I confess to back pedaling into Trump territory when I wanted to leave discussions about him in the garbage can. My thread on the read-only break room site has 9,600 replies so I thought I'd bring up a new one.
He's not going away.
Haberman's book is out based on interviews. I won't read it, but the excerpts are interesting. Especially what he says about McConnell, a description that's against the Terms of Service here, but I actually don't disagree with. LOL
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“At one point, Trump made a candid admission that was as jarring as it was ultimately unsurprising. ‘The question I get asked more than any other question: “If you had it to do again, would you have done it?”’Trump said of running for president. ‘The answer is, yeah, I think so. Because here’s the way I look at it. I have so many rich friends and nobody knows who they are.’ … Reflecting on the meaning of having been president of the United States, his first impulse was not to mention public service, or what he felt he’d accomplished, only that it appeared to be a vehicle for fame, and that many experiences were only worth having if someone else envied them.”
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Interesting to read the various groups filing briefs in response to Colorado Trump Vs Anderson case before Supreme Court 10AM today -- One can listen to PBS live coverage of hearing.
The justices will hear oral arguments in that case, Trump v. Anderson, on Feb. 8. 2024. The plaintiffs, a group of Colorado voters, claim that under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Trump is not constitutionally qualified to run for president because he "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the U.S. Constitution. When the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump could not appear on that state's ballot, Trump appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court....
78 amicus briefs
As with many cases before appellate courts, and especially those before the Supreme Court, outside interested parties can file what are called an amicus brief. The filers are referred to as "amicus curiae,” Latin for a "friend of the court.” They are not a party to the case but rather someone or a group who volunteer advice in a case before the court.
The purpose of amicus briefs varies. They can be used to share specialized knowledge with the courts. In their Trump v. Anderson amicus brief, constitutional law scholars Akhil Reed Amar of Yale Law School and Vikram David Amar of University of California, Davis, School of Law write about the history and significance of the first insurrection, which occurred in the 1860s. They describe this as an effort to "prevent the lawful inauguration of duly elected Abraham Lincoln.”
Others file amicus briefs to advance or further an argument. Some may discuss the potential effects of possible decisions. All share a common thread: Amicus briefs are filed to help the court shape the ruling in the case.
In Trump v. Anderson, the amicus filers who support Trump filed 34 briefs. Filers who support Anderson, the plaintiff whose name is on the case, filed 30 briefs. In addition, 14 briefs were filed in support of neither party....
Constitutional or unconstitutional?
In his amicus brief, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz et.al, a Republican from Texas and former presidential candidate himself, argues that the Colorado Supreme Court's decision to remove Trump from its ballots was an unconstitutional encroachment on Congress' powers
Former U.S. Appeals Judge J. Michael Luttig was part of a group of amicus filers made up of "former officials who worked in the last six Republican administrations, senior officials in the White House and Department of Justice, and others who support a strong, elected Presidency.” Their brief argues that the Supreme Court is well within its constitutional authority to determine the constitutional qualifications of the presidency, and that "Mr. Trump incited, and therefore engaged in, an armed insurrection against the Constitution's express and foundational mandates that require the peaceful transfer of executive power to a newly elected President.” ...
Conduction of elections is a states right... will be glued to hearing tomorrow re questions Justices asking + Trumps laqyers response. Have popcorn left from Christmas to munch.
Interesting to read the various groups filing briefs in response to Colorado Trump Vs Anderson case before Supreme Court 10AM today -- One can listen to PBS live coverage of hearing.
Conduction of elections is a states right... will be glued to hearing tomorrow re questions Justices asking + Trumps laqyers response. Have popcorn left from Christmas to munch.
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Clarence Thomas asked first question (when he often doesn't speak during hearings) then other Justices chimmed in with questions seeming to support Trumps viewpoint. Anderson et al attorney was first Supreme Court appearance I think, not strong responses in presenting their viewpoint. Justice Jackson asked strong questions, all appeared skeptical of arguments to kick Trump off state ballots. Insurrection briefly mentioned. Lot of focus on previous cases from civil war period. IMHO, felt justices thought Congress needs to clarify/strengthen laws. Crystal ball thinks 9-0 for Trump.
Their main concern was whether Congress must act before states can invoke a constitutional provision that was adopted after the Civil War to prevent former officeholders who "engaged in insurrection" from holding office again. There also were questions about whether the president is covered by the provision.
Without such congressional legislation, Justice Elena Kagan was among several justices who wanted to know "why a single state should decide who gets to be president of the United States.”
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NRSKarenRN said:
Clarence Thomas asked first question (when he often doesn't speak during hearings) then other Justices chimmed in with questions seeming to support Trumps viewpoint. Anderson et al attorney was first Supreme Court appearance I think, not strong responses in presenting their viewpoint. Justice Jackson asked strong questions, all appeared skeptical of arguments to kick Trump off state ballots. Insurrection briefly mentioned. Lot of focus on previous cases from civil war period. IMHO, felt justices thought Congress needs to clarify/strengthen laws. Crystal ball thinks 9-0 for Trump.
Do you think they needed to steer clear of talking about the insurrection because Ginny Thomas was so intimately involved?
I doubt that GT tells the SJC what to talk about. I suspect they'll kick the can down the road. I'm more concerned with what they'll do about the immunity decision.
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heron said:
I doubt that GT tells the SJC what to talk about. I suspect they'll kick the can down the road. I'm more concerned with what they'll do about the immunity decision.
I think there's a real possibility that they won't even hear that case. The Circuit decision was pretty tight.
And I don't think that GT tells them, but Roberts may have.
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As we edge nearer to the presidential campaign, it's important to understand the Trump phenomenon in American politics.
We've never seen a cult of personality this dangerous, in the USA. I think we should talk about Trump's cult. He's the first politician to run for office, not with a political party backing him, but with a cult that calls itself a political party backing him.
What is a cult of personality and why is that relevant to Trump?
While there are rituals, these are tied to society – Americans declare their allegiance to the flag, not the president. There are thus no signs of the symbolic elevation being translated into personalised power. In comparison, Trump demanding 'total allegiance' in his inaugural address foreshadowed his demands for personal loyalty from government officials. He equally neglected addressing the nation's 'moral standards and bedrock principles' usually used to legitimise political authority. Obama referred to 'freedom' and 'liberty' 21 times in his inaugural address, while Trump only mentioned American freedoms once. In Trump's regime, 'there is no higher appeal' (Carlson, 2018). Halley and Ordner's use of charismatic authority to describe Obama is not necessarily misplaced, but it should be specified that he, unlike Trump, only exhibits low levels of charismatic authority and not the social practice dimension characteristic of personality cults.
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stance, photoshopping his face onto Rocky Balboa's body (Noor, 2019). Jon McNaughton, labelled the 'unofficial artist of the Trump administration' (‘Donald Trump', 2019), has in a similar venerating fashion, for instance, depicted Trump as the fifth face on Mount Rushmore (McNaughton, n.d.). Other unofficial images range from multiple Time magazine covers (‘See every', 2019), memes ridiculing his hairstyle and skin tone and a larger-than-life golden statue (Railton, 2021). These tendencies equally manifest themselves in social practices. Supporters even praise him for something that goes against their fundamental beliefs. Trump was called a hero for creating Covid-19 vaccines, although many of his supporters were fundamentally against vaccines (Nguyen, 2020). Sycophantic behaviour also extends to the government. Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, compared Trump to biblical kings, calling him 'the chosen one, sent by God to do great things' (Lovett, 2019). This is particularly striking considering Perry, prior to Trump's presidency, called Trump 'a cancer on conservatism' who would 'lead the Republican Party to perdition' (Glueck, 2015). Trump's former campaign manager, Brad Parscale tweeted that 'only God could deliver such a savior to our nation', while former congresswoman Michele Bachman stated that there will never be 'a more godly, biblical president again in our lifetimes' (Mann, 2019). After passing a tax cut, former Vice-President Mike Pence praised Trump 14 separate times during a three-minute televised cabinet meeting. He stated that Trump has 'signed more bills rolling back federal red tape than any president in American history', and that he 'spurred an optimism in this country that's setting records'. The exaggeratedness is further emphasised, considering the tax cuts were only modest and temporary (Levitz, 2017).
And finally;
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The analysis shows that while Trump and Putin belong in the domain of personality cults, Ardern's alleged cult does not have a social practice dimension, as the few cultlike tendencies are strictly representational. The phenomenon surrounding Ardern more likely marks the beginning of a civil religion being formed in New Zealand. Like Obama came to represent hope, Ardern embodies compassion in a way that unites the country in times of need.
We saw first hand that Trump was not able to unite our country in times of need. Trump was, in fact, dividing the country during the pandemic.
We must stand together to prevent this dangerous cult leader from attaining any further political power in this country.
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Donald Trump addressed NRA gathering at Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA yesterday. Trump said if he doesn't win this election, Pennsylvania will cease to exist because Democrats will change the state name.
Gee, that's news to me about my beloved state ---- ?? why didn't current admin do that now. Fear tactic or mental issue
Trump says he shouldn't be charged in document case if Biden isn't, along with falsely claiming he won Pennsylvania twice: he won PA in 2016 and then lost the state by 80,000 votes to Biden in 2020.
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NRSKarenRN said:
Donald Trump addressed NRA gathering at Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA yesterday. Trump said if he doesn't win this election, Pennsylvania will cease to exist because Democrats will change the state name.
Gee, that's news to me about my beloved state ---- ?? why didn't current admin do that now. Fear tactic or mental issue
Trump says he shouldn't be charged in document case if Biden isn't, along with falsely claiming he won Pennsylvania twice: he won PA in 2016 and then lost the state by 80,000 votes to Biden in 2020.
None of that matters to cult members, but this ongoing evidence will very likely prevent Trump from winning the presidency. It's interesting how the media has normalized Trump's chaotic and disqualifying behavior to focus on the mundane and claim that its alarming when related to Biden.
With Speaker Johnson increasingly in the hot seat over aid to Ukraine and threats of having him removed should he act on giving Ukraine aid, Democrats are being vocal that they would vote to keep him in.
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The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee is predicting that members of his party would swoop in to rescue Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) if he faces an internal GOP revolt over Ukraine aid.
"Democrats would support Johnson,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said this week.
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Tweety said:
With Speaker Johnson increasingly in the hot seat over aid to Ukraine and threats of having him removed should he act on giving Ukraine aid, Democrats are being vocal that they would vote to keep him in.
Johnson is a pretty hard-line right winger. Now he finds himself in a position where he must negotiate and compromise with liberals to save his position. I'm glad that democrats will fight to do the right thing for Ukraine.
Johnson is a pretty hard-line right winger. Now he finds himself in a position where he must negotiate and compromise with liberals to save his position. I'm glad that democrats will fight to do the right thing for Ukraine.
He's been upfront mostly about his support for Ukraine. We'll see if the MTG crowd clutches their pearls and makes trouble for him.
I didn't mean this post to be in the Trump thread. Sorry guys.
NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN
10 Articles; 19,198 Posts
Interesting to read the various groups filing briefs in response to Colorado Trump Vs Anderson case before Supreme Court 10AM today -- One can listen to PBS live coverage of hearing.
The Conversaton 2/7/24
More than 78 'friends' of the Supreme Court offer advice on the 14th Amendment and Trump's eligibility
Conduction of elections is a states right... will be glued to hearing tomorrow re questions Justices asking + Trumps laqyers response. Have popcorn left from Christmas to munch.