My humble predictions about our Fascist-in-Chief's future

[steve2470]

1- Trump is a spoiled child in a 71 year old body, stipulated.

2- He won't be able to wait for the whole Russia investigation to play out, because, drumroll, he's guilty as hell I think.

3- He will fire Robert Mueller, gambling that the Republicans won't join Democrats in impeaching him

4- If he fires Mueller, some Republicans will never vote for impeachment, but enough will to reach the thresholds in both the House and Senate. He is toast if he fires Mueller. I really think he will fire Mueller.

5- Trump will see he is going to be impeached and convicted, so he will resign at the last minute and blame everyone and their dog (sorry you dog-lovers!) for conspiring against him, blah blah blah.

[unblock]

1. it's barely possible enough republicans in the house will vote to impeach.

but it's inconceivable that enough republicans in the senate vote to remove.

we need 2/3rd there. not gonna happen.

[steve2470]

2. even if he fires Mueller ?

That's Nixonian material there. I respect your opinion, good sir.

[unblock]

4. Democrats were much more powerful then

We controlled the house and the senate. So impeachment was a sure thing, needing zero republicans, plus we needed fewer republicans in the senate to remove.

Moreover, some republicans at that point actually cared about government and country, and weren't in constant fear of getting primaried.

Finally, republicans now are so rabid even Nixon wouldn't get impeached for doing exactly what he did.

Remember shrub's administration lied us into war and Cheney blew a CIA cover. Nixon looks quaint by comparison.

[steve2470]

6. good points nt

[lapfog_1]

3. If impeachment gets a vote in the House

I think there is enough to impeach.

Removal in the Senate is another matter. You need 67 senators to remove.

Could happen... but given the lack of support that Corker, McCain, and Flake have gotten since that remarkable day last week, I just don't think you can get more than 57 or 58 votes.

Any Republican senator from a Red State is voting themselves out of office since a primary with Trump's voters will end them. And Trump voters will believe that this is the "deep state" and the "establishment" taking their collective revenge on Trump and his believers. They really are a "cargo cult" as another poster recently postulated here.

The 25th is the most likely way to get rid of him or

he resigns for health reasons having grown tired of the investigations. Jared and Ivanka and Don,jr all facing long prison terms might convince him to leave...

[steve2470]

5. good points

I probably give the Republicans more credit for being statesman-like when they should be. Ugh.

[unblock]

7. The 25th is not a viable route except for extreme medical conditions

Like coma or major stroke with obvious (and I mean obvious even to republicans) brain damage.

It requires the veep and a majority of the cabinet, then if Donnie challenges it, it requires 2/3rds of *both* houses.

That's harder than impeachment! Unless, as I said, he's very obviously medically incapacitated.

[FSogol]

11. I agree. There is no precedent for it. n/t

[lapfog_1]

17. I'm guessing that

the House and Senate leadership could require him to have an exam, conducted by independent psych and medical doctors... before a vote to confirm his resumption of office would happen (based, as you say, on his assertion that he is capable of resuming his duties).

I'm guessing that such as exam would find a lot of things wrong with him... both medically and psychologically.

At that point, even his supporters would have a hard time defending him or accusing the "deep state" or "establishment" of taking away their President.

It's a bit of a gamble, but I suspect easier than if he is just impeached for (as yet) unproven accusations of collusion or obstruction (both of which I firmly believe he is guilty of, not to mention money laundering and criminal RICO acts in the past).

Still, either way, the easiest way out for him is to make a deal to pardon his family and maybe one or two close associates and resign. Not sure his ego will let him do that.

[steve2470]

19. that would be awesome if the Cabinet actually did the right thing for the country

One can hope. Good points!

[unblock]

26. i really can't see his cabinet turning on him collectively like that.

they were chosen to be the least likely people to do that sort of thing.

they sure weren't chosen for their competence or wisdom.


ultimately, it all depends on his rank-and-file republican support. if that slips away (which pretty much means he has to lose foxnews), then he's toast, and i think they'll get rid of him swiftly.

and probably the only way to lose foxnews is to fail to pass a tax cut.

[steve2470]

38. good points nt

[cbdo2007]

18. Mueller is timing all of this to coincide with the 2018 election cycle

He knows that next Summer in the heat of the election, that put under pressure there are plenty of Repubes that will flip and vote to impeach in order not to appear batshit crazy. We will keep getting the slow drip drip drips until late spring/early summer 2018 and then the votes will start flipping.

[steve2470]

21. didn't think about the election cycle, good point nt

[Javaman]

8. he won't resign.

he's massive ego will prevent it.

he will be dragged kicking and screaming from the WH.

[cbdo2007]

20. He will to save face...his multiple bankruptcies are basically "resignations" so he's done it

plenty of times in the past.

That is actually how his "ego" wins, because he refuses to lose. As long as he thinks he is controlling the story and can complain about how everyone was out to get him, and he gets to keep his hotels and properties and will still have a bunch of fans that come hear him talk and buy his books, he will consider that a win.

[steve2470]

23. IF..big if...he is under pressure to resign....

he has two choices

1- stay in office and risk impeachment or 25th Amendment

or


2- resign and make it all a huge conspiracy against him aka all the batshit crazy stuff circulating in RW circles

I think resignation is a *better* choice for his ego because he has control. The other exit routes (excluding death of natural causes, of course) give him no control.

[Javaman]

43. I think he will risk the 25th amendment.

he's of that type to do that.

he thinks he will have some sort of last minute save.

[jalan48]

9. I agree. I think it will give enough Republican's the cover they need to act. It will also allow

Trump to leave office as the victim who was retaliated against for trying to drain the swamp (right wing spin). Pence will then pardon him and members of his family. It will be interesting to see if Democrats will continue to go after him, especially if they take back the Congress in 2018, or choose to look forward and not backward.

[louis-t]

10. Wouldn't surprise me if he wrecked the WH on the way out.

Big ass, fucking cry baby that he is.

[steve2470]

28. I think he would steal as much small stuff as he could

If he stole really obvious stuff, like the President's desk, that would be too much. Small stuff ? He would blame the WH staff or Secret Service. Pretty shitty of him but he's a shitty guy.

[Meowmee]

12. I dont think

The cons will ever vote to impeach but my father is sure he’ll fire Mueller. I hope not , that really worries me.

[steve2470]

13. I am 100% convinced he will fire Mueller

It just fits his overall pattern.

[Meowmee]

14. 😳

Yep. What will happen then?

[steve2470]

16. hopefully Trump goes but I'm probably too optimistic nt

[unblock]

22. my hope is that it proves difficult to actually get rid of mueller.

i can't see him not trying, but he can't fire him directly. it has to be the attorney general (or deputy attorney general given that sessions has recused himself).

so, just as nixon did, he has to keep firing people until he finds his robert bork who will actually fire mueller.

the more nixonian it looks, the more the media draws that comparison, and the more donnie takes another dump in the polls.

hopefully that, in conjunctions with other indictments or other damning information makes him unpopular enough to actually take action against him.


i don't think a saturday night massacre in and of itself is enough to bring donnie down, and it wouldn't have had he done it before the indictments. now they have to have a much better excuse for it.

alternatively, session could unrecuse himself and do it himself. that would be horribly corrupt, but different enough from nixon.


in any event, state-level investigations will continue and i think there will be more indictments there, and donnie can't fire or pardon in those cases.

[steve2470]

32. I really hope there's enough professional and country-loving people to refuse him in DoJ

If you leave out Sessions, I've heard high praise of DoJ staff. However, there's always one "bad apple" I guess.

[unblock]

33. the federal government is actually chock full of really great staff.

it's the political appointees (invariably the republican ones) who ruin everything.

[steve2470]

35. I agree! nt

[Meowmee]

46. Yes

Maybe - I hope you’re right. I’m feeling very pessimistic at the moment. So then we get Pence? That could be even worse.

[unblock]

47. Well the only real hope is that republicans get clobbered in the 2018

And hopefully, 2020 as well.

[Meowmee]

48. Yep

I hope that happens

[jeffreyi]

15. All of those scenarios are extremely depressing.

Statesmanship is gone. We are toast, as a country. Wierd.

[lapfog_1]

25. you know what is even more depressing

let's say Democrats retake the House and eek out a small majority in the Senate in 2018.

I say that makes conviction and removal via impeachment even more unlikely.

From the Democrats viewpoint, the need to impeach and remove is reduced since they can effectively block his agenda (much of it).

The republicans left in the Senate will be those from deep red states... and, being afraid of being primaried from the right will not voter to impeach. Not to mention that the 3 known "yes" vote from the repukes (McCain, Corker, Flake) will all (most likely) be gone and replaced with way more extreme repukes (we MIGHT flip AZ... but having spent a lot of time in AZ in the last few years, I really doubt it).

[maxsolomon]

24. An alternative prediction

Mueller completes his work. Trump is tarnished, but not directly incriminated.

The GOP keeps control of the house in 2018; no Impeachment proceedings ever start.

Trump is re-elected in 2020 in a divisive, violent campaign with open assistance from Russia. Military control of Liberal Cities ensues.

Trump suspends the Constitution in 2024, remains in office until his death, and is buried in a golden Mausoleum he orders constructed in the middle of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.

[steve2470]

27. ugh lol

What a nightmare lol

[OnDoutside]

29. I wouldn't be lol'ing too hard. It's no longer beyond being unrealistic.

[steve2470]

30. oh sigh...

I'm still optimistic we have enough non-fascists in this country to prevent it. We'll see.

[OnDoutside]

31. You better hope there's enough nonfascist Republicans ! They

Unfortunately are all there is between Justice and a Totalitarian regime.

At some point soon, I hope some realise sometimes a win isn't in their best interests.

[steve2470]

39. I think there are, I really do

The Republicans want a Bush-like regime, minus the negative crap he got lambasted about (Katrina, poor response to 2008 economy tanking).

[OnDoutside]

41. I agree but I fear they might think they are in so deep now, that

there's no turning back. The long awaited implosion of the Republican Party is so close now, they'll know that an awful split could happen, keeping them out of power for an awful long time. Who wants to press that doomsday button ? Not Corker or Flake who are running away....doesn't leave much in the way of noble Reps left !!!

[lagomorph777]

34. Turd will leave early, one way or the other, and then he is fucked.

He is massively in debt to Putin, a debt he was planning to repay by robbing America. If that becomes impossible, Putin will collect his pound (or 300 pounds) of flesh.

[steve2470]

42. I cannot wait for all the dirty shit to come out about the Fascist

We can hang him around the Republicans neck forever.

[cannabis_flower]

36. Resigning will stop the impeachment..

but won't necessarily stop criminal charges.

[steve2470]

37. true

I just can't see the fascist getting charged (see: Nixon) but the others ? Sure.

[workinclasszero]

40. All the f**king republicans care about now is ass raping the American public with a massive tax cut

to benefit the 1% pigs that run their criminal party.

If the democrats can possibly stop that from happening the Koch's, Mercer's etc will probably move to get rid of the orange shitstain themselves!

[Saboburns]

44. America as we know it is on the knife edge.

What happens when Donald Trump fires Robert Mueller will decide the fate of our country.

[steve2470]

45. agreed! nt