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And even worse, after voting against impeachment, GOP majority leader McConnell stated Trump was responsible for 1/6.
And even worse, after voting against impeachment, GOP majority leader McConnell stated Trump was responsible for 1/6.
But is it safe to assume theyāre smart enough to realize that?
Absolutely. One thing Iāve learned over the years is that intelligence and ethics are two totally separate qualities. Iāve listened to SCOTUS televised proceedings a few times and the level of mastery of the law and history, and the lines of thinking and arguments are quite stunning. I say this equally of both the conservative and liberal members of the court. But thatās not to say they donāt steer the arguments and decisions in a way that aligns with their ideology and/or their political allies.
And what forces SCOTUS to judge based on ālegal supportā
Nothing, other than wanting to have an historically favorable legacy. But ignoring that, despite Alito and Thomas being unabashed GOP operatives, ruling in favor of immunity would be a stretch for even them. Undoubtedly all the justices realize that if they affirm presidential immunity for life, a president can Seal Team Six one or all of the justices, on a whim. A ruling to affirm immunity would neutralize the power of the court, something an even unethical and selfish justice would want to prevent.
Maybe Biden should take one for the country
At the very least (and less gory of an outcome) Biden should assemble Seal Team Six in the Oval Office and publicize it. The media and pundits will run with it and it will put Trump, MAGA, and the conservative āthink tanksā in a tizzy over the immunity claims, and perhaps make the conservative SCOTUS justices (who are going to ultimately rule against Trump anyways, after enough of a delay to torpedo the federal charge trials) squirm behind close doors. But Biden and the Democrats wonāt do it, because theyāre always taking the high road and wonāt use the media to their advantage, even when democracy is in the balance.
The second they rule in Trumpās favor, Biden basically has free reign to do whatever the fuck he wants.
Well, thatās the thing, they wonāt rule in Trumpās favor. The lower court thoroughly destroyed Trumpās case, to the point where the SCOTUS shouldnāt taken the case in the first place and let the lower court decision stand. Thereās no legal support at all for Trumpās claims. This all makes it pretty clear the conservative majority on the court merely wanted to toss Trump a bone with a delay and increase his chances of getting back in office.
The ālegal definitionā, if for some reason it doesnāt apply, is just an excuse to avoid confronting the atrocities we are complicit in committing. If the ālegal definitionā isnāt met, then itās simply wrong. Some court case isnāt what determines whether itās ātruly genocideā, itās that Israel, with our support, is and has been trying for decades to eradicate an entire people and culture.
I donāt think proving actual genocide is a prerequisite or requirement for bringing war crimes charges and holding people accountable. For example, if in war a military unit/leader/solider executes a group of unarmed civilians, it can be pursued as a war crime as itās intentionally targeting and harming civilians, but executing one group of civilians in this fashion isnāt genocide, even if they were a specific race, religious sect, etc. Undoubtedly if there was a pattern of this occurring and there was provable support from leadership, it would be considered genocide. Genocide, like other terms like suicide, homicide, germicide, etc., has a specific meaning. Morality is much more subjective, and hence Iād call Israelās action quite immoral. Israel may indeed want to eradicate Gaza as a territory or political unit, however that doesnāt mean itās genocide. Otherwise we could call Russiaās desire to eradicate or annex Ukraine genocide. And after I write all this, I realize Iām debating the meaning of genocide. But I digress.
a pretty good assumption that some portion of the cries of genocide are the result of foreign propaganda to both garner support for Hamas and the continuing disruption and outside influence of US politics.
I do agree with this, and itās really unfortunate. But yeah, if I was Hamas I would use the fact that Gazans are being genocided to drum up support too, itās a pretty good argument. To avoid creating a situation where Hamas looks like the good guys, I think the best thing to do would be to, you know, stop murdering Palestinian children.
On all this we can agree. I donāt want innocent civilians killed, either. I take issue with the term genocide and the way itās being used, especially in the context of the US supposedly āpromoting or supportingā genocide. Thatās simply not true. Itās a complicated landscape and as weāve been discussing this I see there is a ceasefire being pursued diplomatically by the Biden administration. I think the way the term genocide is being used here and elsewhere cheapens it and compromises the severity and seriousness of the term.
Iām not a legal expert and I doubt you are as well, but if you search the 'net there are plenty of articles from respectable news sources covering debates and discussions over whether itās legally genocide or not. Iām not going to debate it with you; Iāll leave it up to those who are qualified to determine if it is truly genocide, and pursue war crimes charges as necessary. I never said it was morally correct what Israel is doing. The morality or lack thereof of their actions is separate from the legal definition of genocide. Furthermore, and quite ironically, the 1988 Hamas Charter specifically states as a goal to obliterate Israel in language that rhymes with genocide. While it certainly doesnāt justify what Israel is doing right now, Hamas would be doing the same to Israel right now if it was within their capabilities. Israel could have taken over Gaza long ago, if it really wanted to do it. Whatās going on right now in Gaza is the result of Hamas launching an offensive with no strategic or worthy goals, against an enemy they knew they had no chance of winning against. Itās a pretty good assumption that some portion of the cries of genocide are the result of foreign propaganda to both garner support for Hamas and the continuing disruption and outside influence of US politics.
Itās questionable whether what is happening in Gaza is genocide from a legal perspective. Regardless, being concerned with Gaza but sitting out this election and not voting is asinine. Biden may not being doing enough to help stop the humanitarian crisis and him in office may not save any lives in Gaza, but I can guarantee Trump in office will get more people killed. Trump will happily use US military resources to flatten Gaza, and brag about it. Claims that Biden is facilitating or supporting genocide in Gaza ultimately benefits Trump and will doom the Gazan Palestinians if Trump gets in office.
But I highly doubt that Democrats are going to sit this one out.
I sense there are a lot of young progressives screaming about āgenocideā in Gaza who are going to sit it out, not able to grasp the big picture.
Self criticism is the only thing keeping Democrats from becoming a clone of the GOP.
Well, it also helps the Democrats donāt have a criminal insurrectionist leading the party.
Anyone telling me I canāt participate in discourse involving totally valid criticisms about any politician can go kick rocks.
You can do whatever you want. What TV channels are interviewing you this week?
Also, how is discussing his drastic turn towards conservative politics āamplifying GOP talking pointsā?
Iām referring to what Fetterman was criticizing, not what the OP or others here discuss about Fetterman or Biden.
Ahh yeah, America surely needs more brain damages politicians advocating for genocideā¦
Oh, Gaza. Right. I am so sick of hearing about āgenocideā. Itās BS. Despite what Israel has done over the decades, Hamas is responsible for this. They launched an offensive that had no clear objectives (like autonomy) other than killing Israelis, and specifically civilians. Now that theyāre getting their ass handed to them, which was inevitable, losing a poorly-conceived offensive is coined āgenocideā. Hamas thanks you.
50-something 30+ year Democrat that has seen Democrats do a really good job at losing elections and letting the GOP walk all over them.
Maybe because your generations idea of a progressive is John Fetterman? Maybe because Democrats have just become the GOP from the 90s, and thats not typically what actual progressives want?
John Fetterman beat two other well-pedigreed Democratic Senate nomination candidates, won an election over a very publicly popular GOP candidate, and took the seat of Republican Pat Toomey. While this is one data point that you cite, it doesnāt support that āmy generationāsā idea of progressive is losing elections. If a lack of āsufficiently progressiveā candidates is losing elections for Democrats due to progressives not voting for Democrats, those progressives are shooting themselves in the foot as the only what to get more left-leaning Democrats is to actually win elections.
Regardless of Fettermanās ideology or any stated or perceived shift, heās a pragmatist and straight-shooter above everything else. He was that way long before the stroke. The fact that a lifetime grifter and department store rapist with 91 felony indictment counts has a good chance of winning the election is absurd. A bag of rocks running against Trump should win. Biden and the Democrats are in a very weak position, but itās clear that Biden is the chosen candidate. It makes no sense at this point to have Democrats amplifying GOP talking points, unless theyāre in any position of power with the DNC to change what is inevitable right now with the Democratic nomination.
Iām in PA and I doubt his progressiveness got him elected. Anyone with a D after their name carries Philly and Pittsburgh by default. Fettermanās no nonsense approach and the fact that the working class can relate to him got votes in Pennsyltuckey, a segment the Democrats have been losing over the years. Democrats should be in a lab right now trying to figure out how to clone Fetterman.
Iām sure Iāll be labeled a Fetterman fan boy, but Iām a 50-something 30+ year Democrat that has seen Democrats do a really good job at losing elections and letting the GOP walk all over them. Fetterman no doubt has a cult-like following, but the DNC powers that be should be examining why that is.
if you donāt want him to take all your money, you need to stop dealing with him.
Not gonna happen. The GOP is what we call in poker āpot committed.ā
you cannot call someone a rapist just because you feel like it
What if someone is convicted for slandering someone they raped, but not actually convicted of rape?
Itās called having eligibility criteria, and itās a fact of life everywhere. You wouldnāt want a five year old driving a car or drinking alcohol, and the law addresses this. Insurrectionists are disqualified in the Constitution, plain and simple. At least Trump doesnāt have to worry about being disqualified for being a rapist or bad businessman as the Constitution is silent on both of those items.
If a state wanted, it could just decide to let the state legislature pick the electors and not hold a popular vote at all.
I was surprised this wasnāt raised as a counterargument by the Colorado attorney when the āone state could determine whoās electedā argument was made. (If it was, I missed it.) The justices are worried that states (letās just say it: āred statesā) could make up some frivolous reason to keep someone off the ballot and disqualify them, but the brutal reality is that they could do it already by screwing with the electors. (Hell, Trump and his co-conspirators tried sending fake electors from some states.) Setting a precedent allowing states to use Section 3 of the 14th Amendment just give states another way to accomplish this. āOh, Biden tripped walking up to a podium? Thatās insurrection!ā
Whatās really sad/outrageous is that Trump and the GOP have so terribly warped and perverted the political norms in this country that we have to even consider the possibility of states fabricating frivolous reasons to keep someone off the ballot. We canāt keep a 91 felon count indicted insurrectionist, fraudster, and rapist from getting elected and destroying democracy because his friends may avenge him by abusing and misapplying the law in the future. This really sucks.
The only question now is if Trump will pardon this loyal foot soldier. ( /s )
How many Americans died to covid due to trumpās pride and ignorance??
Iād say at least several hundred thousand, all dying while thinking they were "owning the ālibtardsā ".
Positive for whom? You?
I said previously āShow me some clear, obtainable objectives from Hamas in this attack that will benefit Gaza and the Palestiniansā. How many times need I ask?
Your lack of an answer is the answer. Thank you.
Again, Hamas is not doing anything to address or end the colonization. Nothing. Iāll get on your side for a moment and for the sake of discussion Iāll agree Israel has done very bad things to Palestinians over decades. Pile on whatever you want on top of this to make Israel out to be worse than Satan or whatever. Then answer the question, what positive outcome will there be to the Hamas attack? Youāve failed to identify anything. Your entire line of argument here is an irrelevant ābecause colonizationā and a bunch of labeling and ad hominem attacks on anyone who disagrees with you.
Since oil and cars.