This is probably how it plays out, and once the purge is complete, they will attempt another putsch. It will fail, because they’re stupid and this time law enforcement will be ready and Trump is no longer in charge to hold them back or corrupt them (there’s going to be a comparable reverse purge, at least at the federal level, of Trump loyalists). At which point, they’re dead for a generation or more and will have helped move the country leftward. Thanks, Donnie!
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“Cultish”
Moobies
This is a bit off topic, but bear with me: the more I think about it, the more the totally off the wall and bizzarro world defense seems like it was orchestrated by the defendant. He knew that if he played the base, his conviction or acquittal didn’t matter. He also knew that the chances were good that he would maintain enough control of the Slinky Caucus he would be acquitted. So he ordered his defense attorneys to mount the baseless defense. The accusations, the lies, the absolute misconstruing of facts were, in fact, a warning to the Senate: “Today it’s the House, and tomorrow it will be you unless you vote the way I want you to vote”. Those GOPers are now exhibit A.
I know that this isn’t the most innovative of ideas, but I have to wonder if this is another rehearsal. I suspect that he will want to try the same tactics if he is brought up on criminal charges. I realize that in a criminal case the behavior standards are different, but he is nothing if not a showman, and he would be delighted beyond measure to have his counsel held in contempt of court. He is gifted in allowing other people to take the falls for him, so I doubt that he would behave in such a way that he would be held in contempt, but as this played out he would certainly be willing to call out his supporters to come and rescue him. He doesn’t have the same powers he did in January, but he does still have a frightening level of support. He would love to have anyone involved in bringing him to trial be threatened in horrific ways.
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I had not heard this before, but it fits.
People keep saying that the current crop of Republicans are afraid of Trump’s base, which they might be, but another way to look at this is have they actively courted the Trump base?
Blunt put out a statement last night, and is getting skewered on Twitter, nada from this guy:
Maybe he’s still working on his manifesto?
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Can it be? Has a republican grown a spine?
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Burr explained his vote very well: once the court has ruled [in this case, the Senate was the “Court”], you follow the ruling even if you disagree with it, and proceed to consider the evidence. The Senate ruled it was Constitutional, so you accept that and move on. An analogy: if the judge in a case rules certain evidence inadmissible, and instructs the jury to disregard it, the honest juror does disregard it, even if they think it should have been admissible.
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RWNJ media fills a need. FOX and its ilk cannot be ignored. But, as I alluded to upthread with my statement on voting rights, we have to remain vigilant. “Voting Rights” also means that, if we manage to obtain voting rights for all, we still have to come out to vote (as we did not do enough in 2010)
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Trump is still around, isn’t he? Biding their time.
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Trump is the only person in POTUS impeachment history to have people of his own party vote against him. Nice job there, GOP.
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The vote that recognized the Senate’s jurisdiction even though Trump was no longer in office was a vote that bound the Senate as a whole and allowed it to proceed.
It was not a sign that anyone had changed their individual opinion about the rightness of proceeding.
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And he should’ve seen this coming back in 2017. So much for being a master strategist.
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He and Cruz think they will inherit the Tr**p base
Raphael should have learned in 2016 it is never going to happen
Hawley is a no go cuz too much book lurnin’ is suspect
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State Republican Parties are jumping the shark, soon to be regarded as nothing more than cranks and loons, safely ignored by society. People like Cassidy, Burr, Flake, and others who have been sanctioned by their state parties are bedrock conservatives -as right wing as they come.
Perhaps these state parties can escape consequences in places like Louisiana, but they risk turning purple states like Arizona and North Carolina blue, convincingly losing the Senate in the process.
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Schumer needs to pass the voting reforms bills ASAP and then make DC a state.
The Senators who voted for his acquittal will come to regret this - maybe not for a while - but they will. Not out of any moral sense, naturally, but because it will ultimately be career suicide. They all know this as well - but long-term thinking (and caring) has never been their strong suit. I sorta feel for their families - nah, strike that.
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He gave republicans a reason to criticize him, but you have a good point, and I’m glad he ultimately voted to convict.
Send that to the GOP state chairman and see if it convinces him. 
Of course, you and I know that he would just come up with a different reason.
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as long as they all go over the cliff after 2022 they don’t care
absolutely short sighted
the longer they wait to cut out the gangrene the worse it will be
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I was going to ask about state GOP vs US Senators vis-a-vis a current sitting Senator. What power does a state party have over US Senator that is retiring, or is just re-elected? I can understand if it is a new candidate for that position. Now if we’re talking about a Representative I would think that that is another matter.
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“His manifesto”
Word is that Kid Hitler is doing a graphic novel treatment of Mein Kampf.
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His Senate supporters are the ones who live in fear of being primaried from the right. Or being killed by the cult. If Donald were to denounce Mitch and demand his ouster, how many Senators would comply out of fear?
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I think it’s been 7 days since Kid Hitler tweeted, if it wasn’t for the reporting on how he was conducting himself in the Senate chamber I would have thought he was on a ventilator.
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