June 11, 2023

"Republican primary voters say they're far more concerned that Donald Trump's indictment is politically motivated than his alleged conduct being a national security risk..."

"... and there's no evidence it's hurt his status as the clear front-runner for the 2024 nomination, at least not yet. He remains well ahead of rivals in both consideration and vote choice. In fact, most Republican primary voters would not generally consider him keeping the alleged documents with nuclear systems or military plans to be a national security risk, in and of itself. Most explicitly ruled out the charges announced in the indictment changing their views about Mr. Trump. Rather than being disqualifying in their eyes, even if he's ultimately convicted of a crime in the matter, they overwhelmingly feel he should still be able to serve as president again."


AND: Here's an ABC poll: "[A]t least a plurality of Americans say they do see politics behind the charges -- in fact, 47% of the public believe the charges against Trump are politically motivated. Nearly two in five (37%) say they are not, and 16% don't know. Most Republicans (80%) align with that view, with only a sliver (9%) believing the charges were not based on politics. Around one in 10 Republicans aren't sure. But the lion's share of Democrats (71%) find the charges to be not based on politics, while 16% say they were politically motivated, and 13% have yet to make up their minds."

67 comments:

Gahrie said...

Now ask Democratic voters if they'd vote for Hillary despite what she did with her private server.

Then ask them if they'd vote for Biden again despite what he did with official documents.

The difference is, the MSM would agree the Democrats that prosecuting Biden and Hillary would be politically motivated, while prosecuting Trump is the height of patriotism.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

From This Weeks Matt Taibbi and Walter Kirn.

Walter Kirn: First of all, it’s going to remain a mystery, apparently, what the documents actually are. There seems to be no prospect of finding out what these sensitive documents were, which causes one to imagine a terrible rug pull when they turn out to be pictures of him with Kim, or him and Tiger Woods shaking hands or something, with a big trophy between them. But we’ll assume that they are somewhat more serious than that, these underlying documents. But I see no reason, if you are a Trump supporter, or if you are a neutral party who’s just concerned about precedent and the future of democracy, as they say, I see no reason why you should imagine this is anything other than political. It is the latest in a series of prosecutorial gestures toward Trump that go back years and years and years. All of the previous cases have turned out to be vaporous and even somewhat hysterical, and to have been backed by partisan forces.

So, why this should be any different, I don’t know. In other words, if the threshold here is to convince Trump supporters or the neutral onlooker that this is in fact a grave and serious prosecution, I don’t think that’s been met, and I don’t think it will be, because what we don’t have is any real timeline on this prosecution. Is it something that’s going to go on for the entirety of the presidential election? Is it going to be concluded before then? And one can’t help but note that we are now in the fundraising season for the presidential election. Primaries haven’t started, but in some way, the most important phase of the modern presidential election, when you raise the billion dollars necessary to run for president, is in full force. And I can’t imagine this will help Donald Trump raise money for his election. And it will, in fact, I’m sure, dissuade a lot of people from donating.


It's about damaging Trump's ability to fund raise.

Michael K said...

It's obviously political and even some Democrats can see that.

Readering said...

On to Georgia. While most of his GOP rivals emasculate themselves.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

the democrat narrative if playing out.

Destroy Trump - but make sure he is the nominee.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Big Mike said...

71% of Democrats are lying fools. Yawn.

@Althouse, can you wrap your mind around the notion that Jack Smith, Merrick Garland, and, especially, Joe Biden, will not be allowed to decide who we Republicans can — and cannot — put up as our 2024 candidate for President of the United States? Do Democrats really believe that there is some critical distinction between what Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, individuals whose infractions are demonstrably worse than Trump’s, that makes Trump vulnerable to federal charges but those two exempt? Or are the Democrats engaged in their typically slippery sense of ethics for joy at the possibility of not having to face Trump again?

In the end it doesn’t matter. We do not care if 142% of Democrats, much less 71%, would be happy for some candidate other than Donald Trump faced dementia Joe in November 2024. We will make our own choice of Presidential candidate. In the meantime, Jack Smith, Merrick Garland, Joe Biden, and every other hard core Democrat, can go straight to Hell for all we care.

rcocean said...

He's the ex-POTUS. He has WH Documents that he took after he left office, like Biden, Bush, Obama, and Clinton did. He locked them up. If the National Archive wanted the documents back, they should have said so.

When he was POTUS he could see and "declassify" any document he wished. Given that, how can his conduct be a "National Security Risk", when no damange to National Security has occured?

Again, we see the same pattern. All the details of what Trump actually did wrong are exaggerated and ofuscated. The MSM dishonestly spins the facts, and puts an Anti-Trump interpetation on it. Then we're supposed to accept their wrong, bad-faith spin and assumptions, and have a debate or conversation about it.

In the 1930s LefwwinAmerican intellectuals had long winded debates over the Stalin Show trials. Were Trotsky and Rykov and Bucharin really in league with Fascists to overthrow the USSR Government? The "Dewey Commission" went so far as to publish a 400 page book claiming Trotsky was innocent.

But the show trials and charges were absurd and no one should have believed them for a second. No "Dewey Commission" should have been needed. That's what happening with Trump. We're going to get endless discussion and wankery over Partisan Democrat charges that are absurd and false - on their face.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Milo Minderbinder said...

I just can’t pretend anymore to be interested in this media and TDS foolishness.

I lived under Trump and Biden. As longer as the latter wants to be president, I’m supporting the former. Wake me when it’s over.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Oh shoot. I posted something here I should have saved for an open thread. Sorry.

Mr Wibble said...

His conduct wasn't a national security risk. Hillary's unsecured email server or Biden's boxes of classified documents in his garage were far more of a security risk.

I still suspect that someone leaked the news of Biden's documents because they wanted to prevent this indictment. Not because they necessarily love Trump, but because it was obvious to anyone with two brain cells that it would backfire.

Dave Begley said...

All of our enemies hacked into Hillary’s server. There’s no allegation that our enemies broke into Mar-A-Lago.

Dave Begley said...

If Trump was convicted, I don’t think the people would stand to see him jailed. They’d overwhelm the police.

This is all French Revolution stuff now.

Dave Begley said...

The Jacobins at MSNBC couldn’t contain their glee the other day. Chris Hayes, the worst, just loved the photo of the boxes in the shower. The picture, alone, is meaningless.

Mason G said...

"In the meantime, Jack Smith, Merrick Garland, Joe Biden, and every other hard core Democrat, can go straight to Hell for all we care."

They don't have time for that. They're currently busy trying to bring hell here.

Limited blogger said...

Do they want Trump to be the nominee or not?

Drago said...

Hunter Biden's tax payer funded Hooker: "the democrat narrative if playing out.

Destroy Trump - but make sure he is the nominee."

This level of delusion has become a standard Team DeSantis talking point to try and explain the failure of DeSantis to catch fire.

The dems arent working to make sure Trump is the nominee. They are twisting every law and destroying every institution to not just ensure Trump cannot run as the nominee but to literally cast him into a democratical DC gulag for the rest of his life.

And they are doing it openly and brazenly and only buffoons and morons refuse to see the reality of it.

Fortunately, the vast majority of republicans and a majority of dems recognize this clear and undeniable truth.

DeSantis supporters are going to have to start adjusting to the reality their boy was sold a bill of goods by the GOPe and big money handlers that have put DeSantis in this no-win situation; if, as I believe, the corrupted Soviet dem/Left/LLR/GOPe lawfare successfully removes Trump, DeSantis is in danger of a huge defeat for reasons outlined dozens of times before. That defeat could come in the primary or certainly a general election.

If Trump is not removed via lawfare, DeSantis is toast in 2024 and beyond.

Was it worth it?

If I am DeSantis, I'd be livid at the cats that poured honey-ed wine into his ears and told him he could walk a fine line till Trump was gone and scoop up the Trump base...including those voters who are not republicans at all but support Trump and still move back to the squishy GOPe middle for the suburban white chick vote in a general.

Ugh.

The corrupted GOPe consultant class is the absolute worst.

Tim said...

It is all bs. The same crap the uniparty/WEF/perpetual war party people have tried since Trump came down the escalator. He showed what could be done, IF the alleged elites cared for the common American. I'll vote for Trump every chance I get. He may be at times crude but he is above all a freedom loving American. None of his opposition can say that.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Are we still funding our enemy’s bioweapons program?

Greg the Class Traitor said...

Let me know when former President Obama and former Sec State Clinton are in jail for sharing their "inherently classified" discussion with the Russians and Communist Chinese.

WE can prove mens real for Obama, because he used a private email account with a fake name when sending messages to Hillary's illegal email server, in an attempt to keep his criminal activity hidden from FOIA.

Obama and Hillary's conduct was clearly "a national security risk".

"Clearly" as in "no honest person can reasonably argue that it wasn't a clear threat to national security".

So when the DoJ prosecutes them then we'll know it's about protecting national security

Mason G said...

"He may be at times crude but he is above all a freedom loving American. None of his opposition can say that."

Crude? Sure. Unfortunately, there are far too many who'd prefer a polished turd.

Yancey Ward said...

"the democrat narrative if playing out.

Destroy Trump - but make sure he is the nominee.


You are smarter than this, Apple. This may have the effect of making it harder to deny Trump the nomination, but it isn't the motive. The Democrats want Trump in prison for the rest of his life, and so do a fair number of Republicans in D.C. If they can't put him in prison, and if they begin to believe they won't beat him in November 2024, they will assassinate him. This game is being played for blood now, and if Trump gets rail-roaded into prison, he will be joined by anyone who attempts to carry on in his name.

Owen said...

Why is this so surprising? Trump could have sold us out to the Russians, ChiComs, anybody else, at any time during his Presidency --comprehensively, immediately, without quibble or delay-- but there is no sign that he did that, or even ever thought of that. Instead what we are invited to consider is his inadvertent betrayal of "something" by maybe sharing with trusted affiliates "something" that might have been confidential or (OMG) secret or (OMG to the max) top secret if you squint really hard and click your heels three times --yes, really, this will show him sharing somebody's what-if essay on how we might think about trying to kick Iran's butt. This is important, people, especially if you are trying to impress your girlfriend.

So we are left with the old picture: a guy whose respect for national security, while sloppy, was always powered by his love for the nation and his belief in the value of its security. And? Around him, constraining him, the frame of contrived felonies from the contrived connection to stuff that the National Archives (run by whom?) might want to retain.

Sorry. Does not pass the BS test. And I don't even try to include favorable spins on Banana Republic etc. This is bare bones, and it's all deadly to the Trump Haters.

Aggie said...

I think it's a poorly thought-through attack, badly timed. People will see Trump having an 'Official Document' problem and immediately wonder (a) how serious an issue it could be, when the prosecutor refuses to describe the documents and (b) how different Trump's document problem could be, compared to Biden's 'Official Document' problem - for which he isn't even being criticized, much less prosecuted over.

All this, as the culmination of a seven-year period of relentless, partisan attack-after-attack, all of them having resulted in.... nothing.

On the other hand, people immediately understand the gravity and significance of accepting million-dollar bribes from the nation's most serious hostile adversary and foreign power, China.

I have yet to see an acknowledged legal expert, even a Democrat (albeit independent thinkers) express anything more than skepticism over the integrity of the prosecutor's argument.

Political extremism aside, I don't think it's going to be seen as anything more than a corrupt abuse of power against a political rival, at the direction of a person that is proven to have done the very same thing, and even worse things.

Mutaman said...

Dave Begley said...

"If Trump was convicted, I don’t think the people would stand to see him jailed. They’d overwhelm the police.

This is all French Revolution stuff now."

Jacob Chansley is tanned and rested.

Drago said...

Correction to my 9:40PM post:

Fortunately, the vast majority of republicans and a majority of independents recognize this clear and undeniable truth."

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Drag show - idiot - this has nothing to do with DeSantis.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

MSNBC proves they have a Trump addiction. The corrupt left are addicted to Trump.

Trump never drained the swamp when he had the chance. His first order of business circa 2016 should have been making sure Hillary was indicted and prosecuted for her conduct as Obama's corrupt Secretary of State.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Yancey Ward -
I don't deny the corrupt left want to see Trump dead. But history has clues. Look how easy it was for the corrupt left to bean Trump in 2020.

Isn't it odd that 30% team Joe have complete confidence they can beat Trump again. Many of his suppurates are saying so too.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Trump's worst mistake - and I said so back then - was letting Hillary off. She should have been
prosecuted and indicted for her crimes while she was Obama's secretary of state.

Christopher B said...

Mr Wibble said...

I still suspect that someone leaked the news of Biden's documents because they wanted to prevent this indictment.


I don't think so. On the installment of the Three Whiskey Happy Hour taped the night of the announcement by Trump, John Yoo noted that the meat of the charges (known at the time) are likely obstruction. I think I also saw somewhere that the Espionage Act requires *willful* actions. Given the DOJ conduct in the Mar-a-lago investigation as detailed in that letter to the House Republicans linked in the comments, I suspect the DOJ stage-managed the search for Biden's (and Pence's) documents to provide an appearance of cooperation to bolster their 'public opinion' case that Trump was uncooperative.

Limited blogger said...
Do they want Trump to be the nominee or not?


Wheels within wheels.

That assumes there's a 'they' directing things which I suspect isn't really the case. Different groups, different motives might still wind up taking the same action. The indictment makes Trump more popular with his base (per polling FWIW) but if they get him convicted quickly (FL is supposedly a Federal 'rocket docket') does that collapse his support? But it'll be a FL jury, and what if they refuse to convict him? This could be brush-back pitches to scare any GOP pol who stands up to the Dems, though DeSantis doesn't appear cowed, or payback for perceived slights going all the way back to Billy Jeff's impeachment. Conviction will also establish in law, as well as in fact, that the 'Deep State' is only nominally controlled by the President if they can create procedures that bind his actions.

wendybar said...

I want Trump to win so he can destroy the assholes in Congress and the media who conspired against him and get the vengeance he deserves after getting needlessly attacked for 7 years.
Our government was fighting against US, and now it is time to destroy them.

tim maguire said...

The real choices are, do you think the prosecution is politically motivated? And do you not care if it’s politically motivated because you want to see a politician you don’t like arrested?

That’s the reality—everyone knows it’s politically motivated, but some people don’t care.

I’d like to see an analyst grapple with the reality that when Trump’s support goes up, those are not die-hard Republicans or always Trumpers. They are independents or moderates who recognize the danger to the republic that these tactics represent. Nothing is more important right now than making sure they fail.

jim5301 said...

The trump controlled DOJ had four years to prosecute Hillary and Biden. Why didn’t they if their alleged crimes were so obvious. Instead trump tried to get dirt on Biden from Ukraine 🇺🇦

Rusty said...

How brain dead do you have to be to think it isn't politically motivated? And I'm sure the brain dead will sow up in due time, (As soon as they are instructed on what to say), to fill us in on the ,'facts', and instruct us how it isn't politically motivated at all. Expecto

Enigma said...

I could see this leading to a snap between the rabid partisan left and the thoughtful left (who've been mostly frozen by fear since Trump won in 2016). I could see this galvanizing support for Trump, as this indictment repeats the post-Crossfire Hurricane "cry wolf" anti-Trump playbook. No one actually believes the Democrats were clean from the Bill Clinton and Obama years forward -- they merely had a more organized team of partisan insiders. Hillary precipitated the "vast left-wing conspiracy" that she projected on the right-wing.

My guesses:

A. 50% chance of repeating the 2020 election with the same players and similar slimy tricks. The 2024 cycle stands to have weaker Democratic support because they've seen Puppet Biden in action and have experienced stupid self-defeating inflation. The 2024 cycle will also likely have a more aggressive Republican reaction, even if they remain slow and flat-footed. Given Puppet Biden's many issues I have no idea who would win in a rematch.

B. 50% chance that new "integrity and sanity" candidates or a bipartisan President/VP pairing will suck the energy from Puppet Biden and Swing-for-the-Fences-or-Strike-Out Trump. We might then turn the page.

Tom said...

It’s created an additional reason to support Trump - to smash the deep state and end political prosecutions. Even if I disagreed with everything about Trump (and I disagree with a lot), I’m more apt to vote for him for president because of this prosecution.

I can’t wait to see Chief Justice Roberts have to travel to Leavenworth to administer Trump the oath of office. Then I’m gonna giggle when Trump pardons himself and waltzes out of prison.

Kai Akker said...

---I'll vote for Trump every chance I get. He may be at times crude but he is above all a freedom loving American. None of his opposition can say that. [Tim]

Based on their actions in office, which Republican candidate is most likely to clean house on departments and agencies that have been twisted into partisan lawfare and Constitutional subversion?

I think it is unmistakably DeSantis, who takes action. Trump talks a fabulous show, but he left all the worst actors in office to continue destroying his own administration. He seems to think it is enough to be the king. DeSantis seems to be much more focused on getting legislation and executive action on his priorities.

Bob Boyd said...

The narrative implies that Trump, by taking these documents, is depriving the National Archives (and thereby depriving the American people) of them. He's not. What Trump has are copies.
Copies of what? We don't know. Does Jack Smith even know? We don't know.
The same people who lied to us, lied to the FISA court, lied to Congress, repeatedly, for years, for the specific purpose of destroying Trump are now saying, "Trust us."
The same people who established an entirely different standard for the same behavior in the cases of Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden are now saying, "no one is above the law."

Yeah...uh, No.

Leland said...

There is a simple way to prove to Trump supporters that this isn’t politically motivated. There is no statute of limitations for this crime.

I’ll admit it is a lot harder to prove that Trump harmed national security, especially when the prosecution isn’t planning to provide details on what was harmed. Meanwhile, our borders are wide open to various security threats, our population is choking on uncontrolled Canadian forests [fires], and we are facing a summer of blackouts with a drained strategic petroleum reserve. Trump can’t do much to rein in Castro Jr., but he tried to protect our borders and filled the SPR. Under Trump, even Ukraine was secure.

Bob Boyd said...

Shouldn't there at least be an independent special prosecutor in a case like this? That there isn't tells us a lot.

I think the Democrat and the GOPe leadership, who deprive themselves of nothing, want to see Trump perp walked in handcuffs and they're going to indulge themselves and not worry about the cost because someone else will pay that cost, just like they do with foreign wars and the deficit and pretty much everything else.

Big Mike said...

@Drago (12:29), you had me wondering whether you had some reading comprehension problem.

Oh Yea said...

Come on, there were women who said they didn't care about Bill Clinton's rape allegations as long as he was protecting their abortion rights and people wonder how we got Trump. Democrats long ago adopted the "By any means necessary" strategy towards their political agenda and are now surprised when many on the right have adopted the same.

Rusty said...

You'd think Trump was a Jew.
I knew he shouldn't have recognized Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel.

Rusty said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
RoseAnne said...

Blogger Milo Minderbinder said...

I lived under Trump and Biden. As longer as the latter wants to be president, I’m supporting the former. Wake me when it’s over.


I agree.

In 2015, I could honestly say that I had never seen a minute of "The Apprentice". Why? Because I could not stand Donald Trump and would turn off even the commercials. Watch him on all the talk shows he guested on? No way.

I voted 3rd party in 2016 to avoid both Hillary and Donald fully expecting Hillary to win. But Trump did. He, with all his baggage, was a better president than some others we have had in my lifetime. I was shocked. Still didn't like some of his personal attributes, but have to give credit where credit is due.

Life with Biden? Putting aside the considerable financial hit, I have taken, he is a disaster. His current press secretary denies ever saying things she is on tape saying just a few days before. One recent presidential campaign argued over who was the better candidate for the 3 AM phone call. I have doubts about his abilities to deal with a 3 PM phone call.

I know people who wanted Trump locked up before the 2016 election who are now claiming vindication despite everything in this most recent indictment is post-2020. Try him on those charges and incarcerate him if convicted but don't assume its going to help your candidate whoever it is. Many people don't have a intense hatred of either Biden or Trump (or any of the others for that matter) and they are tired of being bombarded with outrage 24/7. People say Tim Scott doesn't have a chance - he may get bi-partisan support in this current climate.

Inga said...

“National security risk if Trump kept nuclear/military docs?

38% likely GOP primary voters
80% rest of country”

Big Mike said...

@Althouse, more insight for you from Steve Kruiser writing for PJMedia:

Here’s one thing I know from the anecdotal department: there’s been a lot of change in opinion among my Republican friends and relatives who are, shall we say, Trump-weary. The people who have generally been sick of all of the drama surrounding him and hoping he’d just go away are now getting sick of his haters who create the drama. I’ve talked to quite a few people since Friday who may not have become overnight MAGA enthusiasts, but they’re warming up to the old boy a bit.

I was wondering when people would realize how very little of the drama surrounding Trump is initiated by Trump and how much is initiated by the blind, drooling, slobbering Trump-haters. Tell me, Althouse, are you at that point yourself yet? If not, just wait. You’ll get there.

Mason G said...

"I was wondering when people would realize how very little of the drama surrounding Trump is initiated by Trump and how much is initiated by the blind, drooling, slobbering Trump-haters."

"Look at what you made me do!" whines the left in unison. And just like that, it's Trump's fault.

Yeah, okay. If you say so.

Alexander said...

Everyone - *everyone* - knows that the charges against Trump are politically motivated.

Leftists just mad that people taking that into account. Don't you know Orange Man Bad, ergo when bad things happen to Orange Man, it doesn't matter *why*, only that they are and that it is good.

Honestly, the best argument for NOT voting for Trump is that is was crystal clear that the left was going to destroy him, his name, his family, his legacy, his business once they regained the institutional power to do so, and yet he lacked the will/clarity/cognizance/ability to destroy them first. So why, as someone who wants to see the left's institutional power destroyed, would I put my faith in him being able, willing, aware of the need to do so the second time around?

Of course, the best argument for voting for Trump is that he's had an awful big club swung in his face so maybe he's having a wake up call right now about what he should have done differently, and still looks like the best contender with a non-zero chance of doing what needs to be done.

jim said...

Those dopes should read the indictment.

Yancey Ward said...

"Isn't it odd that 30% team Joe have complete confidence they can beat Trump again. Many of his suppurates are saying so too."

LOL! Apple, Team Joe have complete confidence they can beat anyone the Republicans put up, and that confidence is justified. No Republican can win without winning at least one of the following states- Wisconsin, Michigan, or Pennyslvania. Only Trump has won any of those states as a GOP candidate since 1988's election. With mail-in-vote fraud, the GOP can't even win Arizona now. The 2024 election's outcome is already known- we don't need to know who the candidates are.

The Republican Party would be on a losing streak of Presidential elections of 4 were it not for Trump in 2016- every other possible candidate would have lost in 2016, and had Trump died in office, and Pence run in 2020, he would have lost, too, though the Democrats probably wouldn't have had to cheat to win Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania in that case. Having Nevada, Colorado, New Hampshire, and, especially, Virginia becoming Democrat leaning states in national election has made it impossible for the GOP to win with a normal GOP candidate. Georgia and North Carolina are on the same path Virginia took to becoming reliably Democrat- they are only about 15 years behind in the process. So is Arizona. Texas is about 25 years behind on that same path. Any candidate other than Trump will not win even Iowa and will struggle to hold onto Ohio.

wendybar said...

Mutaman said...
Dave Begley said...

"If Trump was convicted, I don’t think the people would stand to see him jailed. They’d overwhelm the police.

This is all French Revolution stuff now."

Jacob Chansley is tanned and rested.

6/11/23, 11:47 PM

You mean the guy that got a private tour of the Capitol by the Capitol police after they opened the doors and ushered him in??

Michael K said...

Blogger Inga said...

“National security risk if Trump kept nuclear/military docs?

38% likely GOP primary voters
80% rest of country”


The dullard is all in on Wilson's Espionage Act. I'll bet she would even support sending Eugene V Debs to prison.

Jupiter said...

"and there's no evidence it's hurt his status as the clear front-runner for the 2024 nomination, at least not yet."

NBC has the sads, but they haven't given up hope. Try not to rub it, NBC, it only makes it worse.

Big Mike said...

I can’t wait to see Chief Justice Roberts have to travel to Leavenworth to administer Trump the oath of office.

@Tom. point of information. The oath of office can be administered basically by anyone with a.Bible. Upon receiving news of the death of Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge was sworn in by his father, a justice of the peace.

Then I’m gonna giggle when Trump pardons himself and waltzes out of prison.

You and a lot of the rest of us.

Kai Akker said...

--- No Republican can win without winning at least one of the following states- Wisconsin, Michigan, or Pennyslvania. Only Trump has won any of those states as a GOP candidate since 1988's election. With mail-in-vote fraud, the GOP can't even win Arizona now. The 2024 election's outcome is already known- we don't need to know who the candidates are.


You know so much, Yancey. What a relief it is to learn that we can skip the news on the political and economic fronts for the next 17 months. And here I was just starting to get interested a little; foolish me. Thank you for sharing.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

"surrogates"

Yancey - I don't think Trump can win again in 2024. Certainly the possibility is true that no R will ever win again. Where you and I disagree is that you think Trump has a chance. I do not.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Yancey said:
"The Republican Party would be on a losing streak of Presidential elections of 4 were it not for Trump in 2016- every other possible candidate would have lost in 2016,"

I've heard this line of reasoning before. Unknowable.

Drago said...

Michael K: 'The dullard is all in on Wilson's Espionage Act. I'll bet she would even support sending Eugene V Debs to prison."

That's nothing!

Russia Collusion Truther and Hillary/FBI Hoax Dossier Dead Ender Inga was accusing Trump of literally selling our nuclear secrets to russia!!

LOL

At some point, even an absolute moron like Inga is going to come to realize that ALL Article 2 powers of the Constitution place ALL executive power in the singular person of the President.

ALL of those powers. And congress has NO power to attempt to regulate that (adios Espionage Act) AND no deep state flunky has the power to overrule or even challenge the President on any decisions related to classification of documents, disposition of documents, sharing of documents, differentiating between a presidents personal papers and other status, etc.

Zero.

Nada.

Zilch.

There is no such thing as a "process" Trump has to adhere to do what he wanted. Nor does any other President.

Which is precisely why the Clinton classified tapes that Billy kept in his sock drawer led to the obvious ruling by Berman-Jackson that Clinton's mere act of taking those tapes and putting them in his sock drawer demonstrated intent on the part of the executive.

Brian said...

The Republican Party would be on a losing streak of Presidential elections of 4 were it not for Trump in 2016

Yancey, you bring up good points. And I agree with you on many of them. The one thing I keep coming back to in my mind is that while you can "steal" some elections with some regularity, you can't steal all elections forever. Every time you fake a ballot, alter a count, break machines, etc, you increase the chance the conspiracy is discovered.

In 2020, with Covid especially, the powers that be had pretty good air cover for anything they needed to do, cheating wise. And like 2016 everybody thought the outcome was somewhat pre-ordained. But with a 2024 election, I would expect a lot of "hidden republicans" inside the counting rooms, inside the operations or similar. At the very least, the "cheating powers" will have to ensure that there aren't such operatives. Crooks that are complacent will slip up. Someplace. Eventually. The margins are still thin.

Yancey Ward said...

No, Apple- knowable. The "awful" Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by a good margin. Republicans have won the popular vote only once in the last 8 elections (2004). In that single election, 2004, Bush was one state away from losing the electoral college vote even though he won the popular vote by 2.4% nationally.

People mistakenly think the GOP has somewhat of an edge in electoral votes vs popular vote. That hasn't been true since the 2000 election. Trump upset the pattern by being very competitive in the old industrial midwest and mid-Atlantic states extended. A DeSantis, or any other GOP candidate is just going to lose all those states in the midwest that Trump won in 2016 except, maybe, Ohio. The Democrats probably wouldn't even need to cheat to win WI, MI, and PA. I don't think it is nearly enough to mouth Trump policies- Trump is sui generis, which is just bad news and reason for pessimism.

You know- the one good thing I can say about a DeSantis nomination is this- when the Democrats bury him in mail-in-votes and retake the House, at least I won't have to listen about how Trump was the reason for the loss, or if I do, I can just tell such people to STFU up and own it.

Bob Boyd said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jim at said...

Jacob Chansley is tanned and rested.

Chansley is the least of your problems should we decide to flip the switch.

And you know it. That's why you try to joke about it.

However, I don't find it funny. And I'm not alone.

Mutaman said...

Jim at said...



" Chansley is the least of your problems should we decide to flip the switch."

How many Know Nothings does it take to change a light bulb, of flip a switch?
None, they're too busy whining about how the last election was rigged.

Greg the Class Traitor said...

jim5301 said...
The trump controlled DOJ had four years to prosecute Hillary and Biden. Why didn’t they if their alleged crimes were so obvious. Instead trump tried to get dirt on Biden from Ukraine 🇺🇦

1: It was never Trump controlled. Which is one of the reason why I consider Trump a loser who shouldn't be re-elected again
2: Gee, Trump tried to get information from teh people who paid Biden $10 million in corrupt bribes. Gosh, I wonder why he did that?

And gee, I wonder why the Democrats tried to impeach Trump for going to the site of Biden corruption and trying to get the evidence?
/sarc