The day after his conviction on 34 criminal counts, serial sex abuser and convicted felon Donald Trump (SSACFT) gave a typically rambling and incoherent press conference at which he recycled the usual litany of grievances and falsehoods. He left without taking any questions, showing how nervous he is about the implications of the verdict.
Jimmy Kimmel gave a pretty good rundown of the day’s events.
One point that Kimmel made bears emphasizing. When politicians are in deep trouble, a common ploy is to have a press conference with their partner by their side to show their loyalty. This is especially the case if there is sexual infidelity involved. And yet, Melania Trump has maintained total silence before, throughout, and after the trial and never showed up even once during the proceedings. What does it say that she cannot be bothered to put out even a pro forma statement of support?
This cartoon illustrates how far we have entered uncharted waters with a person who not only is openly contemptuous of truth and the rule of law but has managed to get so many leaders of his party to be complicit in his actions.
Fess up Mano,
You just liked Todd the dog from the Jimmy Kimble clip.
So did I.
While it’s not in the US constitution, it seems that Washington state has a law preventing convicted felon from being on the ballot. However, I’m sure the supreme court justices will come to the rescue (again) if that ever comes up. The law cannot be allowed to prevent partisanship to prevail.
I take the position that barring convicts from holding office is a bad idea. It is tempting with Trump but what about protestors that get arrested and prosecuted? There are a bunch of politicians who got arrested for anti-Vietnam war protests when young.
It would be far too tempting for the party in power to try and dig up something they could charge their most dangerous opponents with. Even if it never makes it to court the risk that they might suddenly be locked out would render them untenable as candidates. Winning even an obviously bad case would keep an opponent out for years even if they eventually get it reversed.
Deciding if a particular persons crimes are serious enough that they shouldn’t hold office is exactly the sort of thing the voting public should be doing. Heck, I would argue that Trump’s crime here isn’t serious enough that he should be kept from office. The hush money scheme itself is a better reason to vote against him but that part was legal. The mislabeling of records to cover up where the hush money came from is not that big of a deal.
Australia, whose constitution prevents felons from being elected as, or remaining as, members of parliament (and who consequently can’t become or remain Prime Minister, either), does it only for convictions that carry a sentence of 1 year or more. But oddly, there is no such limitation on the position of Governor-General, who holds their post “during the Queen’s pleasure”.
The long-time former leader of the Australian Greens, Bob Brown, was able to enter parliament despite having spent 19 days in prison after being arrested in a protest against the Gordon-below-Franklin dam in the 1970s.
When i heard all that “airing of grievances” it made me think it was already Festivus. Then he goes to the Wrestling match for the “Feats of Strength”. i had to check the calendar--was it already dec 23?
“This is a case where, if they can do this to me, they can do it to anyone” -- We already knew that. The landmark importance of this conviction is that it establishes the exact reverse: what can happen to other people can also happen to ex-presidents.
They can do it to anyone …who forges 34 financial statements.
Guess the author.
“I never understood wind…You know, I understand windmills very much Gases are spewing into the atmosphere… You know we have a world, right? So the world is tiny compared to the universe. So tremendous, tremendous amounts of fumes and everything.”
JM is of course correct.
MLK went to jail.
How are Donnie’s acolytes not able to see his obvious decline in just the past few months?
OT -Bosses loosing control of the narrative?
“P M Rishi Sunak Photobombed by Lib Dems”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=BkOS6sDp2WI
😄
Farron Cousins: “Trump’s Mental State Implodes Following Conviction”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=mltFlN2dsQo
“Farron Cousins: “Trump’s Mental State Implodes Following Conviction””
Farron is sure full of it, no?
(But sure, Trump no longer has a mental state, it having imploded)
@10 -- my guess would be they’re not exactly dancing with both feet themselves, and never have been.
In the news: The billionaires rallying behind Trump after his conviction
“Ultra-wealthy Republican donors are rallying behind former US President Donald Trump following his historic trial and criminal conviction.”