Trump

[Beorning]

We need to get the election certified by Congress and move on.  Then law enforcement can begin to identify all of those they can and begin to bring charges as soon as Biden and Harris are sworn it.  That way any chance Trump might have to pardon any of they will be averted.

Actually, I meant to ask about that. Could Trump pardon these people in the time he has left?

[Beguile's Mistress]

Twitter has sent out notice that some Trump tweets have been removed and the account will be locked for twelve hours.  Further determination will be made following that.

That is the @realDonaldTrump account.

[gaggedLouise]

Actually, I meant to ask about that. Could Trump pardon these people in the time he has left?

In theory he might be able to give them an "advance pardon" like the one Gerald Ford gave Nixon, but the political price for that would be very high.

[Deamonbane]

There are reports of congressional leaders meeting at an undisclosed location to focus on their options of enacting the 25th Amendment.

[Deamonbane]

Sorry for the double post, but it appears that Congress has reassembled and the counting process has resumed.

[Regina Minx]

Actually, I meant to ask about that. Could Trump pardon these people in the time he has left?

Yes.

[Beorning]

In theory he might be able to give them an "advance pardon" like the one Gerald Ford gave Nixon, but the political price for that would be very high.

Heh. Do you think that, at this stage, Trumps cares about things like that?

BTW. I just checked Mike Pence's Twitter account. The comments there are... out of this world. According to the majority of commenters, Pence is a coward and a traitor, the whole riot was definitely Antifa's doing - oh, and people are "complaining" about what happened only because the protesters were mostly white. Because, apparently, if BLM activists stormed the Capitol, nobody would have any problem with that...

Oh, and there was an absolutely insane comment addressing Pence's warning that such actions will not be tolerated. The Trumpist commenter replied to that, more or less: "We are the People and *we* will decide what will be tolerated!".

What planet are these people from..?

[Fox Lokison]

The land of delusional conspiracy theories and white supremacist or nationalist mythos

[Bibliophilia]

Heh. Do you think that, at this stage, Trumps cares about things like that?

BTW. I just checked Mike Pence's Twitter account. The comments there are... out of this world. According to the majority of commenters, Pence is a coward and a traitor, the whole riot was definitely Antifa's doing - oh, and people are "complaining" about what happened only because the protesters were mostly white. Because, apparently, if BLM activists stormed the Capitol, nobody would have any problem with that...

Oh, and there was an absolutely insane comment addressing Pence's warning that such actions will not be tolerated. The Trumpist commenter replied to that, more or less: "We are the People and *we* will decide what will be tolerated!".

What planet are these people from..?

These people are so fucking infuriating.  A majority of the goddamned People want their leader out, they are, by comparison, a very minor part of the People, because even the majority of Trump voters aren't doing this shit.  But they think that -they- deserve what -they- want 'cause they're fucking loud, violent and entitled.

[Regina Minx]

There are reports of congressional leaders meeting at an undisclosed location to focus on their options of enacting the 25th Amendment.

I changed my mind. They need to invoke the 25th and do so now. We can't have the legislature and Vice President and military doing end runs around Trump. Either he's the Commander-in-Chief or he isn't.

And if he isn't that needs to be made official.

[gaggedLouise]

Twitter has blocked Trump (@realdonaldtrump) from posting for twelve hours. Before he agreed to accept the removal of the incendiary tweets he had posted an hour or so earlier (one of them quoted by me in this thread) Twitter's staff briefly blocked access to ALL of Trump's tweets!

https://twitter.com/TwitterSafety/status/1346970431039934464?s=19

I happened to get on to the page during that interval of time, and lo and behold: no tweets at all!  "They permabanned Trump!" I thought.

[HannibalBarca]

Today feels like the high-water mark of Trumpism.  Biden will be President in two weeks, Warnock and Ossoff will take their rightful places in the Senate, and Harris will vote to break that tie and give Biden the ability to move his legislature forward.  The horrifying images and actions of today may be clearest in American minds...but behind those, the Republican Party is fracturing and eating itself, and behind that, the browning and diversification of the U.S. populace is going to inevitably reduce the power of conservatives.

When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.

This is the driving emotion of not only Trump’s base, but, it seems, a majority of white people in the United States.  And I'm speaking as a white man...a Marxist and atheist white man, but nonetheless.

My parents are lifelong Republicans, but did not vote for Trump.  His racism is what turned them off...but they still didn't denounce all the other crap that goes along with the Republican Party.  My father, a military veteran, called me a couple of hours ago.  His voice was shaking the entire time, and he spent almost the entire call denouncing Trump and anyone who has worked for him in Washington as traitors to the Constitution.  He's 73, and has been a Conservative his entire adult life...but he's getting there.  Sometimes cognitive dissonance can only be broken by harsh, intense realities.

[Beguile's Mistress]

I've been trying to think of a word all afternoon to describe what happened today and finally heard it.

Mob rule!

[gaggedLouise]

I've been trying to think of a word all afternoon to describe what happened today and finally heard it.

Mob rule!

Mob in both senses of the word: an unhinged crowd, or criminal gang networks, the Mafia. 

[Bibliophilia]

Exit polling shows that an almost overwhelming majority of young, urban voters vote Democrat, even of they aren't Democrats themselves.  I believe that if we didn't have a two-party system and more progressive parties had more of a chance to be voted into office, we would be seeing them voting Green Party to a far more pronounced degree than ever before.  I know I only vote blue because I don't want to risk splitting the progressive vote.

The Republicans know their supporters are getting older, dying off, and the next wave of voters are even more progressive than the ones voting now.  They can feel the reins slipping from their fingers and it is probably pretty damn scary, because they must know that this isn't likely to be a pendulum that swings back in their direction.  Progress moves ever onward, and they're being left in the dust.

I view Trump and the shit he's stirred up as the last desperate thrashings of a drowning party.  Their attempts to grasp for purchase will fail and they'll soon be receeding beneath the blue wave.

[gaggedLouise]

White House source to Jim Acosta, CNN: "the President is out of his mind" and all he can talk or think about is his defeat in the election...

https://twitter.com/AndrewSolender/status/1346966704002314240

[Kitteredge]

Oh, now he's crazy?

[Caela]

Exit polling shows that an almost overwhelming majority of young, urban voters vote Democrat, even of they aren't Democrats themselves.  I believe that if we didn't have a two-party system and more progressive parties had more of a chance to be voted into office, we would be seeing them voting Green Party to a far more pronounced degree than ever before.  I know I only vote blue because I don't want to risk splitting the progressive vote.

The Republicans know their supporters are getting older, dying off, and the next wave of voters are even more progressive than the ones voting now.  They can feel the reins slipping from their fingers and it is probably pretty damn scary, because they must know that this isn't likely to be a pendulum that swings back in their direction.  Progress moves ever onward, and they're being left in the dust.

I view Trump and the shit he's stirred up as the last desperate thrashings of a drowning party.  Their attempts to grasp for purchase will fail and they'll soon be receeding beneath the blue wave.

I like this very much and sincerely hope you're right!

[legomaster00156]

The only thing the mob accomplished was neutering the protests by the GOP.

[Callie Del Noire]

Oh, now he's crazy?

Of course, he turned on the Party. The GOP leaders would have not minded him putting the Democrats in danger with such actions..but he threatened THEM as well!

That FINALLY showed them he would sacrifice everyone to stay in power and that scared them.

[Haibane]

Twitter has blocked Trump (@realdonaldtrump) from posting for twelve hours.

Here's a quote, reported by the BBC:

"As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, DC, we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy," the social platform said.

If Trump does not remove the three tweets in violation, the account will remain locked.

Twitter also warned that future violations of integrity or threat policies "will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account".

Poor sad little angry man, he must so, so very pissed off right now, gagged by big tech. He has to actually delete three tweets before they'll let him out to play again. I love it.

Although a person died today and several were injured I think the overall effect of this is going to be positive. It has finally shown what a monster Trump is and how monstrously some of his supporters are prepared to behave. I hope the 13 Republican senators will retract their planned motions to delay the counting of the college votes and I also truly believe that Trump just kissed goodbye to any and all hopes of having another go in 2024; he may even have wrecked Trump Jr.s hopes as well.

The GOP may now split into a moderate right party and a second extreme right wing crowd of nutjobs, neither of which may be powerful enough to secure the Presidency again.

In apparent fear of being associated with what happened today, some Rep. senators and congressmen are distancing themselves from Trump and I get the impression Pence is leading the way. I would seriously love to be a fly on the wall when Pence and Trump next talk.

[Callie Del Noire]

I swore I’d give the party six months post 20 January. I’m a fiscally moderate RINO. Social issues, abortion are big issues I think need wide constraints and range. (Pro choice makes sense to me as does many ‘liberal’ view)

I’m going to be a teeter totter moderate indie or democrat soon.

I am finding it extremely hard to keep to the six month promise.  Right now it’s more about keeping my word than the party leadership finding their balls to admit their collective heads are up their asses.

[TheVillain]

The only problem I have with the GOP splitting into moderate conservatives and rightwing nutters is that it would give the Dems the impression that they're doing something right.

No, you guys suck too Democrats. Just in different, less dramatic ways.

[Caela]

The only problem I have with the GOP splitting into moderate conservatives and rightwing nutters is that it would give the Dems the impression that they're doing something right.

No, you guys suck too Democrats. Just in different, less dramatic ways.

Dems need to split too...moderates and actual progressives.

[Callie Del Noire]

Dems need to split too...moderates and actual progressives.

We need a good old multiplayer system. Many parties relying on building coalitions and understanding what the word compromise means