt on Biden, Schiff, Obama, somebody to help them in the 2020 Elections.
Additionally, Barr and his lackey US Attorney Durham are still stubbornly refusing to accept the findings and conclusions of Horowitz's IG Report and continuing to search for some kind of vindication for their "Deep State" and "Trump Campaign Spying" conspiracy theories to discredit the FBI's investigation of Trump and the subsequent Mueller Report. Democrats best be on their guard for some kind of last-minute shenanigans or some breathtaking "announcement" of an "investigation" of some sort against the eventual Democratic nominee next year.
Is the crux of Horowitz' issues
that there isn't some kind of special protocol for dealing with a potentially compromised political campaign or that it wasn't followed to a "T"? Has there ever even been a situation where the FBI might have had to investigate a compromised political campaign until Trump?
Trump's ongoing popularity/ability to be re-elected seems to be a paradox
He's so grossly incompetent and unqualified (and corrupt) for the office of the Presidency) in all of the ways that seem obvious for a large number of people, yet, because of things like the Electoral College, voter suppression, and insane sycophancy within the Republican Party, it is entirely possible that he could actually win re-election in 2020 if he can smear the Democratic nominee just enough for his greasy orange paws to swipe it.
Trump severely miscalculated
badly how firing Comey made him look bc he thought Democrats would love him for it. Wray has no such polarization and Trump would look worse for it. But he might do it if he thought he could find a yes-person for the job but doubt that Republicans in the Senate want to add confirming a "Mini-Barr" to the post in addition to an Impeachment trial.
I am under no illusions
that impeachment will chasten him, but it's a black mark on his permanent historical record (which will drive him crazy) and all of the GOPers whom vote to acquit will have to face their constituents- not all of whom are rabid Trump-Putin cultists.
The more the Senate Trial looks like a sham
the worse it will look for Trump/GOP in the end. I mean, it already seems like most Republicans have made up their minds and/or plan to basically ignore any evidence presented of Trump's guilt, but if they're going to try to ram through their rules on a partisan basis and shut out the Democrats, it's going to make things look like even more of a sham than they already are- and make their cries of process unfairness sound even more hollow. Can I just say how much I hate the current timeline? Ousting McConnell next year has to be considered a secondary priority just under getting rid of Trump IMHO.
The *only* Democratic Senator I'm worried about is (no surprise):
Joe Manchin
Whether it's him being from West Virginia, where there is generally strong support for Trump (although I don't know why) or whether he sort of genuinely supports Trump and wants to work with him for some reason, he has been pretty wobbly when it comes to major votes against Trump and/or his nominees. I could very well see him possibly casting a vote acquitting Trump in the Senate. I don't think that there will be any others in the Senate but him, but Trump would definitely welcome his vote of support and be sure to mention it a thousand times a day to attack the Impeachment/Removal effort *if* and when he is acquitted.
I'm not watching
but *what* exactly is our "messaging problem"? We deal with facts and substance and literal real-world evidence. I get that that might not be "fun" or "sexy" or anywhere near as "entertaining" as one of Trump's tantrums or Rudy's antics or Doug Collins ranting like an auctioneer in committee, but at least we deal with reality and real-world facts and not delusions and theatrics. While there are certainly instances where we maybe need to communicate better, reality appears to be an incredibly difficult thing for a lot of people to understand/grasp, esp. when they are constantly bombarded by Trump, Fox News, and a succession of AM Radio Hosts whom eschew all nuance and parrot simple and easy, black-or-white views of the world and entertaining conspiracy theories about the "Deep State" that may sound riveting to people in their mundane lives but bears no resemblance to reality. The problem is that that sort of thing is what is being marketed to people and that's what sells. Not reality. Not facts. Not Democratic "messaging".
Profile Information
Name: Mara Alis ButlerGender: Female
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Home country: USA
Current location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Member since: Sat Feb 28, 2004, 01:13 AM
Number of posts: 24,437
