POLITICS CORNER

[Whyperion]

Just because you are self deluded does not mean you are mad

[Stanley]

I listened to a US constitutional lawyer yesterday who laid out just how difficult it was to implement section 4 of Article 25 and saying he doubted if it could be done in a fortnight which is all they have got. He pointed out another problem and how to address it. He says that Trump should be impeached again over inciting his supporters to riot. The reason for this is that if impeached Trump is barred from standing for the Presidency again.
It was also pointed out that in effect Jared Kushner was right when he said that the republican Party is now the Trump Party and this won't change. In effect the Republican Party is split right down the middle and this isn't going to go away.

[Marilyn]

Trump would not be barred from running again IF he was pardoned by the Vice President in the last 24 hours before Biden starts...
...but he cannot pardon himself, as that is an admission of wrong doing.

[Stanley]

See THIS complete volte face on the part of Trump. I suspect he is actually surprised to see the lengths his supporters went to in the assault on the Capitol.
He isn't smart enough to know what the chances of Article 25 being enacted are or the chances of impeachment but what he does understand is that he needs all the time over the next 13 days to put into effect whatever his final plans are for the Presidency. I suspect that these plans are all solely connected with protecting himself against possible criminal charges coming down the road and so the world doesn't need to worry too much about wider matters. There has been a lot of speculation about him pardoning himself but it is not clear whether this is possible or could succeed. There is little doubt that Trump will have had legal brains working on the best strategy and timetabling it. This is why he has switched completely into condemning the invaders of Congress, he wants to minimise the chances of anything interfering with his timetable.

[Marilyn]

Why all these numerous entries on Trump anyway...you lot hate any outsider sledging your politics/nhs etc...yet you love to give America a poke. ( and you seem quite sarcastic about Australia too, especially our low Covid deaths and our brilliant track and trace system).
Have you not got enough going on within your own boundaries at present? I am sure there is some politics there, that you can throw your thoughts behind.
The above should not be seen as an aggressive statement. I just think you guys have a great deal on your own plate just now. England is struggling and it is hard to watch...

[Big Kev]

Latest BBC news story says a policeman has died now as a result of injuries sustained.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55583264

[Tizer]

Maz, the US political situation is the most important thing in the world just now. Democracy has been in the balance. What happens in Washington at the moment will affect us all, for good or bad, for many years to come. Trump's behaviour, and that of his supporters, is sending out a message to the world that you can throw out democracy on a whim.

I note what you said about Trump not being able to pardon himself without admitting wrongdoing. He's been told that by those around him but just responds with `Fake news, fake news!' It's too much for his small brain. (Wasn't it Flanders & Swann who wrote `The dinosaur has a brain the size of a crisp').

[plaques]

Maz, America won WW2 all the others including the UK lost it. The UK was also part way through losing 'The Empire' so inspite of our special relationship with the USA we have been on a downward slope ever since. During this period America had everything going for it. A massive country with raw materials and a established manufacturing base. Then like ourselves it became more profitable, for the few, to place manufacturing into third world countries with cheap labour and less internal hassle from the lower orders. Cutting a long story short they are now facing a position that the UK faced 40 years ago with a country split in two halves with those at the top who think nothing should change and those at the bottom who see no way out. What happens in America affects every country in the world including Australia.

[Stanley]

"What happens in America affects every country in the world "
Amen to that. I shall not rest easy until January 20th. I have an idea that quite a few good brains will be working on how to neutralise any lingering Trump effects will remain. I wish them well.

[Tizer]

The Democrats are saying they could impeach Trump in the time available before the hand-over but not remove him by then. The advantage of impeaching him is that he then can't stand again for election. Some Republicans are said to support impeaching him. For example, Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska said he would consider articles of impeachment because Trump had "disregarded his oath of office". Various world leaders have asked for Trump to be removed because they fear what he might do before he's replaced by Biden.

Russia is enjoying the chaos. Aljazeeera news states: `Konstantin Kosachyov, the chair of the Russian upper house’s foreign affairs committee, said in a post on Facebook on Thursday: “The losing side has more than enough grounds to accuse the winner of falsifications – it is clear that American democracy is limping on both feet. The celebration of democracy has ended. It has, unfortunately, hit rock bottom, and I say this without a hint of gloating. America no longer charts the course and so has lost all right to set it. And, even more so, to impose it on others.”'

[Big Kev]

On Friday, Mrs Pelosi said she had spoken to the top US military official, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to prevent Mr Trump from accessing US nuclear codes.

To be honest I don't think he should have been trusted with them 4 years ago...

[Tripps]

It may have to come to this Exit of the President

[Big Kev]

It may have to come to this Exit of the President

[Whyperion]

just think you guys have a great deal on your own plate just now. England is struggling and it is hard to watch...

With Respect to Trump, I am not sure he incited them to riot, just asked them to come for a walk to the location .
With respect to UK given that Boris is so hard to shift (mentally) and he has chosen both the responses to covid, the funding to the NHS and the brexit deal most have given up thinking what can be done in the next few months in the UK (unless you are Sturgeon), perhaps a consitution amendment to removal of an unfit leader via an early day motion might help.

[Marilyn]

It can’t be much fun in lockdown with too much time to watch the news either. I found I slept a lot better during our lockdown by banning all news broadcasts from lunchtime onwards. Anything new or important will still flash across the bottom of the screen anyway but there came a point when I just could not absorb constant news.

[Stanley]

I find I have no problem 'absorbing' the news. It's interesting watching history being made. For instance I am fascinated to see what Trump will do next. I predict it will be centred on his future well-being.....
See THIS BBC report on the news that Twitter has permanently barred Trump following his repetition of the 'I was robbed' speech and an announcement he won't be going to the Inauguration. Will Facebook follow?

[plaques]

Both American and UK politics are full of lawyers using weasel words to win arguments but not very good at getting jobs done. I doubt if a study of the words Trump actually uses will point to any criminality. Undoubtedly he is encouraging descent by not saying anything to stop their actions but this has been one of the main features of his campaign rallies. put her in gaol etc: Basically any impeachment or 25th amendment will run aground on the interpretation of words.
Meanwhile the Democrats are trying to get the anti Trump sentiment to rub off on the rest of the Republican party. All par for the course. The media is having a field day implying anarchy and civil war. Trump has broken the mould of conventional politics all to America's detriment. The question arises how long can it hold on to its super power status with this going on in the background.

[Tizer]

Take a look at this...
`Josh Hawley is the most dangerous man in America: Hawley’s former mentor said after the Capitol riots that supporting him politically had been ‘the biggest mistake I’ve made in my life’ Independent
`...More than half of Republicans believe Donald Trump won this election or are unsure of the results. Those are the people Hawley was peacocking for, and to them he is undoubtedly a hero. There is a lot of talk about Hawley miscalculating, or his political machinations backfiring, but let’s make no mistake: There are a large number of Americans who saw what happened yesterday and nodded approvingly, and they vote in Republican primaries. Hawley knows this, and with his refusal to back down, he just became the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. That is a frightening prospect. For all the damage Donald Trump did — and he did a lot — utter disaster was averted only because of his bungling incompetence. A capable authoritarian could do so much worse..'.

[Stanley]

That's a worrying article Peter....
"utter disaster was averted only because of his bungling incompetence. A capable authoritarian could do so much worse..'." was perhaps the most worrying phrase.....

[Stanley]

Peter I consulted Bob and he says that "Hawley reflects (or seeks to reflect, which is worse) the true temper of today’s Republican party".
If he's right (and I suspect he will be) that makes it even worse.

[Stanley]

I had mail from an American fiend in California who saw one of his local Councillors at the Capitol riots. She tweeted some far Right stuff but then took it down but not before my friend had grabbed some of it and made it public in a complaint to the Council. I can't open where he has posted the information because I'm not a resident but here's the headline 'Shameful Day for City Council Member Jessica Martinez'. She was supporting 'The Proud Boys'. Larry said "I emailed the stuff below to my local council member, who hadn’t yet seen the info, and he is going to call for her censure and removal from the council. Better yet, there is an online petition calling for her removal and at this count 72 letters to the council (a high number for Whittier) also calling for her removal."
Just one small example of what is happening in the US.

[Tizer]

Not only state councillors...
`Virginia State Senator Who Attended D.C. Protest Asked To Resign' Newsweek
`Amanda Chase, a Republican state senator and gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, has been asked to resign by some of her colleagues after attending a pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol that ultimately turned violent and deadly. Chase attended the "Stop the Steal" rally for President Donald Trump in Washington D.C. on Wednesday afternoon, but said she left before rioters violently stormed the Capitol building. However, she has since praised those who participated in the riot, and has suggested without evidence that outside agitators posing as Trump supporters may have been responsible for the violence..'.

There have been many claims that the rioters were, or included, left-wing Democrats, socialists, Antifa demonstrators etc. However the guy with the spear and body tattoos caught in the Capitol disclaimed such ideas and said they were all Trump-supporting nationalists.

[Stanley]

More from my friend Larry on his councillor Jessica Martinez Here in the LA Times. There is certainly a backlash going on.

[Tizer]

There are also some concerns about the loyalty of the Capitol Police and the Washington Police after they failed to be prepared for, and slow to react to, what was obviously going to happen after Trump and his people goaded on the mob at the rally. The gathering of Trump supporters and members all sorts of right wing and conspiracy groups was organised long in advance, much promoted and public knowledge. As BLM supporters have said, it would have been very different if it had been black people gathering.

[Stanley]

Opinion gathers that the Capitol attack was actually an attempted coup.
Meanwhile in our part of the forest, Johnson hides under the duvet and matt Hancock does the worried parent bit as all the pigeons come home to roost. NHS cuts, lousy planning and contracts for our mates.
(See PE for McKinsey's latest contracts.... They are actually running the UK.)