Folks: Do not despair if trump is acquitted!

[DonaldsRump]

Honestly speaking, the only way trump would be convicted with the Rs in the Senate is if there was new evidence directly linking him to the violence. And I am talking about a smoking gun piece of evidence that would be incontrovertible that he was behind the violence.

We all know he clearly was cajoling his cult of sycophantic fools on January 6. What I would love to see is evidence where he specifically was involved in the violence.

Remember that a large part of this trial is for the American people and for the historical record, no matter what happens. In that respect, the House Managers have succeeded beyond the wildest of expectations.

The larger picture is that we have a WONDERFUL President and Vice-President, and we control the Congress.

Don't lose faith in the US, our party, our D leaders and, most of all, ourselves. We helped get us here!

[roamer65]

1. The Repuke party is fucked either way it goes.

It is going to split up with acquittal or conviction.

[Clearly fogged in]

7. A bigger question is which side will split

A bigger answer would be the side that loots the treasury first.

[roamer65]

25. If it's acquittal, the remaining center right leaves.

If it’s conviction, the Trumpists leave.

In the end, the result is the same...only difference will be the names of the two factions.

[Clearly fogged in]

28. It is a three way split

The capitalists raid the treasury and disappear. The extremists are in it for the military. The Democrats get the government with no money and no army.

[roamer65]

31. Add in the Great Climate Migration.

Millions from South America, Central America and Mexico heading north.

This is going to get interesting. The nations of North America are going to look very different in 20-30 years.

[Clearly fogged in]

34. I would say we're both in compliance with the OP request

Not in despair about whatever

[Goonch]

2. ;-{)

[efhmc]

24. Wasn't that quoted today?

[applegrove]

3. There will be stories on how many of the mob are charged and tried

and convicted in the next year. That will be good information on how Trump is only out for himself and others who follow him, or right wing extremism, pay the price. Trump just plays golf.

[AllTooEasy]

42. Why didn't Dems call any witnesses?

Call one of the injured cops to give a personal, heart-breaking account of the riot? Or the assasinated cop's widow to tell the Repukes just how much hurt Trump brought on her family?

Call one of the rioters to testify "Yeah, Trump motivated/inspired/instructed me/us to riot"...like this regretful rioter:

https://www.kmov.com/news/qanon-shaman-regrets-capitol-riot-says-president-trump-was-not-honorable/article_5577a5ca-6a84-11eb-8c1f-df7eac09a7b2.html

Pull out all the stops! Lock Him Up!

[Irish_Dem]

4. I agree 100%

We did the right thing. An excellent job.
Recorded for history and the American people.

Let the GOP do the wrong thing as per usual.

[lastlib]

32. Let us heed the old adage:

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

I think the republiQans have made a HUGE blunder tying their fortunes to Shitgibbon, and will eventually pay a heavy political price for it. To quote another adage: "Time wounds all heels." With luck, and with the same hard work for the future that we put out in 2020, the GQP's wounds will be fatal.

[Irish_Dem]

45. Absolutely. If we let them keep screwing up while we do the right thing,

it will work out well.

[Dagstead Bumwood]

5. We knew how this would end before it was even started.

But, it still had to be done.

[AllTooEasy]

35. Exactly! No new evidence would have resulted in a conviction

Trump could have rioted with the traitors on camera, and 16 Repukes still wouldn't have convicted them. I have no faith that Republicans would convict their own.

[StarfishSaver]

6. Thank you

[Sucha NastyWoman]

8. It seems like we keep giving them a chance to repent and redeem themslves

And they’re just to afraid of their own constituents to take it.

[sfstaxprep]

9. Sorry, I've Completely Lost Faith In America

Unfortunately it's who we are. It's in our DNA. Look at our history.

The future is as bleak as the past. I admire those who try to make it otherwise, but this latest incident at the Capitol just reconfirms the fact.

[DonaldsRump]

10. What's in our DNA is why we control the Executive and Legislative branches n/t

[sfstaxprep]

11. Barely

Senate is a Tie. House is by about 10 votes. The Presidency was by a few thousand votes in each of 3 states.

The tide could turn completely in the other direction over the next 2-4 years. We could lose the Senate & House in 20 months from now.

America's DNA was Killing Indians and taking their land. Enslaving Blacks, and taking their property. Cops Killing Blacks, with NO accountability.

It's who we are. Just my opinion.

[DonaldsRump]

12. We had EVERYTHING thrown at us

Gerrymandering, impeachable offenses regarding Ukraine and Joe Biden, USPS.

We still won. That's our DNA. That's my opinion.

[sfstaxprep]

14. Agree To Disagree

I respect your opinion. We're on the same side. I'm just tired and so pessimistic after all I've witnessed. Hard to have hope any longer.

[DonaldsRump]

17. Don't be, my friend! We are in charge of the Presidency and Congress

There is a lunatic fringe out there, but even McConnell etc don't want to be a part of it.

I think we'll be ok. We won't be if we give up. PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP.

We won so much with everything thrown at us. It's the beginning, not the end.

[sfstaxprep]

19. We'll See

I haven't completely abandoned America yet. I'm here so long as my parents are alive. But my eyes are wide open, and once this Covid pandemic has settled a bit, I plan to explore my options, so I'm prepared if/when the time comes for me to move overseas.

[DonaldsRump]

20. That is a good way to think wherever you are

Democracy is so fragile. We in the US assume this is the ordinary course of things: it is not, unless we let it be.

I don't disagree with your plans for the future. That being said, let us never allow the forces of evil to take the US from us. All of us must get involved. In the last 6 months, I spent tons of time being involved in the Presidential and legislative elections. This was the best thing I ever did politically. It makes a huge difference. NEVER GIVE UP.

[sfstaxprep]

21. Thanks For Your Help

I gave more money in the last 12 months than I've probably given the last 20 years combined. I'm sure that your involvement made a difference.

[DonaldsRump]

22. I gave money too

But I was a poll observer for the Ds...one of the hardest and most rewarding things I have ever done in my life.

[sprinkleeninow]

26. I likewise donated more this election than ever.

Sharing your feelings of being downcast to a degree. I'm so thankful we do have Pres. Biden and Vice Pres. Harris. It could've been the horrendous alternative. I'm just so weary from the 'abuse' of the last 4+ years. We still can't seem to scrape them and it off our shoes.

[smirkymonkey]

43. +1000

I can understand where you are coming from. I find it hard to be optimistic as well.

[dlk]

13. Evil never takes a holiday

That’s why we can’t either....

[pnwmom]

36. It's close, but that's NOT a reason to give up. It's a reason to re-double our efforts.

Rob Portman is retiring, and the State of Oh has already elected a Democrat for the Senate. They could replace Portman with a Democrat, too. And PA's Lt. Governor, the lofty John Fetterman, has announced his run for the Senate. And the R's have more incumbents up for reelection than we do. So I'm more optimistic than you are.

In the meantime, with Harris's vote, we don't have a tie; we have the majority in the Senate.

[grantcart]

15. I do t think we should use the word "acquitted"

A majority will vote he is guilty.

While that won't reach the supermajority for conviction a majority is not going to find him innocent.

A majority will find him guilty and that is how we should frame it.

[sfstaxprep]

16. As Usual, Having The Majority Doesn't Matter

That's the way America rolls.

See Recent Elections For Reference

[grantcart]

39. After the vote it will be commonly referred to as the largest bipartisan vote for

conviction in US history. It will not be seen as an exoneration of Trump but another embarrassing loss. The majority of the public will see Trump's actions as criminal and local criminal prosecutions will proceed to indictments, esp Fulton County prosecution where numerous strong cases against Trump for election interference are proceeding.

You must have missed the most recent majority elections and Biden's 62% approval. When the Covid 19 package passes it will go higher. When we vaccinate 150 million by May 1st and Covid spread drops drastically it will go up more.

This is winning but it takes time to notch up each step in the journey but you are free to wallow in despair.

[citizen blues]

23. Republicans Are Changing Party Affiliation

on their voter registrations at the state level by the thousands!

[AllTooEasy]

33. Where? If not swing states...

Then it's no benefit. Plus, we need millions to change their affiliation.

[grantcart]

40. In Arizona more than 10,000 Republicans switched to independent in

the 3 weeks after the insurrection.

These are not people who voiced an opinion but physically went on line and changed party affiliation.

CNN had the story.

[roamer65]

27. This is nothing compared to the coming Great Climate Migration.

The show is just beginning.




https://features.propublica.org/climate-migration/model-how-climate-refugees-move-across-continents/

[Clearly fogged in]

41. It's not if

Maybe it was in the book Sapiens by Harari that talks about us as an early agricultural society, what we did, how we adapted to changes, and displacement. Loss of arable land at a time when the planet's population was low allowed models like Harari's to succeed. With entire population centers forced to move things will be bad.

[Silent3]

29. What would new evidence have to do with anything?

This has nothing to do with evidence for most Republicans in Congress, and everything to do with not giving a damn about the truth.

We're already far, far beyond the point where it's possible to deny the facts, well beyond any reasonable standard for what should be considered impeachable offenses. Republicans don't care how shameless and transparent their denial of reality and responsibility is. As long as their deluded "base" approves, and gives them the best shot they've got at staying in power, that's the only thing that matters.

[DonaldsRump]

44. The issue is not the base

It's the group of decent Americans who are voters, who far outnumber the "base".

Direct evidence that trump ordered or caused the violence would be devastating politically for anyone who voted to acquit trump for the non-MAGA'ts. Right now, the Rs can say that, "well trump said this, but that's not the same as a direct linkage."

It's the same reason as to why Nixon and his henchmen tried to pretend that the Watergate burglars were operating on their own, as opposed to being directed and paid by his re-election committee, but much, much worse. The direct linkage back to his people and ultimately Nixon itself was so damaging that ultimately Nixon would have lost almost every single vote in the House Judiciary Committee, and most of the House and Senate.

[Silent3]

46. I'm afraid I've also lost my faith in "decent Americans" to save us

Trump's supporters are MOTIVATED. They turn out reliably to vote in primaries, and I'm pretty sure Trumpist-crazies like MTG will continue to win primary elections.

When general elections come around, our fate is often decided by the so-called "independents" who aren't the judicious non-partisans many hope for them to be. Far too many of them are married to that stupid idea that "there's not a dime of difference" between Democrats and Republicans.

They have terrible memories for even recent political history, and vote based on rough general impressions (easily manipulated by propaganda) of the particular candidates personalities, naively believing individual character is the most important quality in a politician, blissfully unaware of how party affiliation controls which party runs the agenda in legislative bodies.

Think of how, although we managed to elect Biden, Republicans picked up seats in the House, and we won the Senate by the narrowest of margins. Why? Many Biden voters either didn't bother to fill in Senate/House votes, which Republican voters were clearly more motivated to do, or stupidly thought that splitting their votes was actually a good idea, for "balance".

[DonaldsRump]

49. The trump base was clearly not motivated in the Georgia Senate run-offs

And this was BEFORE January 6 and the Twitter ban. trump's lustre is fading.

[Corgigal]

30. Oh I won't.

They will own it. I hope law enforcement gets their heads screwed on right, and stop this manly stupidity. One can hope, you begged for help, and republicans didn’t care.

[Montauk6]

37. Here's my forlorn hope should it occur....

As he retreats back to Mar-A-Lago living large and his Branch Donaldians go to jail, there might be a WAKEUP call nearby to that scenario.

But, then again, that they didn't realize You-Know-Who (BLESS YOU, WHOOPI!) was a con man from long before the Escalator Ride, it doesn't leave much faith, does it?

[nwliberalkiwi]

38. Republican Votes

Republican Senator votes can and will be used against them.

[edhopper]

47. If they had tapes of phone calls

between Trump and rioters in the Capitol, with him telling them who to go after, the Repukes in the Senate would still vote to acquit.

They are past redemption.

[DonaldsRump]

48. But they would pay a terrific price politically

That's why they are jumping on unconstitutionality point: they can say Trump was naughty, but there's nothing that can be done about it.

If there were smoking gun evidence directly linking Trump to the violence, it is much harder for them to say that.

[edhopper]

50. I don't see any evidence that

GOP voters will abandon their candidates no matter what they do.
America elected Joe Biden, but no Congress person who support Trump paid a price. They gained Trumpers in the House,