A report card on the Trump administration

Vladimir Putin, a communist and the Russian dictator, helped Trump get elected in 2016.

He is enormously proud of our President today.

 

Warnock has been declared the winner in Georgia, and Ossoff is heavily favored to win as well.

It is official. Ossoff won.

Ignoring those who wanted to reward the Republican Party for extremely bad behavior, the fine people of Georgia gave our country a united government. Thank you.

The people of Georgia along with all Americans will benefit from this wise decision. We will have real President now, and supported by a unified Congress.

 

Here is the remarkable thing about Trump's followers.

They don't talk!

They do not defend Trump -- or themselves -- on this thread. As shown, they don't say a thing.

That is also true of Trump's followers in Congress. Leading up to today, the twelve Senators and 140 House members who were challenging the election results didn't say a thing to the media.

That includes today. CNN reports, "Sen. Josh Hawley would not answer when asked if he would still object to Pennsylvania's electoral votes, and Sen. Roger Marshall would not answer if he still planned to object to Georgia and Pennsylvania's presidential election votes."

Others in Congress have spoken, but nary a word from Trump's supporters.

Yet, we are told Trump and his minions are a political force to be reckoned with.

But they are afraid to speak. I don't get that.

 

Hillary Clinton said "half" of Trump supporters fit into a "basket of deplorables." Judging by events on Jan. 6, turns out she was right.

“If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” our President told the crowd, urging them to head to the Capitol. By nightfall, 4 people were dead, and offices throughout the Capitol were trashed by the angry rampage, and lawmakers were forced to barricade themselves within the capitol.

The media, a handful of lawmakers, and others are urging that Trump be removed via the 25th Amendment or he be impeached. Neither suggestion is practical, and , most likely, neither will happen.

The 25th Amendment was designed to remove an incapacitated President from office. While many argue Trump is insane, that is an opinion, not a medical prognosis. Trump is not incapacitated. Moreover, Pence is not likely to invoke the 25th.

Due to time constraints, impeachment is extremely unlikely, and an impeachment trial in the Senate on such short notice is impossible.

Besides, what is the point? Trump will become past tense in thirteen days. In the meantime, he is powerless and isolated. His supporters are leaving like rats scurrying off a ship. Yes, he is still the commander-in-chief, but our military does not obey an unlawful order.

So, the solution is to wait -- briefly. On Jan. 21 Trump can be charged with second degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, sedition, or a combination of these and other crimes.

His days as a powerbroker are over.

 

“If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” our President told the crowd, urging them to head to the Capitol.

The backlash has started. It is only the beginning.

"As of Thursday night, 82 people have been arrested in connection with the violent mob that overran the Capitol," the L.A. Times.

The Times reports, "Simon & Schuster said on Thursday that it would cancel the publication of an upcoming book by Senator Josh Hawley, one of several members of Congress who tried to overturn the results of the presidential election," and high fived the mob that captured the capitol.

MSNBC reports, "The editorial board of the Kansas City Star concluded that Hawley has "disgraced his office and our state," and "must either resign or be removed from the U.S. Senate." The editorial board of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, his home state's other major daily, also called for the Republican to resign, adding that he "deserves to be cast into political purgatory.'"

During his Presidency, Trump has enjoyed one-way communication afforded by social media. No one, particularly the savvy press, could question his statements. Trump has made policy, fired subordinates, created conspiracies, and generally made a fool of himself all on social media, primarily Twitter. That is now over.

Our President has been banned from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Think about that for a moment.

No longer can he communicate with his gullible base while facing no questions from inquiring minds.

He can still face the press with an announcement without answering questions, but, now on live television, Americans will be able to watch as he cowardly turns his back on inquisitive reporters. That is a huge difference from launching a tweet in the comfort of his bedroom.

Trump has been a recluse for over two months. It will be interesting to see what he does now. Nothing would be good. Go to Mar-a-Lago. Play golf.

 

To prove my point, this is deplorable.

While speaking at the rally on Wednesday, Trump issued a chilling call for his supporters to “fight like hell.”

“We’re going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue … and we’re going to the Capitol,” our President continued. “We’re going to try to give our Republicans — the weak ones, because the strong ones don’t need any of our help — we’re going to try to give them the kind of pride and boldness they need to take back our country. So let’s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.”

The result of the Trump inspired insurrection, five dead, our capitol ransacked, several items stolen, and the business of government halted.

According to CNN, while the capitol was occupied, our President called Senators, asking them to support the steps being taken to void the Electoral College results. Any reasonable person would call that deplorable.

While the capitol was occupied, Trump knew our vice-president was in the building. Not once did Trump inquire about the welfare of the vice-president. Now that is deplorable.

 

The White House issued a warning to Democrats in the House.

"A politically motivated impeachment against a President, who has done a great job, with 12 days remaining in his term will only serve to further divide our great country."

Is this a joke? Is this someone's idea of humor?

Impeachment would not be "politically motivated." It would be motivated by Trump clearly inciting an insurrection in our capital.

Trump has not done a great job. He is the most incompetent, least popular President in modern American history.

The Trump White House calling for unity? That is the height of hypocrisy. Notwithstanding his divisive four years in office, for over two months the reclusive President has been encouraging division in our country leading up to his role in the insurrection on Jan. 6.

Perhaps the White House thinks so, maybe Trump is having a good laugh, but the judgement of the American people is, the statement was not the least bit funny.

 

Are you going to hold Biden to the same standards? Be honest. Biden already has told more lies than Trump.

 

The Post reports, "Trump's steadfast grip on Republicans in Washington is beginning to crumble, leaving him more politically isolated than at any other point in his turbulent administration.

"After riling up a crowd that later staged a violent siege of the U.S. Capitol, Trump appears to have lost some of his strongest allies, including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. Two Cabinet members and at least a half dozen aides have resigned."

Ari Fleischer has been one of the leading apologists for Trump. No more.

“At this point, I won’t defend him anymore,” said Fleischer, a former White House press secretary for George W. Bush and a GOP strategist who voted for Trump. “I won't defend him for stirring the pot that incited the mob. He's on his own.”

Trump is no longer a political force. He ended that with his abject stupidity and monstrous ego.

The Post adds, "When the week began, Trump was without question the most dominant political force in Republican politics and a 2024 kingmaker, if not the GOP’s next presidential nominee himself. On Friday, there was a growing sense that he was forever tarnished — and may be forced from office before his term expires in 12 days."

 

Trump's steadfast grip on Republicans in Washington is beginning to crumble, leaving him more politically isolated than at any other point in his turbulent administration.

After riling up a crowd that later staged a violent siege of the U.S. Capitol, Trump appears to have lost some of his strongest allies, including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. Two Cabinet members and at least a half dozen aides have resigned.

It is my contention that Trump, although he is dumb as a rock, knew exactly what he was doing.

That assertion is based on certain educated assumptions.

I assert, while not the brightest bulb in the room, Trump had a working knowledge of 4th grade math. He knew he lost the election because he knew 81 million is seven million more than 74 million, and 306 Electoral College votes is greater than 232.

I further assert, because his lawyers, the DOJ, the White House staff could not find evidence of Presidential election fraud, he knew there was no fraud.

I assert some more. We know that throughout his term Trump was a prolific liar. He lied to his supporters, his base at the grassroots level and his diehard supporters in Congress.

The narcissistic Republican President wanted take the Republican Party down with him.

Since his loss, the Republican President has become a recluse, afraid to face the American people and the press. The Republican President is proving to the world that he is the worst President in American history.

He has attacked Republicans and the Republican leadership, even his own vice-president.

The Republican Party will forever be shamed because a Republican President, twelve Republican Senators, and 138 Republicans in the House led an insurrection in our capital. Five died, the capitol building was ransacked, a session of our Congress was interrupted, and countless items were stolen from the building. Our lawmakers were forced to hunker down away from the mob, and guns were drawn to protect them.

Trump could care less about his legacy. He never attempted to be a good President,, and he never attempted to unite the country. Instead, during his four years, he encouraged divisiveness.

Trump knew exactly what he was doing, and Putin is extremely proud of his choice!

 

Impeachment is an extremely bad idea.

The President-elect wants to unify the country. Impeachment will accomplish the opposite.

There is no time for a Senate trial. A Senate impeachment trial after Trump has left office is ludicrous and serves no worthwhile purpose.

On Jan. 21, Trump can be indicted for any number of crimes. Let the courts decide the legal ramifications of Trump's actions, not politicians, roughly half of whom are Trump loyalists. Conviction in the Senate requires a two-thirds vote.

A Senate impeachment trial will cause serious harm to Biden's agenda. He wants to combat the raging pandemic, help the unemployed, jump start the economy, and get the kids back in school where they belong. He will need the help of Republicans to achieve those goals. An impeachment trial is absolutely the worst scenario from that viewpoint.

If the Democratic President does not want impeachment, the Democratic House should not impeach.

For those reasons, as well as others, I don't believe the House will impeach.

 

Chad Wolf, the acting US homeland security secretary, has become the third cabinet secretary to quit following the storming of the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

His departure follows the resignation of Elaine Chao at transport and Betsy DeVos at education, as well as a string of departures by administration staffers.

The White House has been virtually silent for weeks with the singular exception of Alex Azar, the HHS secretary, because of his involvement with Covid-19 pandemic. Trump has become a recluse, and his social media tools have been removed.

For all intents and purposes the Trump government no longer exists.

 

USA Today reports, "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the harassment of a manatee discovered with the word "Trump" carved into its back, officials said Monday."

That's sick.

 

On Jan. 21, Trump can be indicted for any number of crimes. Let the courts decide the legal ramifications of Trump's actions, not politicians, roughly half of whom are Trump loyalists. Conviction in the Senate requires a two-thirds vote.

A Senate impeachment trial will cause serious harm to Biden's agenda. He wants to get his cabinet confirmed ASAP, combat the raging pandemic, help the unemployed, jump start the economy, and get the kids back in school where they belong. He will need the help of Republicans to achieve those goals. An impeachment trial is absolutely the worst scenario from that viewpoint.

If the Democratic President does not want impeachment, the Democratic House should not impeach.

I still think Pelosi is bluffing, hoping Trump will resign (not going to happen) or Pence will play along and invoke the 25th Amendment.

There are two problems with the latter. One, Pence is not likely to play along because, two, it requires Trump admitting he is indisposed. That won't happen, either.

Pelosi will give up the ghost. It didn't work.

 

The BBC reports, "There are reports of armed groups planning to gather at all 50 state capitols and in Washington DC in the run-up to his 20 January inauguration.

"Security will be tight for the event after a pro-Trump mob stormed Congress."

The media is going nuts over this warning from the FBI.

I don't believe it for a minute.

There is little doubt that one or more far right groups consisting of Trump's friends like Boogaloo, QAnon, and the Proud Boys are responsible for the threat.

Why do I not believe it? They want to drive the media nuts. They love publicity. Issuing threats is what they do. They have issued countless threats in support of Trump for the past four years.

And lastly, you don't start an insurrection by telling the target where and when the strike is coming.

 

I have said that impeachment is a bad idea. Because of new developments, that opinion needs to be qualified.

There is a suggestion that the House will impeach Trump, but not transmit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, thereby avoiding a trial. This would mean Trump would be the only President impeached twice.

That's a good idea. He can be indicted by a prosecutor on numerous charges after Jan. 20.

The assertion that impeachment is a bad idea was based on an assumption, and the assumption was in turn based on the four-year history of the Trump administration. I assumed that the impeachment and Senate trial would cause bitter divisiveness in that Republicans in Congress would defend the Republican President, and that a two-thirds vote to convict was impossible, making the whole process an exercise in futility.

Due to today's events, that may not be the case.

CNBC reports, "Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking House Republican, said Tuesday she will vote to impeach President Donald Trump, as at least three GOP lawmakers will move to charge the president from their own party with high crimes and misdemeanors."

It is quite likely that list will grow larger. A number of Republicans did not like being threatened by Trump's mob within their own offices and the House and Senate chambers.

Than there is this stunning development from the Times. "Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, has told associates that he believes President Trump committed impeachable offenses and that he is pleased that Democrats are moving to impeach him, believing that it will make it easier to purge him from the party."

Wow!

In addition, McConnell blames Trump for the loss of the Senate, and he losing an enormous amount of power in our government.

Many Republican Senators are extremely concerned about Trump leading the charge on the building they work in. Is it possible that McConnell would vote to convict Trump? If so, an untold number of Republican Senators would follow suit.

Is it possible that a considerable number of Republicans in Congress want to ditch Trump to save their party?

The reader can decide.

 

I watched the impeachment debate for much of today. It was quite amusing. I was interested in how Republicans in the House would defend Trump.

They did so the way all of Trump's followers defend Trump. They ignored what he said and did. The House Republican largely defended him by ignoring him.

House Republicans urged unity. They argued that this was the time to unify the country.

How ridiculous can you get!

They completely ignored how Trump caused dissension the entire four years of his term. He made no attempt to unify the country. He made no attempt to broaden his base. When he spoke, he spoke only to his base because they believed his outrageous lies and praised him for them.

House Republicans completely ignored what Trump said and did on January 6 and went directly to the consequences of what Trump said and did, his impeachment seven days later. Why? Because any reasonable person would conclude that Trump incited an insurrection. He told them where to go, what to do, and urged them to fight to restore his Presidency.

House Republicans had to ignore what Trump did to defend him.

 

Trump urged his supporters to come to Washington for a “Save America March” on Wednesday, January 6, when Congress would ceremonially count President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s win, telling them to “be there, will be wild!”

“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”

“When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."

“We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

"Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We are going to try — give our Republicans, the weak ones, because the strong ones don’t need any of our help, we’re try — going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
****************************************************************************************************************************President Donald J. Trump

Every Republican in the House was threatened by the President-led insurgency. Ten voted to impeach Trump. 197 Republicans defended Trump and voted against impeachment.

Metaphorically speaking, I guess it's true what Trump said during the 2016 campaign. "I could murder someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a single vote."


Incitement to Riot? What Trump Told Supporters Before Mob Stormed Capitol helped with this report.

 

The Times reports, "The House impeached President Trump for inciting an insurrection against the government, and 10 Republicans joined Democrats to do so. Senator Mitch McConnell said he would not agree to use emergency powers to bring the Senate back into session for a trial before Jan. 19."

That means the Senate trial will take place during the Biden Presidency.

Trump becomes the only President to be impeached twice. Will Senate Republicans once again ignore what Trump did and exonerate him? Probably.

Biden has to work with the Senate and its 50 Republicans to get his cabinet confirmed, fight the raging pandemic that is at its worst point right now, deal with an economy in ruins, get the kids back in school, deal with any number of issues on the foreign policy front while inheriting a group of very angry allies, restore the fight against global warming, plus countless other issues.

How much will an impeachment trial -- and the animosity it will create -- interfere with Biden's agenda?

Even after Trump is gone, he will still interfere with the business of government!

 

That is quite a list --

Economy - True - Any fool can increase economic activity short term - with massive deficit spending

China War/ Tariffs - True - was a political clown show - full of false narrative with China/Canada/Mexico - Then - at the same time as Trade war with China - declares economic war on the rest of the world.. Dumb and Dumber.

Iran deal True - a disaster - Even worse however was using the economic nuclear option to forcing other nations to abide by unilateral sanctions - this turned out to be a huge blunder - for which we are being punished big time.

Trump interfered in the election/Russiagate False This is abject nonsense - Trump helped our electoral process by encouraging wikileaks to release the dirt on Hillary .. not harmed it .. and you have been made aware of this already .. so you are disingenuously stating something you know to be false.

"Putin influences Trump" False - once again it has been explained to you why this is false .. "Sugardaddy" is who influences Trump - along with Biden ... so get a grip.

"Trump got us kicked out of the Middle East" Pants on Fire False Was Obama that got us kicked out of the middle east .. Siding with Al Qaeda in 2 wars - Yemen and Syria - the former we are being investigated by the ICC for war crimes .. and the Latter -Obama is guilty of war crimes/crimes against humanity.

 

That is not what I said. I said, "With his interference in our Presidential election in 2016, which included a four-month barrage of info that battered the Clinton campaign, it was clear that Vladimir Putin wanted Trump to be our next President."

Because he sided with Israel -- declaring Jerusalem the capital and moving our embassy there -- Trump got us kicked out of the Middle East talks. Our "allies" concluded Trump gave away the ranch and the Arab republics could no longer trust Trump.

Of course, Putin influenced Trump. At Helsinki, Trump accepted the word of Putin over American intelligence.

 

With Trump, the more outrageous the lie, the better.

In the five-minute video, Trump says things like “I want to be very clear: I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw” when a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol last week while Congress was in the process of certifying his Electoral College loss to Joe Biden, leaving at least five people dead. Alluding to threats of violence against state capitols and the presidential inauguration, Trump said “there must be no violence, no lawbreaking, and no vandalism of any kind.”

During the morning of January 6, he said something quite different.

“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”

“When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."

“We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

"Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We are going to try — give our Republicans, the weak ones, because the strong ones don’t need any of our help, we’re try — going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”

Little wonder why his supporters are silent on this thread. How do you defend a guy like him.

You can't!

 

The Post writes, "Amid the fallout from President Trump’s second impeachment, President-elect Joe Biden will try to maintain a focus Thursday on his priorities with a speech in Wilmington, Del., outlining additional steps to combat the coronavirus and address the economic havoc it has caused."

Did the Democrats hinder attempts to alleviate far more important issues than Trump's fate?

Trump will never run for political office again. He faces multiple charges as a soon-to-be civilian, and his silent base is afraid to talk. They are not a political force, and neither is Trump.

 

President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial is set to collide directly with President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. And there may be little anyone can do about it.

Absent the consent of all 100 senators, Trump’s trial for “incitement of insurrection” will start at 1 p.m. on Jan. 20 — just an hour after Biden is sworn into office and Trump becomes a former president. And only the same consent from the entire Senate will allow the chamber to create two tracks: One to confirm Biden’s Cabinet and pass his legislative agenda, and another for Trump’s impeachment trial.

Given that many Republicans oppose impeachment or think it’s not even constitutional once Trump has left office, it could be tough to get the cooperation Biden needs to handle a trial alongside Cabinet confirmations and begin work on a new coronavirus stimulus bill. Biden and Democrats say it’s critical to cut a deal that does both, but one single senator can disrupt any effort to multitask.

All that makes for an even higher degree of difficulty for Biden’s Cabinet and early legislative priorities to pass the Senate in his critical first few days in office.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/14/trump-impeachment-crashes-biden-inauguration-459333

A record number of Americans are dying every day from the coronavirus. Over 4,100 died yesterday.

 

1) What part of Trump did not interfere in 2016 - at least not negatively - did you not understand
2) what part of "We were kicked out of the ME long before Trump set foot in the WH - Obama saw to that" did you not understand.
3) What part of .. Putin is not Trumps Sugardaddy - did you not understand.

Do you want to address what I said .. or keep repeating your claim over and over - as if repetition constitutes proof of claim ?