Patterico's Pontifications

6/13/2024

Trump Presses Speaker Johnson In Effort To Overturn Conviction

Filed under: General — Dana @ 7:45 am



[guest post by Dana]

How is this not a problem??

…Trump, true to nature, has been obsessed in recent weeks with harnessing the powers of Congress to fight on his own behalf and go to war against the Democrats he accuses of “weaponizing” the justice system against him.

It’s a campaign he orchestrated in the days after his May 31 conviction on 34 felony counts in New York, starting with a phone call to the man he wanted to lead it: Speaker MIKE JOHNSON.

Trump was still angry when he made the call, according to those who have heard accounts of it from Johnson, dropping frequent F-bombs as he spoke with the soft-spoken and pious GOP leader.

“We have to overturn this,” Trump insisted.

Johnson sympathized with Trump’s frustration. He’d been among the first batch of Republican lawmakers to appear alongside Trump at the Manhattan trial. He’d been harping on DA ALVIN BRAGG’s case and the alleged broader abuse of the justice system since before he took the gavel.

The speaker didn’t really need to be convinced, one person familiar with the conversation said: Johnson, a former attorney himself, already believed the House had a role to play in addressing Trump’s predicament. The two have since spoken on the subject multiple times.

But sympathy can only go so far. With a slim majority and skittish swing-district members, Johnson is already finding it difficult to deliver for Trump.

For his part, on the day after the conviction, Speaker Johnson said on Fox and Friends that he believed that it was time for the Supreme Court to become involved:

“I do believe the Supreme Court should step in. Obviously this is totally unprecedented and it’s dangerous to our system . . .This is diminishing the American people’s faith in our system of justice itself and, to maintain a republic, you have to have that, people have to believe that justice is fair, that there’s equal justice under law.

They don’t see that right now and I think that the justices on the court – I know many of them personally – I think they’re deeply concerned about that, as we are. . .I think they’ll set this straight, but it’s going to take a while.

When it concerns Trump, accountability remains an ugly word.

As for Speaker Johnson, you might recall his assertion that the Trump hush money case (and the other charges against him) were “borderline criminal conspiracy,” and additionally, he asserted that it was all “election interference”.

But of course.

—Dana

97 Responses to “Trump Presses Speaker Johnson In Effort To Overturn Conviction”

  1. Hello.

    Dana (922bb3)

  2. “We have to overturn this,” Trump insisted.

    Donnie wants a cookie. Mommy! Daddy!

    nk (2db5b2)

  3. So unfair!

    nk (2db5b2)

  4. The justice system is not being “weaponized.” Quite the opposite. It’s being disassembled. If accountability is discarded, all that’s left is posturing. In a world where attention is the coin of the realm, that should be enough to satisfy the public.

    John Boddie (dcf99c)

  5. What does Trump expect Johnson to *do*? It’s a state level conviction. There are no levers that can be twiddled to force the state to overturn a conviction, *nor should there be*.

    aphrael (99fd6b)

  6. There are plenty of ways a president can get a state to do things. We give presidents so much plenary power. Sometimes they only have to NOT do something, like a disaster declaration or fail to help commerce in the state in a variety of ways.

    But the best way for Trump to get out from under these verdicts is to win an appeal. He can still take out his vengeance later.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  7. Trump to City: “Drop deader!”

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  8. > There are plenty of ways a president can get a state to do things.

    Do we really want the system to allow *anything* other than the executive pardon power of a state, or judicial review, to *force* a state to *overturn a conviction returned by a jury*?

    The independence of the judicial system is an absolutely critical backstop against executive tyranny. The idea that the President could force a state to abrogate judicial independence is horrifying.

    This is *exactly* the sort of thing i’m talking about when I say Trump and his fans are a threat to the Republic.

    aphrael (99fd6b)

  9. Overturn a fraudulent decision and a rigged case. Good idea.

    NJRob (5645cb)

  10. “I disagree with the outcome of this trial, therefore state governments should have the power to ignore the outcome of judicial decisions, and the federal government should have the power to force state governments to do so.”

    This is a recipe for tyranny. You may like it when it’s exercised on your behalf in ways you like, but the entire point to tyranny is that once the power is assumed, it’s used at the discretionary whim of the person who has assumed the power, and *nobody* is immune.

    aphrael (99fd6b)

  11. Rob, I followed that case pretty closely. What was fraudulent? How was it rigged? Can you explain?

    Would you agree that if it weren’t (isn’t?) fraudulent and rigged, putting political pressure to overturn a case is inappropriate?

    Nate (cfb326)

  12. Do we really want the system to allow *anything* other than the executive pardon power of a state, or judicial review, to *force* a state to *overturn a conviction returned by a jury*?

    Apparently for some people here the answer is yes.

    Rip Murdock (3a971e)

  13. Do we really want the system to allow *anything* other than the executive pardon power of a state, or judicial review, to *force* a state to *overturn a conviction returned by a jury*?

    No, but we have given presidents power to do things that will prove unwise.

    Wait, people have said they were unwise for quite some time. Now it will be proven, which is good.

    The way to get people willing to dial back government is for them to see it badly abused.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  14. There are plenty of ways a president can get a state to do things. We give presidents so much plenary power. Sometimes they only have to NOT do something, like a disaster declaration or fail to help commerce in the state in a variety of ways.

    Do you have any real world examples of a President acting against a state out of spite?

    Rip Murdock (3a971e)

  15. The Libertarian in me appreciates the opportunity that is coming to rub government-worshiper’s noses in Trump’s messes.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  16. > The way to get people willing to dial back government is for them to see it badly abused.

    Ahh, so in order to have a better republic we need to sacrifice the republic for however long it takes for a revolution to happen.

    That’s horrible.

    aphrael (99fd6b)

  17. > Apparently for some people here the answer is yes.

    An ample demonstration of why I now expect to outlive the Republic.

    aphrael (99fd6b)

  18. The DA campaigned on finding a crime to go after Trump. He used a novel and unprecedented way to turn a misdemeanor beyond the statute of limitations into a felony. The judge refused to change venue from a clearly polluted jury pool. The prosecutor didn’t need to prove any claims that elevated the expired misdemeanor into a felony. The judge said tye jury could pick any crime they wanted to elevate tye expired misdemeanor into a felony

    It was a joke and a travesty and deserves to be treated as such.

    NJRob (5645cb)

  19. Interesting that Trump tried to overturn an election, and is now trying to pressure Congress to overturn his conviction. This The same man who will continue to refuse us any kind of responsibility for his actions, and will strike out at any institution that attempt to hold him accountable for said actions. That people find this admiral to the point where they will vote for him again is mind-boggling

    Dana (45ce28)

  20. > This The same man who will continue to refuse us any kind of responsibility for his actions, and will strike out at any institution that attempt to hold him accountable for said actions. That people find this admiral to the point where they will vote for him again is mind-boggling

    Who needs institutions? If they produce results we disagree with, well, the results matter, not the process, and the institutions can be replaced with ones that will produce the correct results.

    [The fact that this is *exactly* the logic used by the Bolsheviks is just irrelevant, the Bolsheviks were bad people and we’re good people]

    aphrael (99fd6b)

  21. Here’s a nice list of people who have been treated more unfairly than Trump
    https://innocenceproject.org/all-cases/

    Davethulhu (0319c4)

  22. Dana,

    Trump is a case study on just how much malignancy people will overlook if a candidate mentions some policies they like.

    Like Esau selling his birthright for a mess of pottage, they are trading our Republic’s foundational principles for the prospect of a few favored policies.

    It really is telling.

    norcal (017548)

  23. I wouldn’t call it “admirable”. But, I find it mind-boggling that some here ignores how Democrats and the NeverTrumpers supports the current lawfare as a substitute to the failed impeachments.

    You wanna know why Trump is gaining steam over President Pedo™?

    It’s transactional.

    Simply compare and contrast policies living under the 1st Trump and the 1st Biden administration.

    If the stark kitchen table issues don’t change for the better by election day, Biden could very well be toast.

    whembly (86df54)

  24. @20

    [The fact that this is *exactly* the logic used by the Bolsheviks is just irrelevant, the Bolsheviks were bad people and we’re good people]

    aphrael (99fd6b) — 6/13/2024 @ 3:00 pm

    That’s how the commies, sorry, the left operates today.

    whembly (86df54)

  25. @22 norcal, Biden is a case study on just how much malignancy people will overlook if a candidate isn’t the other guy.

    Like Esau selling his birthright for a mess of pottage, they are trading our Republic’s foundational principles for the prospect of a few favored policies.

    It really is telling.

    whembly (86df54)

  26. everybody is blaming the voters and nobody is giving mr. peed-on-in-moscow former president donald trump the credit due to him for being the greatest conman of all time

    charles ponzi? p.t. barnum? frank abagnale? bernie madoff?

    amateurs

    small-timers, the whole lot of them

    nk (2db5b2)

  27. > they are trading our Republic’s foundational principles for the prospect of a few favored policies.

    that’s exactly what Trumpism looks like from the outside – Trumpists are willing to sacrifice the Republic in order to support a bumbling authoritarian kleptocratic conman.

    i’ve known since 2016 that it would not be possible to prevent damage to the Republic once Trump was elected – he’ll damage the republic, and mitigating the damage will itself damage the Republic. *some level* of damage was inevitable once he won … the question is just how much, and Trump’s supporters seem willing to just throw the entire thing out in order to protect their guy.

    what i’ve never been able to wrap my head around is *why*.

    aphrael (99fd6b)

  28. Trump has always been trying to “put in the fix”, since his daddy’s podiatrist tenant kept him out of Vietnam with a bone spurs diagnosis. It’s the New York way, and it has mostly worked for him. And then he put something else in Stormy Daniels … begging all y’all’s pardon.

    nk (2db5b2)

  29. small-timers, the whole lot of them

    nk (2db5b2) — 6/13/2024 @ 3:51 pm

    Correct. Trump is the best conman. Even smart people, like some here, can’t see the con when it’s going on right under their noses.

    Conmen know the right words to say in order to play someone like a fiddle.

    norcal (017548)

  30. Trump isn’t the one putting his political opponents on trial and trying to jail them.

    NJRob (5645cb)

  31. Trump isn’t the one putting his political opponents on trial and trying to jail them.

    That’s only because he has not yet found anyone competent enough to do it for him. The ones smart enough to carry it off are busy feathering their own nests.

    nk (2db5b2)

  32. what i’ve never been able to wrap my head around is *why*.

    aphrael (99fd6b) — 6/13/2024 @ 3:58 pm

    It’s a supreme question.

    As I think about it, I blame:

    1) The sorry state of our education system, where there is insufficient focus on the Constitution and our magnificent Founding

    2) Social media, which enabled people who previously didn’t pay much attention to politics to suddenly think they had well-founded opinions, and which allowed them to bond with those who were like-minded in a mutually-reinforcing tribe full of outrage

    Those two things were firewood doused in gasoline. All it took was a match (Trump) to ignite the fire. Trump excels at making politics akin to a comic book, where he is the superhero.

    norcal (017548)

  33. > Trump isn’t the one putting his political opponents on trial and trying to jail them.

    Trump’s allies are the people pushing for the federal government to have the power to force state governments to abolish judicial independence.

    This is a 500-alarm fire.

    aphrael (99fd6b)

  34. What conservative policy is Trump espousing that should be supported? Abortion, economic policies, foreign policy, policy in general, as far as I can tell, he has either no policy, or anti-conservative policies.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  35. Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 6/13/2024 @ 5:10 pm

    I have some fluency in Trumpese, since most of my family, and many of my friends, support Trump.

    They like his policies on immigration, energy, and trade.

    (They don’t realize that Trump’s approach on immigration issues is ham-fisted and likely to backfire. They also don’t understand that tariffs actually hurt American consumers.)

    norcal (017548)

  36. It’s the Diet Coke and lipo flavor of conservative. Dieting and healthy living (i.e. governing) are hard, superficial solutions are better because it’s easy. Doesn’t work, is damaging long term, but LOLZ.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  37. It’s nice to have you back, Klink.

    norcal (017548)

  38. That’s only because he has not yet found anyone competent enough to do it for him. The ones smart enough to carry it off are busy feathering their own nests.

    nk (2db5b2) — 6/13/2024 @ 4:20 pm

    Assertion without evidence to make you feel better.

    NJRob (5645cb)

  39. So much of what is written here can simply be stated as ” those ignorant hicks don’t know their place and their betters are speaks so shut it. ”

    And that’s why Trump will beat pedo Joe. The incompetence of those currently running the government is astounding, but so many want to double down on it.

    NJRob (5645cb)

  40. speaking*

    NJRob (5645cb)

  41. Do you have any real world examples of a President acting against a state out of spite?

    Disaster declarations have a lower bar to clear for some states than others.

    There were major fires in Texas in 2011, more severe than others in 2009 which received a disaster declaration, but the Obama administration withheld the declaration.

    It is true that FEMA provided funds to the state to fight the fires, but a disaster declaration has significant tax benefits for those harmed as they attempt to rebuild. Without the declaration there are strict limits on the amount a household can write off due to the disaster.

    In 2011, Obama was unhappy with Texas as well as his shellacking in the 2010 midterms. That might be spite.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  42. Ahh, so in order to have a better republic we need to sacrifice the republic for however long it takes for a revolution to happen.

    You’re just here to spin lately, aphrael.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  43. It’s nice to have you back, Klink.

    Sure, we always need another doctrinaire Democrat. Let me know when he finds something meaningful to criticize on his side of the ledger. NJRob with a bit more class, but still the same party line.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  44. 43,

    Eh, the more thoughtful commenters, the better. Regardless of their political preferences. No need to insult.

    Trump isn’t the one putting his political opponents on trial and trying to jail them.

    My feeling is that he is trying to push Johnson to overturn his conviction, just as he did with the election. It’s been said a thousand times, when they show you who they are, believe them. For instance, last week Trump told Hannity about the multiple criminal indictments he’s facing:

    “Look, when this election is over, based on what they’ve done, I would have every right to go after them, and it would be easy because it’s Joe Biden.”

    Additionally, there was his conversation with psychologist Dr. Phil:

    ate last week, when Trump was interviewed on camera by psychologist Phil McGraw, the subject came up again. McGraw, a well-known television host commonly known as Dr. Phil, tried to convince Trump that seeking revenge as president would get in the way of his other political priorities.

    “Well, revenge does take time. I will say that,” Trump replied. “And sometimes revenge can be justified, Phil, I have to be honest. You know, sometimes it can.”

    Believe him when he tells you who he says he is. We’ve already witnessed with our own eyes all of his tendencies, actions, and we’ve heard what he has repeatedly said.

    Dana (45ce28)

  45. My feeling is that he is trying to push Johnson to overturn his conviction, just as he did with the election

    There is really nothing the Speaker can do. Even if, somehow, Congress passed a law exempting presidential candidates from state court actions (???), Biden would veto it and the courts would toss it out.

    This is an Underpants Gnomes thing.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  46. I am really stressing out over this election, but for different reasons that aphrael is. I see Biden as having the same kind of designs. Sure, he hasn’t had a chance to try to steal an election, but just wait until he loses and his VP does what Pence would not. And there will be countless people saying she should “to save the country” from Trump. Some here.

    Biden has repeatedly stretched what is allowable under the Constitution. His party is talking about packing the Court so they can have their way. I hear people say that Trump would make permanent changes and Biden would not, but I just don’t guy it.

    We’ve seen this before. FDR had all kinds of designs on the Constitution. When the Court opposed his transgressions he threatened to pack the Court then, too. And they backed down (“A change in time that saved nine”). And so we have Wickard, federal rules on nearly everything, a regulatory state and an income tax that reaches every worker and paws through their receipts. When do you suppose Wickard will be overturned?

    Biden wants to do more that Trump, and while Trump wants to address longstanding problems, Biden wants to exacerbate them.

    I hate Donald Trump as much as our host does. What he has done to this country is terrible. But his opponents are no better in their goals and at least *some* of the things Trump wants to do I’d like. Not so with Biden.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  47. So much of what is written here can simply be stated as ” those ignorant hicks don’t know their place and their betters are speaks so shut it. ”

    Exactly

    One thing Trump didn’t do much of during his Capitol Hill visit was discuss a governing agenda if he wins the White House and Republicans control Congress next year.

    “I didn’t hear any policy talk,” Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) “It was a pep talk.”

    In other words, the former president delivered the same kind of stream-of-consciousness remarks that he uses at his rallies.

    Sources told the nonprofit news outlet NOTUS that Trump rambled like a “drunk uncle” and that he said one of Pelosi’s daughters told him that he and Pelosi could have been a couple.

    “If things were different, Nancy and I would be perfect together,” Trump said, before noting their six-year “age difference.”

    Cool

    Is that the exacting nuanced review of the days news.

    I like how I talk about conservative principals over MAGA, and I’m a democrat. It’s kind of funny, if it weren’t for all the ignorant hicks that are MAGA and don’t know what conservative means…that used to be democrats following Trump, former democrat, inarguably being the least conservative president in…well, ever.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  48. Why is this allowed to happen? Its called structuralism. The text book example given is the catholic church. For all you catholics out there where in the bible does it say priests shouldn’t marry. don’t eat meat on fridays. abortion is murder and the pope is infallible. Extra point if you can tell when he became infallible. The democratic party is a victim of creeping structuralism so know one can stop the train wreck.

    asset (dff5ff)

  49. In his meeting on Capitol Hill today…

    “Most intriguing policy idea from the GOP meeting at the Capitol Hill Club this morning: Trump briefly floated the concept of eliminating the income tax and replacing it with tariffs,” said Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in a social media post, adding a monocle-clad emoji face at the end.

    Citing sources inside the meeting, CNBC also reported Trump had raised the idea of an “all tariff policy.”

    The consensus among economists is that tariffs jack up consumer prices because companies would need to charge more for goods and services to make up what they’re paying in tariffs. Economists have also said Trump’s other proposals for new levies would boost inflation in general. Inflation and the price of consumer goods have already become a major talking point ahead of the 2024 election, even as the economy has grown briskly.

    Currently, tariffs bring in only a small portion of the $4.4 trillion in revenues the U.S. government brings in every year. According to the Treasury Department, annual Customs duties, which include tariff payments, amounted to $88.3 billion in the 2023 fiscal year. Income taxes, on the other hand, raised more than 20 times as much, $2.2 trillion.

    It would only raise tariffs to about 133%, this would have to be across the board, so no Canadian free trade, would require financial transaction tariffs that would probably push the dollar off the top as a reserve currency. And on and on with the stupid.

    Drink some bleach, insert UV into the skin. What a mental defective. But wait, I’m a liberal democrat socialist that demands elite things like not being crazy, silly me.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  50. Any thing so rich don’t have to pay their fair share of taxes. National sales tax and vat tax. Vat tax might be workable I would have to see.

    asset (dff5ff)

  51. @26

    everybody is blaming the voters and nobody is giving mr. peed-on-in-moscow former president donald trump the credit due to him for being the greatest conman of all time

    charles ponzi? p.t. barnum? frank abagnale? bernie madoff?

    amateurs

    small-timers, the whole lot of them

    nk (2db5b2) — 6/13/2024 @ 3:51 pm

    I mean, you’re not wrong.

    But, I still blame the voters ultimately.

    whembly (86df54)

  52. Trump does not have policies. He has a sales pitch. A patter for the rubes.

    (I would have said “marks” instead of rubes, but somebody here was bound to remind me that the Deutschmark had been supplanted by the Euro.)

    nk (2db5b2)

  53. I see Biden as having the same kind of designs. Sure, he hasn’t had a chance to try to steal an election, but just wait until he loses and his VP does what Pence would not. And there will be countless people saying she should “to save the country” from Trump. Some here.

    Biden has repeatedly stretched what is allowable under the Constitution. His party is talking about packing the Court so they can have their way. I hear people say that Trump would make permanent changes and Biden would not, but I just don’t guy it.

    Both Trump and Biden want to “do things” but the difference will be that Trump will have a congressional majority to actually do what he wants to do, both in enacting legislation and avoiding impeachment.

    There’s no evidence that Harris will behave any differently than previous vice presidents when it comes counting Electoral College votes, the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022 really limits the VP’s role in the process.

    Like your erstwhile favorite candidate, you will end up voting for Darth Trump.

    Rip Murdock (3a971e)

  54. For the Biden voters, lets do a specific compare and contrast…

    Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s disasterous Afghanistan withdrawal?

    Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s abdication of duty to immigration policies, particularly the southern border.

    Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s thumbing the eyes of both Congress and SCOTUS with the school loan bailouts?

    Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s thumbing the eyes of both Congress and SCOTUS with the moratorium or renter’s payment?

    Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s radical Title IX changes that everyone knows won’t stand in court?

    Here’s a rule though: Don’t bring in his “insurrection” to “overturn the election”.

    Going through this exercise should give you some insight why, why Trump still has support at this point.

    whembly (86df54)

  55. @52

    Trump does not have policies. He has a sales pitch. A patter for the rubes.

    (I would have said “marks” instead of rubes, but somebody here was bound to remind me that the Deutschmark had been supplanted by the Euro.)

    nk (2db5b2) — 6/14/2024 @ 6:06 am

    Yup. And he’s good at it.

    Almost, but not quite, as good as Obama’s.

    whembly (86df54)

  56. Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s disasterous Afghanistan withdrawal?

    It’s not like the Afghanis stormed Normandy Beach with us on D-Day. Recognize the reference? Trump’s betrayal of the Kurds in 2019 does not compare only because it’s so much worse.

    The Afghan withdrawal disaster was bad soldiering. Tranny tatters at the tactical level who could not even retreat in good order.

    The betrayal of the Kurds in Syria was Trump in a three-way with Putin and Erdogan.

    nk (bb1548)

  57. Both Trump and Biden want to “do things” but the difference will be that Trump will have a congressional majority to actually do what he wants to do, both in enacting legislation and avoiding impeachment.

    Whoever wins this election will have a working majority. If it’s the GOP they are unlikely to toss the filibuster. The Democrats are on record as favoring it once the 2 opponents are gone.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  58. There’s no evidence that Harris will behave any differently than previous vice presidents when it comes counting Electoral College votes, the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022 really limits the VP’s role in the process.

    She is on record as saying that Trump should not have been allowed to run.

    Pelosi’s version of the Electoral Count Act reform allowed objecting to electoral votes cast by, or for, persons who were “insurrectionists.” The Senate did not go along, but the belief that such objections should be in order is strong in the Democrat Party.

    Let’s say that, after Trump collects more than 270 Electoral votes, a movement rises to deny him the election due to his insurrection. VP Harris comes under pressure from the Left wing of her party (one she hopes to lead) to rule votes cast for an insurrectionist “out of order”, giving the election to Joe Biden.

    I wonder how many people here would be OK with that, given that the alternative is the modern Hitler.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  59. The betrayal of the Kurds in Syria

    Or in Iraq by Obama. Take your pick.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  60. Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s disasterous Afghanistan withdrawal?

    His acceptance of the ongoing failure of policy in Korea. In the long run allowing the Boy King to have nuclear weapons and ICBMs will be more of an issue.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  61. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-gun-bump-stocks-ban-unlawful-rcna154651
    The ATF getting pimp slapped made my week.

    Look, the “Republican” picked justices overturned an ATF rule promulgated by Trump’s ATF.

    whembly (86df54)

  62. Yup. And he’s good at it.

    Almost, but not quite, as good as Obama’s.

    There was a measure of grace in Obama’s hucksterism that is missing in Trump’s

    Obama sold whiskey and hors d’oeuvres to the Indians. Trump sells bathtub gin and Hudson Bay muskets.

    I read somewhere that Hudson Bay wanted a stack of fur pelts equal to the height of the musket for each gun. And they had the trade muskets made with extra long barrels.

    nk (bb1548)

  63. @62

    Yup. And he’s good at it.

    Almost, but not quite, as good as Obama’s.

    There was a measure of grace in Obama’s hucksterism that is missing in Trump’s

    Obama sold whiskey and hors d’oeuvres to the Indians. Trump sells bathtub gin and Hudson Bay muskets.

    I read somewhere that Hudson Bay wanted a stack of fur pelts equal to the height of the musket for each gun. And they had the trade muskets made with extra long barrels.

    nk (bb1548) — 6/14/2024 @ 7:38 am

    Oh, I’m not saying Trump is an equal to Obama’s retail politicking…

    Obama’s a master at his craft that in modern history is only surpassed (arguably) by Bill Clinton.

    whembly (86df54)

  64. The bump stock ban was a nothing-burger in an all out cover-up and whitewash intended to keep money flowing into Sheldon Adelson’s casinos and from there to Republican campaigns without alienating gun owners. Trump got away with it because the Democrats had an equal if not bigger stake in casino money if not in gun owners.

    Now, there, that’s where Donnie should have been paying attention. That’s how you work a successful fix.

    nk (bb1548)

  65. Oh, I’m not saying Trump is an equal to Obama’s retail politicking…

    Trump hasn’t preached to anything but the choir since 2016. Only the news media carry his message to others.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  66. Now, there, that’s where Donnie should have been paying attention. That’s how you work a successful fix.

    “I am a master strategist!”

    –Darth Putin Trump

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  67. I have many, many issues with Thomas Massie…

    But…

    Heh!

    🚨Congressmen paid $17 million of TAXPAYER MONEY for undisclosed hush payments to cover up sexual harassment claims.

    Meanwhile candidate Trump allegedly used HIS MONEY for a $130,000 hush payment and he’s convicted of 34 felonies for not disclosing.https://t.co/DZw3hYyuXH pic.twitter.com/s3odKj1CmW

    — Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 31, 2024

    Wonder which NY congress-critters used that fund to facilitate hush payments to cover up politically damaging information that arguable impacts their electoral chances.

    whembly (86df54)

  68. Let’s say that, after Trump collects more than 270 Electoral votes, a movement rises to deny him the election due to his insurrection. VP Harris comes under pressure from the Left wing of her party (one she hopes to lead) to rule votes cast for an insurrectionist “out of order”, giving the election to Joe Biden.

    I wonder how many people here would be OK with that, given that the alternative is the modern Hitler.

    Highly speculative, as your assertion that whatever party wins the presidency will have a working majority. I can also see pressure on Republicans to overturn the filibuster to enact their preferred policies, such as an abortion ban.

    Rip Murdock (3a971e)

  69. The Supreme Court’s ruling on the bump stock ban (which really was an unserious attempt on the part of the Trump ATF, to be seen as doing something after the LV massacre), gives hope that onerous Federal firearms regulations will meet the same fate.

    Rip Murdock (3a971e)

  70. I can also see pressure on Republicans to overturn the filibuster to enact their preferred policies, such as an abortion ban.

    I think you confuse your preferred policies with theirs. This election will put paid to any idea of an “abortion ban” and probably at the state level, too.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  71. Congressmen paid $17 million of TAXPAYER MONEY for undisclosed hush payments to cover up sexual harassment claims.

    Massie should release the names.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  72. I think you confuse your preferred policies with theirs. This election will put paid to any idea of an “abortion ban” and probably at the state level, too.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 6/14/2024 @ 8:55 am

    There are plenty of Republican activist groups that disagree with allowing abortion. I hope they succeed in persuading Congress to act.

    Rip Murdock (3a971e)

  73. @71

    Congressmen paid $17 million of TAXPAYER MONEY for undisclosed hush payments to cover up sexual harassment claims.

    Massie should release the names.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 6/14/2024 @ 8:56 am

    He cannot unilaterally… but has submitted resolution to publicize the names.

    whembly (86df54)

  74. Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s disasterous Afghanistan withdrawal?

    You mean when Biden followed the agreed upon date that Trump created?

    Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s thumbing the eyes of both Congress and SCOTUS with the school loan bailouts?

    Tariffs

    Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s thumbing the eyes of both Congress and SCOTUS with the school loan bailouts?

    You might remember this thing called Covid? Remember that?

    Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s thumbing the eyes of both Congress and SCOTUS with the school loan bailouts?

    You mean other than the same thing?

    Here’s a rule though: Don’t bring in his “insurrection” to “overturn the election”.

    Oh yeah, other than that. Because that doesn’t count.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  75. He cannot unilaterally… but has submitted resolution to publicize the names.

    whembly (86df54) — 6/14/2024 @ 9:00 am

    LOL! That will die a quick death in a committee.

    Rip Murdock (3a971e)

  76. LOL! That will die a quick death in a committee.

    “You gotta know the righta peoples. You know the righta peoples is everything comming uppa roses.” — Vito “Cool Lips” Chericola, Chicago’s Mafia Boss (fictional)

    nk (bb1548)

  77. The Afghan withdrawal was a disaster because:

    a) the Afghan government and army made “pre-surrender” deals with the Taliban or just plain refused to fight;

    b) the US military was down to a few thousand troops, confined to bases and not conducting military operations;

    c) the US government decided to bring out the thousands of Afghans who worked with us; and

    d) Americans who were outside the major population centers should have realized they were on their own (see (a)).

    Rip Murdock (3a971e)

  78. Correction:

    d) Americans who were outside the major population centers should have realized they were on their own (see (b)).

    Rip Murdock (3a971e)

  79. Trump caused the Wuhan Virus?

    Tariffs? In what way? Elaborate. Show how Biden, who has done the same, is better than Trump and how what Trump did is more extreme?

    Klink going with the far left talking points no matter how nonsensical they are. It’s what any “true conservative” would do.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  80. Oh, I’m far left because I have a memory of the disaster. Sure, Trump was the bestest ever, especially if you don’t consider all the bad things. Covid response is disqualifying, period. Then there are all the other things.

    MAGA, making competence a drawback. Competence is supposedly not a conservative trait. Well, according to the “ignorant hicks”, no quotation marks, just ignorant hicks.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  81. Covid response is disqualifying, period. Then there are all the other things.

    What would you have done in February 2020 if you were President?

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  82. >>Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s thumbing the eyes of both Congress and SCOTUS with the school loan bailouts?

    Tariffs

    Biden doubled down on tariffs and turned the trade war with China up to 11.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  83. Also, tariff-setting is a power that Congress has pretty much given the Executive a blank check on.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  84. He cannot unilaterally… but has submitted resolution to publicize the names.

    Why not? Can’t Republicans leak stuff?

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  85. Doubled down as in less. Trump put us into multiple trade wars, we’re in a trade skirmish today. At worst you can imply Biden continued some of Trump’s massive tax increases, but less is not more.

    Tariffs are a tax increase, Tariffs are a tax increase, Tariffs are a tax increase.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  86. In 2011, Obama was unhappy with Texas as well as his shellacking in the 2010 midterms. That might be spite.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 6/13/2024 @ 6:39 pm

    LOL! Completely speculative and without corroboration.

    Rip Murdock (3aaf7e)

  87. Name something Trump did in his first term that you would compare to Biden’s thumbing the eyes of both Congress and SCOTUS with the school loan bailouts?

    Tariffs

    No comparison. Neither Trump or Biden have defied the SC on tariffs.

    Rip Murdock (3aaf7e)

  88. LOL! Completely speculative and without corroboration.

    Just like your assertions about how the GOP will ban abortions.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  89. Just like your assertions about how the GOP will ban abortions.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 6/14/2024 @ 10:45 am

    We’ll see. Allahpundit made a compelling case for overcoming the filibuster and enacting a national abortion ban once Roe was overturned. Ending Roe should be the beginning, not the end.

    Rip Murdock (3aaf7e)

  90. Rip Murdock (3aaf7e) — 6/14/2024 @ 10:58 am

    Congress could also bar the Supreme Court (under Art. 3 Sec. 2 Cl. 2) from hearing challenges to a national abortion ban:

    ………… the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.

    Rip Murdock (3aaf7e)

  91. Rip Murdock (3aaf7e) — 6/14/2024 @ 11:10 am

    See also here for a discussion of “jurisdiction stripping”.

    Rip Murdock (3aaf7e)

  92. Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction over certain matters, subject to regulation by Congress

    The meaning of this is: The Supreme Court can have either original jurisdiction or it can have appellate jurisdiction but it can’t have no jurisdiction if it belongs in a federal court..

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  93. Speaker Johnson’s looking for proof that the Administration inspired the NY case against Trump nd he’s not limiting himself to the idea that it was done through official channels between DOJ and Colangelo.

    What would he do with the proof if he found it?

    Create a scandal and delegitimize the conviction

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  94. d) Americans who were outside the major population centers should have realized they were on their own (see (b))

    Afghans! </b?

    Actually everybody was on their own. Even in Kabul.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  95. @51 american republic not a democracy as we don’t have majority rule. (YET) You get the kind of government you deserve.

    asset (16ab5f)

  96. The betrayal of the Kurds in Syria

    Or in Iraq by Obama. Take your pick.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 6/14/2024 @ 7:24 am

    Both jumped back in when the disaster threatened to get too big, or have bigger consequences,

    But Biden followed through in Afghanistan and was anxious only that US. troops should be able to escape. (this resembles Obama and Benghazi)

    Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e)

  97. “ I hate Donald Trump as much as our host does.”

    – Kevin M

    You very, very obviously do not. You think he’s better for our country than the other guy. Our host does not.

    Leviticus (784797)


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