neanderthal, hop on frequency 112.42 - you have been activated. you must infiltrate the GOP base and get them stoked about better things
― Peaceful Warrior I Poser (Karl Malone), Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:23 (four years ago) link
I think we can expect some dramatic "heightening of the contradictions", as they say, following the trial. Both parties are going to treat it as a referendum on the other, and the rhetoric about how evil the other side is and how the election is the only way to resolve this is going to go into triple-overdrive
i have consulted my 2020 simulation, and i must say, this is otm
PLANNEDPARENTHOODBAD
― Jordan Pickford LOLverdrive (Neanderthal), Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:23 (four years ago) link
WARONCHRISTMAS
― Jordan Pickford LOLverdrive (Neanderthal), Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:24 (four years ago) link
general - we've lost agent 112.42 - he infiltrated the base and went rogue within 2 minutes
― Peaceful Warrior I Poser (Karl Malone), Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:25 (four years ago) link
FWIW, I generally maintain a sense of optimism wrt the human race in general even as the bad faith puppetmasters maintain a distressingly powerful hold on the human race's perspectives/beliefs/actions. Nuke every established hierarchy out of existence, basically.
― Yul, Tied: A Celebration of Brynner in Bondage (Old Lunch), Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:25 (four years ago) link
Marc Theissen finally lights upon the "he can't be evil because he's too much of an idiot" defense.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/incompetence-is-not-an-impeachable-offense/2019/11/13/5c473b40-066c-11ea-ac12-3325d49eacaa_story.html
MOAR PLZ
― tempted by the fruit of your mother (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:27 (four years ago) link
WaPo is reading my posts
I love this GOP defense that it's not a crime cuz the extortion scheme didn't bear fruit - it's like Sideshow Bob's "attempted murder" defense
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, November 12, 2019 8:32 AM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink
https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/470479-ex-simpsons-writer-accuses-republicans-of-sideshow-bob-defense
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:28 (four years ago) link
this is demonstrably untrue
the GOP have created a system in which they can break their own rules at will to install their preferred Supreme Court Justice. they have used gerrymandering and voter suppression to allow themselves to maintain state control despite being massively unpopular and consistently losing the popular vote. in an 'honest' democracy, the GOP would never have signifcant control of anything
― frogbs, Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:28 (four years ago) link
Human beings are amalgams of ambition, prejudices, good and bad impulses. I only expect consistency from evil men.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:29 (four years ago) link
frogbs I'm aware of all that, but "always" is a very high bar that the GOP do not meet
xps
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:30 (four years ago) link
Collins, Murkowski, and Romney might (MIGHT!) vote to remove
― jesus is zing (symsymsym), Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:36 (four years ago) link
feel like it's either gonna be 25 senators voting to remove or 0
being one of the only GOP senators to vote to remove seems like a really bad place to be
― frogbs, Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:38 (four years ago) link
their votes a) largely won't matter and b) will be based entirely on re-election calculus
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:38 (four years ago) link
xp to shady's bribery comment-- there's some pushback against using names of actual criminal law offenses as claims for impeachment, rather than other "non-legal" but accurate terms, such as "self-dealing." like criminal bribery has elements to prove "beyond reasonable doubt." that's not what needs to be done for impeachment obv, but part of the gops shit-cyclone is to make everything too difficult for anyone to change sides.
one element for criminal bribery is proving trumps "corrupt intent." don't know exactly how, but gop wants to try to make that a "required" proved beyond reasonable doubt element for the impeachment. schiff and co did a nice job getting new direct testimony to SHOW THE CORRUPT INTENT, but the gop is already posing ride-or-die on no-corrupt-intent ('it was anti corruption waah') and will never never never admit to believing it was corrupt. until they don't i guess, i dunno, it's absurd.
at the same time showing abuse of power by self-dealing would involve some proof or basis. it's typically used in civil process i think, for breach of duty type shit, which makes me think that it would be more of a "preponderance of evidence" level burden--if that even applied to impeachment and it doesn't. there isn't even a standard of proof known at all for impeachment, but gop will shitstorm NO PROOF OF CORRUPT INTENT NO CORRUPT NO CORRUPT YOURE THE CORRUPT!1! everywhere, and they OWN the jury. they ARE the jury. not allowing gop to argue for higher standards of proof, by not using criminal offense terms, seems ok to me.
― and i approve this message (Hunt3r), Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:48 (four years ago) link
ah. thx for the legal perspective
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:50 (four years ago) link
let's get real, Collins will say "my goodness, all of this is very troubling indeed" into every microphone in her vicinity and then cheerfully vote to dismiss
― brigadier pudding (DJP), Thursday, 14 November 2019 17:57 (four years ago) link
she's underwater in her state and facing a well-financed challenger, she might try to shore up her "independent" bonafides, knowing she can't win re-election with just Republican votes.
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:04 (four years ago) link
but yeah I don't have high hopes, exactly
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:05 (four years ago) link
and Romney hates Trump but is a coward
"I mean it's problematic but lol, u guyz are libs i mean" -Mitt
― Jordan Pickford LOLverdrive (Neanderthal), Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:06 (four years ago) link
How dare you, I'll have you know Mitt was voted "bravest Mormon in Michigan" 6 years in a row
― Pierre Delecto, Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:07 (four years ago) link
"Amalgams of Ambition" = my Tool tribute band
― tempted by the fruit of your mother (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:08 (four years ago) link
let me just go ahead and program this into the simulation/future by slightly revising the old model
COLLINS, January 2020:
"I listened carefully to Christine Blasey Ford’s several dozen credible witnesses' testimony regarding Donald Trump before the Judiciary Committee Impeachment Jury. I found their testimony to be sincere, painful, and compelling. I believe that she is a survivor of a sexual assault and that this trauma has upended her life. Trump acted inappropriately and that he should face consequences.
Nevertheless, the four witnesses she named could not corroborate any of the events of that evening gathering where she says the assault occurred. none of the witnesses could produce a recording of Donald Trump saying "I order the military funding for Ukraine to be held up until they deliver dirt on the Bidens for me, along with Zelensky appearing on CNN to make it appear that there was a real investigation going on regarding Biden in Ukraine." Therefore, I vote not guilty"
― Peaceful Warrior I Poser (Karl Malone), Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:09 (four years ago) link
alt version: an audio recording of trump explicitly saying he wants dirt on biden and won't give ukraine military funding until they deliver it emerges. nu-Collins: "...um. WITCH HUNT!"
― Peaceful Warrior I Poser (Karl Malone), Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:10 (four years ago) link
it would be a shame if we could find a way to elevate any personal anti-gop beefs that trump has had along the way, but he's such a loyal republican.
i might just make every comment i made to the senate to include his insults to romney lil marco ted mrs. ted etc etc. over and over and over.
― and i approve this message (Hunt3r), Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:11 (four years ago) link
Nixon otm
Murkowski will. I don't have confidence in Romney to cross the street. Collins will probably be forced to. As will Gardner. It won't save his seat. https://t.co/6lvEUW5b3M— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) November 13, 2019
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:41 (four years ago) link
Dislodging a few Republican representatives and senators won't make any difference to the passage of a bill of impeachment by the House or the Senate verdict, but politically speaking it would soften the argument that the process was an exercise in pure partisanship. Of course, loyal Trumpsters won't buy the idea that there was substance to the charges, but it will help a bit with the mushy middle who seldom know what to think about such arcana as "high crimes and misdemeanors".
― A is for (Aimless), Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:48 (four years ago) link
I don't think they'll pick up any GOP votes in the House tbf
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:56 (four years ago) link
This made me laugh.
Speaker Pelosi: "If the president has something that is exculpatory — Mr. President, that means do you have anything that shows your innocence — then he should make that known ... So far, we haven't seen that, but we welcome it." Via ABCpic.twitter.com/h87oGKqMr7— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 14, 2019
― shared unit of analysis (unperson), Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:57 (four years ago) link
Read the perfect transcript
― Peaceful Warrior I Poser (Karl Malone), Thursday, 14 November 2019 18:59 (four years ago) link
I normally disapprove of people talking down to children but sometimes it's necessary.
― Yul, Tied: A Celebration of Brynner in Bondage (Old Lunch), Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:00 (four years ago) link
Trump isn't a child, children don't have people killed so that W.A.S.Ps will like them
― Jordan Pickford LOLverdrive (Neanderthal), Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:02 (four years ago) link
well that's just cause they don't have the means. don't kid yourself, Billy etc etc
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:07 (four years ago) link
lol at the exculpatory zing
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:15 (four years ago) link
Rudy Giuliani says Trump will stay loyal to him but jokes that he has 'insurance' https://t.co/hXp8oj3jkZ— Guardian US (@GuardianUS) November 14, 2019
its real folks
― frogbs, Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:26 (four years ago) link
quick question regarding withheld military funding to ukraine: $250M or $391M?
both numbers have been used, up to this day. just now, a NYT story about pelosi's bold step of referring to what trump did as a "bribe" included the sentence "They told the committee that Mr. Trump and his allies inside and outside of the government placed the president’s political objectives at the center of American policy toward Ukraine, using both $391 million in security assistance that Congress had appropriated for Ukraine’s war with Russia as well as a White House meeting that was coveted by the country’s new leader as leverage.
other stories, including this morning's TPM story by Josh Kovensky (who has been ahead of the curve on Ukraine/Giuliani/etc for months now) refers to Trump "withholding more than $250 million in security assistance from mid-July in a bid to extort Zelensky into announcing investigations into Biden and the 2016 elections."
and i've seen the the $250M/$391M confusion elsewhere, too, for weeks now. i know it's only a matter of $141M, no big whoop, but just curious about why the two numbers are being used.
― Peaceful Warrior I Poser (Karl Malone), Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:35 (four years ago) link
according to politifact it was $250M for military security and $191M for maritime security
― Dan S, Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:43 (four years ago) link
*$141M
Everyone always forgets the coast guard
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:46 (four years ago) link
Meanwhile, it was learned Thursday that a second official from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv was present when U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland spoke on a July 26 phone call from Ukraine with Trump that more directly ties the president to his administration’s effort to pressure Ukraine’s new leadership.
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:50 (four years ago) link
yes, David Holmes! he overheard Trump ask Sondland about the 'status of the investigations'
― Dan S, Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:55 (four years ago) link
they've asked for his deposition tomorrow, closed to the public I think. I haven't read anywhere whether or not he is expected to appear
xp thanks dan s!
― Peaceful Warrior I Poser (Karl Malone), Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:56 (four years ago) link
this latest "overheard call" revelation is hilarious because it means trump was yelling so loudly into the phone that at least two nearby people could clearly hear what he was saying
Matt Bevin conceded in Kentucky. Good news considering I was worried this might be a dry run for a potential refusal to accept election results in 2020. Of course that still might happen anyway.
― Evans on Hammond (evol j), Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:58 (four years ago) link
Holmes is the first official that overheard the call:
Suriya Jayanti, a Foreign Service officer based at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, overheard the phone call and also witnessed Sondland’s other interactions during his trip to Ukraine, where the call took place in a restaurant, according to a person familiar with the matter
― by the light of the burning Citroën, Thursday, 14 November 2019 19:59 (four years ago) link
It's hearsay, he only heard what the President said out loud
― Jordan Pickford LOLverdrive (Neanderthal), Thursday, 14 November 2019 20:05 (four years ago) link
― Dan S, Thursday, November 14, 2019 2:55 PM (seven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
now that's some 'say what karaoke'
― kanye kendrick frank kendrick frank kanye (voodoo chili), Thursday, 14 November 2019 20:07 (four years ago) link
lol
sorry, didn't realize another person came forward
― Dan S, Thursday, 14 November 2019 20:11 (four years ago) link