LIVEBLOG: Impeachment Trial Begins In The Senate | Talking Points Memo

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#21

Appropriately it is a dreary dark and rainy day here in the desert of Arizona.
At trial without witnesses
Without any evidence …literally…not even the things that are the foundation of the two Articles.
full of mindless bluster and table pounding.
And this insane man will be acquitted.

trump campaigned on anti-corruption but in truth he was after the opposite. And he thought he could undo a law by fiat Just have an executive order change the law. Who needs Congress?

trump is the most corrupt politician in American history and that is saying a LOT.

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#22

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#23

You forgot the Russian campaign of disinformation via the internet.

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#24

Nope. Vincent and Jules have too much integrity to ever be seen or work with McConnell.

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#25

You’re right. I suppose it falls under ‘other issues’ but that was a big one to overlook. I’m even going to edit that post.

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#26

Was just listening to Season 1 of The Wilderness from Crooked Media and Rebecca Traister has an interesting theory there about HRC’s “lack of charisma”: that it arose over the decades as advisers around her (with HRC’s participation), who had no real model for a super powerful and successful woman in politics, kept shaping her into an inauthentic, more masculine version of herself in order to appeal to the masses in a less threatening way. But the result was a rather forced, Uber-controlled, strained persona, and that was one factor that didn’t stand up well against Trump’s apparent thinking-out loud, tell-it-like-it-is demeanor.

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#27

Remember folks, Mitch McConnell knows only two moves: obstruct, obstruct, obstruct or ram it through, ram it through, ram it through. There is no nuance with Mitch, no innovative thinking, no shrewd strategy.

It works for him when no one is paying much attention or if Dems don’t ratchet up the pressure. Examples include the stuffing of Garland, the appointment of district and appellate court judges and the numerous pieces of legislation that he has let die.

It doesn’t work for him when the profile is high: the 2 gov’t shutdowns he has been a party to, ACA repeal, Trump Tax Law, Kavanaugh.

This is a high profile event, much higher than ACA repeal or the tax law. If/when he succeeds in pushing this to an acquittal, his party will pay the maximum political price at the ballot box. Adopt a Senate race, vote Dem for POTUS and House and down ballot. Vote and help GOTV. Donate. Volunteer. That’s the answer.

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#28

#ditchMoscowMitch and his cronies don’t care about the oath. They don’t care about justice. They sincerely don’t care about the House managers and are even less interested in the evidence and witnesses.

They just want this to be over, so they can spend their time loading the judicial benches and ignoring House-passed legislation, counting on the President to win over enough Americans to continue their trashing of Democracy and the Constitution (except for the second amendment, of course).

At least some Americans will see this for what it is. The question is, will enough Americans see this for what it is?

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#29

Because she isn’t the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Yet.

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#30

I was all for Pelosi pulling ANY STUNT IMAGINABLE in order to keep this out of Moscow Mitch’s hands. I think we can see that he is going to ratfug this even harder than we feared. SO I am for any stunt the Ds can pull during the trial. I don’t give a shit about decorum or precedent. They can’t stoop to lying and lawbreaking, but anything short of that is fair game in my book. I have no idea what Ds CAN do…but since this whole thing is off the rails the Ds should go for broke and do everything possible to pull back the curtain on Moscow Mitch’s charade. The Impeachment Managers and the D Senators should be working closely and hamstring this at every opportunity…walk-outs, sit-ins, hunger-strikes, filibusters, stripping naked and doing the Watusi…whatever.

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#31

After reading Midnight McConnell’s “resolution,” here’s my take on his scenario: First day, argue process and rules, and come up with motions. BUT, nothing can be said about subpoenas for witnesses or evidence.

Day 2 (this is impossible, and totally botched from the start), Sides must provide all motions and documents to Senate by 9am. By 11 am, the documents will will be handed out to both sides. 1 pm: Trial convenes. The House gets to argue their case on the motions for two days (Wed + Thur).

That brings us to Day 4, after a REALLY long allnighter on Wednesday, they will have an equally long allnighter Thursday.

Day 5, Friday is Trump’s turn. Same rule, start at 1 pm, and run out the clock at the crack of dawn. Do the same thing on Day 6, Saturday? or Monday?

Day 7 is for bashing each other’s skulls after sleep deprivation. Another allnighter.

On Day 8, maybe can start talking about Supoenas for Witnesses and evidence. Senate must depose witnesses first. Votes. More votes. People get tired of the pizza choices.

Day 9, I don’t think anyone will be left to vote, argue or eat.

Day 10, the riots start outside the doors. Trump goes to Florida to golf and party with his zombies. Democracy in America is now dead.

That is just what McConnell has ordered. Since he’s a zombie, he’ll live through it. Zombie Turtles can live practically forever.

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#32

Perhaps it time for a whole lot of leaking

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#33

Or he’s just too much of a potato.

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#34

So too will this guy…

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#35

I’m going to suggest in the mildest possible terms, indicative of there being no desire to go back and forth further about it, that not everyone accepts this as a given.

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#36

Can we stick a fork in him?

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#37

Or a dozen?

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#38

Without Hillary, Biden would have been the one to beat sanders in the primary.

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#39

It’s as much a given as the statement I was responding to. Neither of which had anything to do with my point to begin with.

It was an example of a statement made without evidence being completely useless. Much like the statement I was responding to, which was “Without bernie, we would have Hillary in the WH, full stop, end of discussion.”

#40

Change the Senate’s name to Principate after today. It looks like the GOP aren’t taking prisoners.

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