Can Congress impeach and convict a president after the person has left office?
Common sense would dictate that the answer is “of course not.” Impeachment and conviction is a remedy with the purpose of removing someone from office.
However, one can find a lawyer to argue whatever is expedient. And so it is no problem at all to find legal backing for the preposterous claim that, even though there simply isn’t enough time left in Trump’s term to have a Senate trial to remove him, it can still be done later:
The Constitution would allow an impeachment trial to happen after a president’s term ends, says Jessica Levinson, law professor at Loyola Law School. That’s partly because a consequence of being convicted is you can’t run for office again.
“Impeachment is not just about removal. Because obviously once a president’s term is over, people could say, ‘What’s the point?’ The point would be to say, ‘You can’t run in 2024. And you can’t raise money. You can’t use the benefit of the campaign finance rubric to try and run again in 2024,’” Levinson explains.
A trial would be the cleanest way to do this, she adds. “The president still could be subject to federal charges, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he would be prevented from running. … If he is inside a jail or prison, that would obviously make it difficult to run for president as well.”
Thanks for your assistance, Jessica. So glad you’re molding minds at Loyola Law School. Let me add, though, that the goal of stopping Trump from running again doesn’t mean that such an impeachment/conviction would be constitutional. Of course, the Constitution doesn’t explicitly say it couldn’t happen – that’s probably because constitutions can’t foresee every bizarre use that future generations will make of their words. The Founders were pretty good at trying to protect against future tyranny, but they weren’t magicians, and they knew that if future US citizens and the representatives of those citizens wanted to become tyrannical, there was nothing in the Constitution that could totally prevent it.
Future attempts at tyranny actually came rather early in American history. For example, there were the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798. The especially troublesome portion was the “sedition” part [and please note the passage I’ve bolded]:
Even as the bitter debates between the two fledgling political parties were being played out in rival newspapers and other publications, the new law outlawed any “false, scandalous and malicious writing” against Congress or the president, and made it illegal to conspire “to oppose any measure or measures of the government.”
The Republican minority in Congress complained that the Sedition Act violated the First Amendment to the Constitution, which protected freedom of speech and freedom of the press. But the Federalist majority pushed it through, arguing that English and American courts had long punished seditious libel under common law, and that freedom of speech must be balanced with an individual’s responsibility for false statements.
Adams signed the Sedition Act into law on July 14, 1798. It was set to expire on March 3, 1801, the last day of his term in office.
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were passed by the legislatures of their respective states in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts. James Madison authored the Virginia Resolution in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson, who also authored the Kentucky Resolution. Both argued that the federal government did not have the authority to enact laws not specified in the constitution. Jefferson wrote: “[T]he several states who formed that instrument [the Constitution], being sovereign and independent, have the unquestionable right to judge of its infraction; and that a nullification, by those [states], of all unauthorized acts….is the rightful remedy.”
Matthew Lyon, a Republican congressman from Vermont, became the first person tried under the new law in October 1798. A grand jury indicted Lyon for publishing letters in Republican newspapers during his reelection campaign that showed “intent and design” to defame the government and President Adams, among other charges. Lyon acted as his own attorney, and defended himself by claiming the Sedition Act was unconstitutional, and that he had not intended to damage the government.
He was convicted, and the judge sentenced him to four months in prison and a fine of $1,000. Lyon won reelection while sitting in jail, and would later defeat a Federalist attempt to kick him out of the House.
Another individual famously prosecuted under the Sedition Act was the Republican-friendly journalist James Callender. Sentenced to nine months in prison for his “false, scandalous, and malicious writing, against the said President of the United States,” Callender wrote articles from jail supporting Jefferson’s campaign for president in 1800.
After Jefferson won, Callender demanded a government post in return for his service. When he failed to get one, he retaliated by revealing the first public allegations of Jefferson’s long-rumored relationship with a slave woman, Sally Hemings, in a series of newspaper articles.
All told, between 1798 and 1801, U.S. federal courts prosecuted at least 26 individuals under the Sedition Act; many were editors of Republican newspapers, and all opposed the Adams administration. The prosecutions fueled furious debate over the meaning of a free press and the rights that should be afforded to political opposition parties in the United States.
In the end, widespread anger over the Alien and Sedition Acts fueled Jefferson’s victory over Adams in the bitterly contested 1800 presidential election, and their passage is widely considered to be one of the biggest mistakes of Adams’ presidency.
By 1802, all of the Alien and Sedition Acts had been repealed or expired, save for the Alien Enemies Act, which has stayed on the books.
If a president is impeached and convicted after the fact, does this really prevent him from running for office? I don’t see why, and the case of Matthew Lyon indicates the answer might be “no.” (I don’t think Trump would run for office in 2024 anyway, but my predictive powers are far from perfect.) This article claims that even a conviction would not be a bar to a 2024 run, although the Senate could have an additional vote after conviction that could ban a rerun.
There’s also the need for a 2/3 majority to convict; impeachment without conviction is essentially meaningless except as a PR stunt. I assume the Democrats plan to do it anyway, to be able to say that Trump is the only president to have been impeached twice.
But could they get enough Republicans in the next Congressional session to acquiesce in a conviction? I doubt it, but it’s certainly possible if the Republicans are scared enough and intimidated enough. It really just depends how far advanced the Democrat push towards tyranny and fear has become by that time. Presently, I think they’re on the Blitzkrieg schedule.
[NOTE: It occurs to me that one goal of Democrats in pushing for impeachment now and trial in the next Congressional session – a goal I haven’t yet seen mentioned anywhere – is to force the Republicans in the Senate to declare themselves for or against Trump through this vote, and then for Democrats to use the vote of those defending him as a way to campaign against them if they’re up for re-election in 2022 and/or 2024. That would probably only be effective in swing states rather than red states.]
You are no doubt right, Neo; after all, if a financial penalty can be magically turned into a “tax” by someone in a black robe, then surely conjuring up a reason for post-facto impeachment is small potatoes.
It is being reported on Fox that “Cocaine” Mitch is very angry with Trump and is supportive of the articles of impeachment; this follows his wife’s resignation. Trump is widely blamed for the loss of the two seats in GA, when the actual causes of the defeat of two uninspiring candidates were the (perhaps fraudulent) efforts of Stacey Abrams, the changing demographics of the Peach State, the failure of elected Republicans to ensure a proper election, and the hostility of McConnell to any vote on a larger stimulus for suffering workers and owners of small businesses. The cluelessness of the leadership of the GOP, as well as the contempt of the swamp-creatures in DC for the Republican base, will seemingly never disappear.
j e:
Whatever Fox is reporting, I’m very wary of such reports. Too many similar ones on many issues have turned out to be wrong. I also read something a day or two ago (don’t recall where) that said that McConnell had said the Senate will not be taking up an impeachment trial even if the House impeaches Trump before Biden takes office. In other words, McConnell has no intention of ramming it through.
Of course that doesn’t tell us what Republican senators will do about impeachment conviction in the coming Congressional session. I wrote a post in March of 2017, not long after Trump took office, that discussed that issue and others that are actually relevant to what’s happening today.
Criminalizing political opinion and speech. I’m sick of it.
The Republicans need to keep repeating and repeating that the Democrats are attempting to criminalize political opinion and speech. When have the Dems demonstrated their ethical political bona fides? The last five yeas have been a constant barrage of ad-hominems, threats, slander, and bullying by the Democrats and their media allies. The Republicans have been paragons of reason and thoughtfulness in comparison.
From a friend:
“For the last 4+ years, the Democrats have gone scorched earth.
They have salted the fields and now they claim they want to grow crops.
Their problem is we have memories longer than a hamster.
• We remember the protests the day of/after inauguration.
• We remember the 4 years of personal attacks and endless name calling
• We remember “not our president” and the “Resistance…”
• We remember being called racist and evil.
• We remember Maxie Walters telling followers to harass Trump supporters in department stores and gas stations.
• We remember the Presidents press secretary being chased out of a restaurant.
• We remember hundreds of Trump supporters being physically attacked.
• We remember Trump supporters getting Doxed, and fired from jobs.
• We remember riots, and looting.
• We remember “a comedian” holding up the President’s severed head.
• We remember a play in Central park paid with public funding, showing the killing of President Trump.
• We remember Robert de Niro yelling “Fuck Trump” at the Tony’s and getting a standing ovation.
• We remember Trump being accused of being a Russian spy and the media going with it. Trying to frame him for treason.
• We remember Nancy Pelosi tearing up the State of the Union Address.
• We remember how totally in the tank the mainstream media was in opposition.
• We remember non-stop in your face lies and open cover-ups from the media.
• We remember the MSM cabal in 24/7 Hate Trump broadcasts.
• We remember the press not holding Democrats responsible for anything and hiding anything negative.
• We remember conservative voices neutered by Tech companies (Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc.).
• We remember the partisan impeachment.
• We remember the President and his staff being spied on; even before he was President and Obama and Biden knew of it.
• We remember Republican congressmen shot on a ballfield by a Socialist supporter of Bernie Sanders.
• We remember every so-called comedy show turn into nothing but Trump hate fest.
• We remember 95% negative coverage in the news from the mainstream media and newspapers.
• We remember the state governors asking for and getting everything they wanted to address COVID-19 then blaming Trump.
• We remember leftists threatening outside the homes of prominent Republicans and TV commentators who support Trump.
• We remember the vile attempted destruction of Brett Kavanaugh by Democrats, Kamala Harris in particular.
• We remember people pounding on the Supreme Court doors.
• We remember that we were called every name in the book for supporting President Trump.
• We remember that many in Hollywood said they would leave after Trump was elected, but they stayed here anyway.
• We remember the hundreds of taxpayer funded police cars burnt during your ‘mostly peaceful’ demonstrations.
• We remember our conservative voices being cancelled on major US campuses.
This list is endless, but you get the idea.”
So now they want to impeach him again? The progs must think the American people have no memory and no sense of right and wrong. They are so deeply infected by TDS that nothing else matters to them. It is to weep.
JJ – I like this list. It puts me in mind of the Emile Zola’s “J Accuse” essay. I like it a lot.
This is what Totalitarians do. Show trials to humiliate their opponents. From Robespierre Terror, to the Paris Commune, to Stalin purge trials, to Hitler’s enemy of the state trials (Reichstag), to Mao’s Red Guard struggle sessions to Castro’s/Guevera Revolutionary Justice trials, to Vietnam’s re-education camps (Pol Pot just flat out killed people) and Weatherman Jerry Ayers fantasy trials where 25% of the people would go to camps. They seek to destroy because they hate. These are not happy people.
This impeachment will not be the end of trials for him. NY AG will try him, DC AG will try him AND his family AND his allies AND finally down to his supporters. But Trump IMHO doesn’t care. He has lived his life. He is at peace with himself and he will fight. So I will fight with him.
Now the Republicans of the Deep State are rising up to take out Trump hoping they will not be targeted (foolish mortals). They are showing their true colors. Liz Cheney and Mitch McConnell if you believe the news reports are on board with impeachment.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/mitch-mcconnell-reportedly-pleased-about-idea-trump-impeachment
So what to do about it. First don’t be quiet about it. As the Crosby, Still, Nash and Young “Something happening Here” song says “it starts when you are always afraid.” There are too many of us. Too many of us to stifle. That is why the Tech Overlords are censoring us so frantically. Stay active and involved. We now know the people we have to defeat.
“The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie.”
–Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Because here is the deal. THEY ARE SCARED OF US! Including the Tech Overloads. In Powerline, Steven Hayward, no Trump admirer, posted that. I have heard the same from other sources too. What do you do when the palace guards leave their posts? Reply on Antifa? Ask the Shah of Iran how it worked out for him.
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/the-deep-state-is-rattled.php
So let’s make community organizer Barack Obama proud. Be in a group that is in your passion. Mine right now is in politics. Another friend taking boys and making men in Trail Life. A friend is being an evangelist on campus. Whatever your passion is, do it.
Finally, the words of a Gulag survivor.
“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?… The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin’s thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If…if…We didn’t love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation…. We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”
? Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn , The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956
J. J.,
Thank you for that extensive summary of the last four years.
“The Republicans need to keep repeating and repeating that the Democrats are attempting to criminalize political opinion and speech.”
Not one Republican Senator followed through and insisted that the evidence of massive electoral fraud be entered into the Congressional record. If they couldn’t put out that minimal amount of protest at a fraud that fundamentally breaks our Constitutional contract… what basis is there for hoping that they will “keep repeating and repeating that the Democrats are attempting to criminalize political opinion and speech”?
“The progs must think the American people have no memory and no sense of right and wrong.”
I’d bet that the activist left and elected democrats know full well that the 74+million Americans who voted for Trump have an excellent memory and a fine sense of right and wrong.
They just don’t care. They can now manufacture as many votes and manipulate the count of the votes to have an election turn out however they think best.
Effectively, those Americans who voted for Trump are now permanently disenfranchised. We have NO vote. No say whatsoever. There is NO “consent of the governed”.
It’s now a fully rigged game, a case of “heads we win, tails you LOSE…
Until that reality is faced and accepted as our current reality, there is no correction possible.
J.J.
Your friend’s is a scathing, horribly indicting list.
But it is not just TDS. It is a concerted effort to seize and maintain control of the USA by any means necessary, which I have commented here many times is dying from inside at about the same rate as Venezuela. As in Venezuela, as in the Soviet Union, as in communist China, the middle class will be eradicated.
We shall now become the USSA, the United Socialist States of America, not much different from the old USSR except in alphabet and language.
Like Russia, we’ll have our missiles, but China will rule the globe.
Whatever the news is reporting, just assume its polar opposite as the premise to begin researching what is actually happening; it’s a shortcut.
Trump being impeached twice will be a selling feature, not a detractor. For anyone who voted, the idea that they voted for change and then are lining up to witness such a spectacle would be self-defeating. As for Republican support for a trial in the Senate – well, this is wish-casting by Senators who know better, IMO.
Did anybody happen to notice the extremely sturdy and well-made riot fencing that is up everywhere in DC now? My goodness. That was certainly fast. Almost like, you know, maybe they had this stuff all along and just missed the opportunity to get it erected in time for the festivities. Even though the FBI now says they were expecting trouble ahead of time.
Anyway, Joe’s Inauguration ought to be a great event. Lots of National Guard, Lots of riot fencing around everything, everyone on lockdown at home, pigeons outnumbering the crowd. It will look just like the prison it ought to be.
I can see it now. Sitting back in their chair’s. Their hammer and sickle tattoo’s and Che shirts. Plotting to stop the previous Hitler by impeaching the Hitler that already left office. Secure in their knowledge that they not only know their history and will bend the arc of the future to it. No need to attend to the ignorant rabble he aspires to.
Utterly confused why they would talk of Robespierre and Pinochet as those fools have no use for fine cheeses and wines
Watching the frenzy of the Democrats right now, I’m afraid that we are going to be in a civil war soon. They have no discipline and want to have absolutely everything their own way as soon as possible, if not yesterday. Anything else is treason and sedition. I’d hoped that they would somehow control themselves, but the hate they’ve generated during the last four years has to be slaked now on everyone who stood in their way or even anyone who has a tiny doubt about the truth of what they believe. Trump is only the excuse, not the cause, which is their hatred for the Declaration and the Constitution.
How do we defend ourselves? Well there are guns, much needed, but that’s not enough. I’m reminded of what Andrew Carnegie, founder of US Steel, once said, “Take away my factories and I’ll have it all back in five years, take away my people and I’ll have nothing.” The real issue is the New York news media, the NYT, the Associated Press, and all the network news operations. It’s been pointed out that without their influence, the politics of the US would be about the same as the politics of West Texas, which is not much different from western New York State. The real program over the next several years should be to embarrass, humiliate, and ultimately ruin the lives and livelihoods of the newspaper and network news operatives from the top executives and anchors down to the lowest trainee reporter. Make them hated and despised, objects of contempt everywhere they show their faces. Make the national news operation of the NYT, ABC, CBS, and all the rest a gigantic financial anchor that will take down the entire network unless it’s thrown overboard. They can keep the entertainment stuff, it’s the news that’s poison. Once that’s done the Democrat Party no longer has a megaphone to send out and amplify its message. They’ll be isolated and finished off. Hard to do but it can be done since there are very few of them and many of us.
@Paul:
The entertainment is all poison too. It must be burned to the ground.
Thanks for sharing your friend’s list JJ. Painful memories.
Don’t you love all the recent adulation of A. Hamilton, of the Federalist Party, via the Lin-Manuel Miranda’s play? The very same Federalist Party that was in favor of a strong federal government and laws like the Alien and Sedition Acts.
When I saw Neo’s excerpt refer to “the Republican party” I linked into the article and got this:
“In opposition to the Federalists stood the Democratic-Republican Party, commonly known as Republicans or Jeffersonians for their ideological leader, Thomas Jefferson.”
OK, “Republicans” but more precisely “the Democratic-Republican Party.” I also recall that for many years the Democrats held a fancy annual DC dinner party called the “Jefferson-Jackson Dinner” party. This dinner has recently been renamed the “Liberty and Justice Celebration”, because you-know, Pres. Jackson instigated the “trail of tears” expurgation of Native Americans on the east coast at a cost of many hundreds of lives.
Sorry if I’m being pedantic for those of your who are very well informed, but I was confused about many of these political party distinctions. So, I had thought that A. Lincoln was always a Republican wasn’t he? No, he was a Whig as a young man, but the Whig party was dying at that point. The death of the Whigs happened when the modern Republican party was formed (in 1854) on a platform of ending slavery and pulled in most of the Whigs. And, while there were some number of “Democrats” (Jefferson-Jackson party) who were against slavery, most of them were also pulled into the new Republican party.
Paul in Boston:
The issue is not about defending ourselves. It is about defending the American Republic and its Constitution. The Democrats have seized the wheel of the Ship of State, and will not relinquish it.
Gramsci, a founder of the Italian communist party, laid the strategy in the 1920s: capture entertainment (movies then), education, and the media.
It has been accomplished.
BTW, Disney has been ‘thinking’ about acquiring Twitter. The mega-corporations need us as serfs.
Thanks all above for so much to add to the story. And neo for going boldly with the, hmmm, alternative facts of the prosecution.
I’m trying to engage a sister who might not be lost but sure as Hell believes that Trump was or is still a self-benefiting power ouster, or something. That the Trump Russia case was real as reported by the MSM, and that Trump just squirmed or lied out of it.
Either I begin by showing her the bias and corruption of the media (a long winded task I am knowledgeable enough to do), or else I cut to the chase: Trump was victim and played, not the player.
Here’s the best and most up to date I’ve found online
https://thecritic.co.uk/the-invention-of-the-trump-russia-conspiracy/
Anyone got anything better?
His opinions on details are off, and he misses the Nellie Ohr connection in fall of 2015, for instance.
Look on the bright side, they are still bothering to find pretexts for unpersoning us.
TJ – try the Conservative Treehouse. Pull from various posts. I do think he has a summary but I can’t look for it.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/
Also ask her if she is comfortable with censorship. Give her the famous quote from the “Man of all Season’s” and end with Martin Niemoller poem. I put a contemporary spin on it if you wish. I hope this helps. Because eventually they will come for me then you and then her.
“William Roper: “So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!”
Sir Thomas More: “Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?”
William Roper: “Yes, I’d cut down every law in England to do that!”
Sir Thomas More: “Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned ’round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man’s laws, not God’s! And if you cut them down, and you’re just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I’d give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety’s sake!”
? Robert Bolt, A Man for All Seasons
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
– Martin Niemoller
My contemporary twist:
First, they came for Trump because he offended them and me. And he likes McDonalds.
Then they came for his allies because they made his ideas work. But I have a lot of money and a good job, so it did not matter.
Then they came for conservative bloggers because they did not like their ideas. But I did not like them that much either, so it did not matter.
Then they came for the churches because they did not teach the current narrative but spoke of eternal truths. But those truths made me feel uncomfortable, so it did not matter.
Then they came for the guns because they caused people to be able to defend themselves against the police and the mob. But I live in a good neighborhood and feel safe, so it did not matter.
Then they came for the people who drive trucks because trucks use too much fuel. They are not in my socio-economic class and no trucks make the roads less crowded, so it did not matter.
Then they came for me and I looked around and found out I was alone because I thought they would never get to me and I did not know that I would do anything to offend them. I said the right words, I voted the right way. I supported the right policies and yet I here I am. Alone.
“The real issue is the New York news media, the NYT, the Associated Press, and all the network news operations.
…
The real program over the next several years should be to embarrass, humiliate, and ultimately ruin the lives and livelihoods of the newspaper and network news operatives from the top executives and anchors down to the lowest trainee reporter. Make them hated and despised, objects of contempt everywhere they show their faces. Make the national news operation of the NYT, ABC, CBS, and all the rest a gigantic financial anchor that will take down the entire network unless it’s thrown overboard.” Paul in Boston
How many people regularly read newspapers versus watching the ‘news’ on TV? How many now watch on TV the ‘news’ versus getting the news via the internet, i.e. Facebook, Twitter et al?
And remember, we on the right already despise them, so if you’re going to make progress in a campaign to discredit them, it has to be in the eyes of those who already buy into their propaganda.
Remember, top execs and anchors live and work in blue cities. Harass top executives and anchors and watch how fast cops show up to arrest you, not just for harassment but for a hate crime. And count on it, the local DA will prosecute you and the judge will throw the book at you.
Not to mention losing your job and being blackballed from future employment. Become a big enough pain in the ass and you’ll get a shiv in the back at the county jail.
Once again, it’s now a fully rigged game, a case of “heads we win. Tails you lose…”
Alan Dershowitz says that at 12:01 on January 20 President Trump becomes private citizen Donald Trump, and that Congress has no penal authority over private citizens. That would make an impeachment after the President has left office an action that is beyond Congress’ powers.
This guy is outrageous! A coup he says, by an outside power! Thank goodness for the vigilance of YouTube in its project of banning election result denialists.
I’m reassured at the thought that it will be taken down any moment now.
https://youtu.be/IAFxPXGDH4E
And here is the same guy suggesting that the electoral college has the right and duty to not follow the popular vote … Why, he is suggesting the subversion of “our Democracy”!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2ragMBCzPA
As Dershowitz is a Professor of Constitutional Law, he presumably knows of what he opines. However, the vote to impeach Trump will occur before he leaves office. That, a majority of representatives have the legal right to do.
It is the legitimacy of conviction in the Senate, after Trump is no longer the President, wherein disagreement over legitimacy lies.
But more importantly, when has the legitimacy of Congress’ powers acted as an obstruction? Especially with Congressional democrats? They see themselves, as the Law.
DNW,
The Will to Power is for them, of what the law entirely consists.
“They say that, look, there was some rioting somewhere in the cit[y], because some windows were broken and some vehicles were damaged, that’s true. See what we do in America, we find out the person who actually did it, …”
https://youtu.be/YwM1kd4NjA0?list=FLr1l1TTCDX4b00Fj-YB8eTQ&t=164
The comments are so back filled with irony …
Yeah, but it’s almost amusing as you witness Olbermann doing everything he can to incite a virtual insurrection, while yelling about a foreign orchestrated electoral coup.
@Cicero:
Hang on to your head, Old Chap. All this talk of Republics and Constitutions; the Real Cicero didn’t know when to let go either.
Since we are playing Constitutional Calvin Ball, the Democrats shouldn’t stop with just impeachment. They need go for a full bill of attainder and corruption of the blood. Anything less is letting President Trump off lightly.
Nowwww we’re talkingggg!
TommyJay — so, in this rewrite of history, Lincoln is tarred because guilt by association! Republican riots are equated with earlier slave holders!
Marxist gotcha! history.
Wow.
Geoffrey. Excellent Niemoller made contempo rewrite! I may have a long chance with this sister because she and her hub do not use and avoid Amazon because of their previous censorship.
I expect that The American Krystallnacht has them confused and alarmed already.
But my point of entry? This mulling it.
In late May or so, Charles Lipson did a long break down on “What is Obamagate?” at Realclearpolitics.
That’s the only other piece I have in the running, plus various interviews and talks discussions from YT. But it is too long, I think, too detailed. And somewhat dated, since more documents came out since May.
And “The Plot Against the President” is too strident in the trailer. It’s too complex without a primer for a Doubting Thomas because Trump has been pilloried too much and too often. That well is poisoned.
How to cleanse that well? Is my Hope, and get her to entertain an alternate view. As possible. To Move off the dime she’s committed to.
That leaves my default – still.
The merdia has been with us for a long long time…
“Murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest will openly be taught and
practiced, the soil will be soaked with blood, and the nation black with
crimes,” said an 1800 Connetticut ‘Courant’ editorial opposing the election
of Thomas Jefferson as president. Now the ‘Hartford Courant’, the paper
marked the 250th anniversary of Jefferson’s birth with an apology. Said the
‘Courant’: “It’s never too late to admit a mistake.”
I’m sure they’d take that apology back, these days.
The FIRST thing to do, TJ, is to get her to admit that the merdia CAN and DOES lie.
Not once, but hammer it home. Show her the stuff I’m going to call attention to, and THEN show it to her again and again, until you get her to ack it when you first say it.
Because getting past the The Liberal Midnight Reset Button® is the first hurdle, and there’s no point in wasting any time until you can get a concession out of that one.
First, to introduce you to the concept of the The Liberal Midnight Reset Button® :
(Others have hear me espouse this notion, here, before)
The Liberal Midnight Reset Button® operates to protect Officially Accepted Liberal Dogma® from challenges to the latters’ “integrity”.
Consider:
a) Suppose you meet a libtard who appears reasonable (they do exist… kinda like actual true moderate Muslims). They are open and honest and fully willing to discuss, without excessive histrionics, any point of view they espouse…
b) Now, pick a topic dear to them, which you know they believe in but which you also know to be clearly wrongheaded, even if well-meaning.
c) Start with their supposition, and take them, step by logical step through from their supposition, getting acquiescence at each stage: “Yeah, that follows, uh-huh…”. Show by such reasoning that the net affect of their supposition is the end result will be the exact opposite of what they purportedly support or believe in.
d) OK, you’ve won. Now what? Wait. You’ll hear something like… “Hmmm. I’m going to have to think about that.”, and you’ll go your own separate ways.
e) Now, a week passes, seek them out. Bring the subject of their supposition up again, subtly. You will hear them espousing the exact same notions of their original supposition unchanged, unaltered, as though the entire reasoning process you took them through in “c” never happened!
So what happened? The Liberal Midnight Reset Button® is what happened. At some point in the ensuing day or so, after they dropped off to sleep, their tiny widdle libtard brain started to process the new information. It carefully examined the new information in relation to Officially Accepted Liberal Dogma® (OALD), found it to be unacceptably running counter to it, and purged the new information without adding it to the libtard’s store of knowledge. BAM, conflict ended, Liberal Twitticism remains intact.
With practice, you can even watch this thing start to kick in as you have the discussion with them. In many cases, if they learn you’re “dangerous” to their precious Officially Accepted Liberal Dogma®, they will preemptively act to terminate, redirect, or otherwise alter the conversation to avoid the necessary mental CPU cycles required to purge the non-agreeing data.
You think I’m being facetious? Only in a sense. This process does exist and it really does act to prevent true libtards from actually learning anything new. And yes, I’ve seen it kick in on more than one occasion.
Thus, don’t waste your time unless and until you knock the The Liberal Midnight Reset Button® akilter in her head, by forcing her to ack, repeatedly, that she HAS been lied to on occasion. THEN you can work on making the rift wide enough to ack the possibility that there’s lots more fuckery afoot.
See next missive…
Paul in Boston —
“ The real issue is the New York news media, the NYT, the Associated Press, and all the network news operations. It’s been pointed out that without their influence, the politics of the US would be about the same as the politics of West Texas, which is not much different from western New York State. The real program over the next several years should be to embarrass, humiliate, and ultimately ruin the lives” of the Marxist MediaCrats.
I cannot say this last Hope is hopeless. The Left overreaches, and People’s doubts get raised and they “move on”, and it remains unanswered.
But given the corporate media censorship driving this New Fascism, we are weak.
Our position to counter the activists needs accelerated alternative support. Everywhere. At every level and type of media.
And given the Marxist Educrats controlled and dominated pipeline from lowest levels of education to the top, time is hugely against us. Concede this, and indoctrination will overwhelm our efforts and defeat if not erase Liberty from the future.
Only a reset and creative reformulation of the post-Conservative, Inc strategic world can succeed in this.
OK, again, shown this before, but the first part is the article of interest…
Realize that you should be using DuckDuckGo at least in addition to Google — and this demonstration is a good idea for her to Get as well.
Search DuckDuckGo for
“Jake Tapper Fact Checks Jake Tapper” — exactly those words…
Here:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Jake+Tapper+Fact+Checks+Jake+Tapper&atb=v252-5__&ia=web
Now, the exact same query, but from Google:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Jake+Tapper+Fact+Checks+Jake+Tapper
Now look at the second article pulled up by the DDG search. Notice, it’s an article with the headline almost EXACTLY MATCHING the search term:
https://redstate.com/sister-toldjah/2020/10/01/jake-tapper-gets-fact-checked-by-jake-tapper-after-heated-exchange-on-trump-condemning-white-supremacy-n261084
NOW see if you can find the piece anywhere in the google listings. I can say it’s not in the first three pages of results.
Now, you can’t really say the Red State article is “fake news” — it’s essentially detailing Tapper’s OWN TWEET after one of the Trump-Hillary debates in 2016, and contrasting it with Tapper’s tweets after the first Trump-Biden debate, in which he says the exact opposite of it, and, in fact, utterly denies what he said in 2016.
Now, try Google searching on “Trump refuses to condemn white supremacists” Note the litany of pieces claiming he hasn’t done it, many suggest he’s NEVER done it:
Then show this video, which shows Trump, doing it repeatedly.
https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/craig-bannister/media-have-refused-accept-trumps-rejection-racism-2016-video-shows-19-times
Here’s another one:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8888473/Trump-campaign-unveils-five-minute-video-compilation-showing-38-times-condemned-racism.html
The Daily Mail piece is from 28 October 2020 — which means that the merdia have had months to correct this inaccurate assertion… but no, they have not — they repeat it ad-infinitem.
In summary, they lie.
Show her they lie. Do it over and over and over until it finally sticks in her head, that they lie to her.
THEN spend the time showing her one of the Big Lies.
Does the phrase “Sitting President” mean anything to you guys?
Well, my first post after lurking for some time.
I believe that many of us are endeavouring to change the direction of the pendulum. However it has its own path and momentum. It will swing back when the momentum changes. It has been a long time coming and will be equally as long returning.
What is happening right now is just a small slice of time. Just stop and think about all the events that have brought us to this point.
Thank you for this site Neo and I trust all is well.
I suspect, were Pelosi & Co. to be successful at carrying out their threat, Donald Trump would use being impeached twice by Democrats as proof of his pro-American bona fides and feature it proudly in every speech and campaign ad.
And, by “campaign ad” I mean “ads for candidates whom Trump has coached and is masterminding their election effort.” It’s entirely possible, and perhaps even probable, that, rather than mount a second Presidential campaign, Trump would become a behind-the-scenes kingmaker par excellence who devotes his time, effort and fortune into destroying all who attacked him while in office.
Neo:
Longtime reader and first time commenter.
Thanks for recalling some of the history of the Alien and Sedition Acts as an ideological antecedent to attempts by progressives to “cleanse” — their word — the nation, first, of Trump and then of anyone who does not celebrate the progressive narrative.
Ironically, one of the effects of the Federalist Party promoting its 18th century version of cancel culture was that the party never again won another presidential election and was soon on the road to political oblivion. The attack through an unconstitutional statute by Adams on the opposition party aroused the citizenry against such self-perpetuating legal tyranny. After winning the 1800 election against Adams (and defeating running-mate Aaron Burr in the House in 1801), Jefferson was reelected in 1804, and his Jeffersonian successors, Madison and Monroe, also were elected twice. By Monroe’s term the Federalists had been largely reduced to a sectional party in New England and New York, and soon evaporated into insignificance.
Let us pray that similar tyrannical overreach will also shock today’s American citizens into sending leftist Democrats into their own poliical oblivion.
Alien: Won’t Trump be in Gitmo? (at best…)
“I just think we need to treat domestic terrorists the way we do actual terrorists. I think we need to consider all possibilities. I’m not against sending these people to Gitmo. These are domestic terrorists who attacked our own Republic. They should be treated the same way we treat Al Qaeda,”
Who said that? A Democrat? Nope, Meghan McCain.
Has anyone seen this? Is it plausible? David Goldman suggests civil election fraud lawsuits against the Dem operatives who committed the fraud:
https://pjmedia.com/spengler/2021/01/11/heres-how-we-flatten-the-democratic-party-during-the-next-four-years-n1332570
If allowed to stand and be extended this will start a civil war, IMO. Who next? Christians? Public schools? Talk radio? Providers of internet hosting to conservative blogs?
And note the use of the word crime. Has anyone been arrested or convicted?
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-corporate-visa/visa-temporarily-suspends-all-political-donations-idUSKBN29H2D4
(Reuters) – Visa Inc said on Tuesday its political action committee had temporarily suspended all donations last week as it reviews its candidate contribution guidelines.
A host of businesses have said they would cut off campaign contributions to those who voted last week to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“Visa does not tolerate the use of our network and products for illegal activity. We are vigilant in our efforts to deter illegal activity on our network, and we require our affiliate banks to review their merchants’ compliance with our standards,” Visa said in an email.
I understand that Impeachment was intended as a means of removing from office, but that is not the sole activity. It is also a trial with punishment. The Articles of Impeachment are written like any other resolution, and in this case were drafted by the Congress that was established at the beginning of this year. I think the only limitation on time would be the dissolving of this Congress in 2 years.
I write that not because I want it to be true or can support it with written rules or precedent. This is a Democrat run Congress, and simply looking at the last impeachment a year ago suggests all they care is using all tools available to remove dissent. Good on Republicans for not being that way, and also bad on Republicans for not acting when they could to remove those who abuse power in such a manner.
Today, I don’t know who has a winnable fight to stop impeachment of Trump that lasts for months or years. Impeachment is a trial in Congress and the rules are whatever Congress makes them to be. Pelosi and other Democrats have made it clear that any attempt to question their rules is, to them, also an act of insurrection to be punished, like Trump will be, at a later date.
SCOTUS role is to have John Roberts come over and conduct the trial per the rules provided by Congress. In that last Impeachment, he seemed willing to do more, but in ways that were against the defendant, particularly Trump. I don’t think the Chief Justice is going to die on the hill of stopping an impeachment railroad of Trump. Once the impeachment occurs, there is no SCOTUS remedy. And that is why Pelosi wants an impeachment and not a trial. In a trial, Trump would have rights.
The fact is, one Person is doing all they can to usurp the power of the duly elected head of state. There is an insurrection, a coup if you prefer, happening and it is being conducted by Pelosi.
There is a cohort of legal eagles out there who go by the motto “that which is not forbidden is allowed”. So they are always ready to produce legal arguments to justify about anything. Impeach an ex-President? The Constitution doesn’t say it can’t be done so go for it.
Justice for Ashli Babbitt!
Neo wrote:
“If a president is impeached and convicted after the fact, does this really prevent him from running for office? I don’t see why,…”
You still haven’t totally grasped the Left’s methodology:
Suppose Trump tries to run again after he was impeached and convicted.
If he should win, you will hear endless propaganda that he is an illegal
President. They did this with the Russian Collusion during the 2015 election and
the subsequent 4 years.
it is a drumbeat that will never stop and they will use it to
then justify all kinds of immoral and/or unconstitutional acts.
Such as the methodology used to run the first impeachment.
JimNorCal:
Probably doesn’t mean much to Visa right now, but my wife and I have decided to stop using our Visa card. If a whole lot of others would do the same, perhaps Visa would back away from their arrogance.
There is a cohort of legal eagles out there who go by the motto “that which is not forbidden is allowed”. — Bucky B.
And violations of the forbidden that are not punished will be repeated with increasing frequency.
The secondary target are Republicans in Congress for 2022. House members who didn’t vote to impeach OrangeManBad (must not say his name) or who voted to impeach (incite Republican fratricide, although Liz Chenney and others ought to be replaced by actual conservatives) are being put into a media/Democrat narrative. And of course it allows the spotlight to be off Creepy Joe and the Ho and their commie minions.
Will the American public approve of this farce while being locked down and told to shut up and like it? Who knows.
It is clear from the language of the Constitution and the obvious purpose of the impeachment provisions was to remove an existing occupant of a federal office on the grounds provided. It follows, if one is no longer in office and thus a private citizen, that the provisions do not apply.
It’s actually Liz Cheney, wouldn’t want to disrespect her.
Stu, but those are just words written by dead white slave-holding ciz-gendered(?) men of northern European descent. We have a living breathing Constitution (whatever it takes at any time past or present). …… (sarc) You are correct, but does it matter to Nancy and her enablers?
Alan Dershowitz is right of course on the law. Congress cannot impeach or try someone who is not an officer holder.
This attempt is a measure of how much the elites fear what President Trump can do to spoil their power trip and money grab
All of what has happened demonstrates the key weakness in America is the continuing centralization of power in DC which the Founders never intended. Every time there is a “crisis” to many turn to DC for a solution and it gladly takes our money and freedom to “solve” it.
GK,
So, the Left will allow the pendulum to swing back?
Alien,
Do you doubt that the democrats intend to pass hate speech laws?
Do you imagine that the organs of communication will allow any candidate endorsed by Trump to use their networks? Any candidate endorsed by Trump will have to basically agree with him. When they speak out, how will they not be guilty of what the left considers hate speech?
Your Irish Correspondent,
“Let us pray that similar tyrannical overreach will also shock today’s American citizens into sending leftist Democrats into their own poliical oblivion.”
I think it a virtual certainty that the democrat’s actions will shock a great majority of American citizens into voting against the Democrats. When they do, what’s to prevent the democrat’s from manufacturing however many votes are needed to assure them of a miraculous last minute victory? And from doing that… repeatedly?
I keep using the phrase “rigged game” to drive home the point. How do we win a ‘coin toss’ when one side has complete control of the ‘coin’ and is determined to win however necessary? How do you win a ‘contest’ when your opponent gets to break the rules without consequence, while you (strictly following the rules) are repeatedly accused of breaking them and the ‘referee’ never fails to rule in favor of your opponent?
Geoffrey Britain:
The state legislatures take back the power from the executive in their states regarding election procedures and laws. And they will have to fight it out in the courts as well. That’s how. Article V Convention of States as well, brought up in comments during the reign of BHO. Old news, now remembered?
I know it will be difficult. I know you will say it is not possible. I know you will say the dogs of war will be unleashed. I suspect we will not live long enough for it to be resolved in a manner you would approve of. Such is life.
Interesting times, none the less.
I interrupt these comments to advise there is some strange repression going regarding Ann Althouse posts.
om,
You presume that the State legislatures are less corrupt than Congress, at least enough as to be effective and in agreement as to what to do? You also presume that the courts will find in favor of the State legislatures?
I’m in favor of an Article V Convention of States on the condition that the democrats are in a distinct minority. As if not, the ‘cure’ will very likely make the disease even worse. How might we accomplish that condition?
I’m not saying its impossible, I’m saying that, as in war, the enemy gets a vote. I’m not saying the dogs of war will be unleashed, I’m saying, given the left’s intentions… what practical remedy remains short of war?
That Chinese saying, “may you live in interesting times” is often offered not as a blessing but as a curse. When Stalin was starving millions to death in the Ukraine… were they living in interesting times?
The left has interesting times planned for such as you and I. That is, if you consider time spent in a reeducation camp ‘interesting’.
“Elected DNC Member Floats Re-Education Camps for Trump Supporters.”
https://bongino.com/elected-dnc-member-floats-re-education-camps-for-trump-supporters
I interrupt these comments to advise there is some strange repression going on with comments right here.
Just tried twice to add a follow up off topic comment right here and the blog’s software refuses to allow it. Page refreshes with comment deleted. Lets see if this one goes through.
OK… a glitch or…
Geoffrey Britain:
You seem to presume that everyone is entirely corrupt it seems. That line of thought leads nowhere since the kinetic resolution of the problem will be infested by some of the entirely corrupted.
Geoffrey don’t you understand the meaning of interesting times? I do, it isn’t a good place to be. You aren’t the only
person who understands the Holodomor or the gulag. A high horse is a dangerous place to seat oneself.
Geoffrey Britain:
Yep, you were worried about Article V back in the day too IIRC. Nothing is without risk, that is life too.
On VISA: I am now using my bank-issued card instead of my Amazon VISA card. And I went out today and bought locally some things which I more often order on Amazon.
Consider direct contribution to Neo if you are leaving Amazon and thus won’t be using Neo’s Amazon thingy.
I’m avoiding PayPal from now on as well. My last use of PayPal was to send Andy Ngo some coin.
Just tried twice to add a follow up off topic comment right here and the blog’s software refuses to allow it. Page refreshes with comment deleted. Lets see if this one goes through.
Geoffrey Britain:
What were writing about?
(Not blaming the victim. I had some comments interfered with, blocked or disappeared after being published earlier.)
I dont know, Im not big on conspiracy theories. I dont go looking for them, but I hear some. Rarely do i look into it.
Just duckduckgo.com and type in Italy Dominion servers………big stuff happened in Italy last week. Ok, fine, we heard this all before. Notice Trumps demeanor lately?
Seems pretty confident of something.
Again, i dont get caught up in the crap, i go here, ace, althouse sometimes, drudge less and less and the daily mail…………i do get led to things. But what I heard from a guy yesterday who works for a trucking company, and what i just notice in general…….body language, everything.
Im going to go with my hunch and say Wednesday will be arguably one of the happiest days of my life.
The only caveat to this………..if I’m wrong……God help us all.
The people who matter know this. They will not let it happen. They cant.
Hugh Hewitt read a current editorial by the Great Judge Michael Luttig specifying why this travesty by the DemoMob is UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
Brilliant. Can somebody here let me know where it was published and a link.
testing to see if a link from Althouse copies here:
https://althouse.blogspot.com/2021/01/look-at-top-2-best-selling-books-at.html
Testing. Been blocked twice with A link to her most recent post.
NeoConScum:
Here is the link to the Judge Michael Luttig editorial:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/no-president-trump-cant-pardon-himself/2020/12/07/774c7856-38d9-11eb-98c4-25dc9f4987e8_story.html
And Byron York’s assessment
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/byron-yorks-daily-memo-the-crazy-impeachment
Of course the left vehemently disagrees.
Can’t have — a . d . s . e . n . s . e — alone in comment.
boot55555
If you’re referring to the Italian vote hack by Leonardo SpA, that’s going nowhere mostly because it appears to be propaganda. I say appears, because, at this point, what can be believed.
Let’s suppose it were true. At this point, the only action that could be taken would be a military one. I think the old adage is true: “he who controls the military, controls the country.”
The military made it crystal clear which side they’re on.
https://www.infowars.com/posts/us-military-chiefs-condemn-capitol-riot-as-sedition-urge-troops-to-stay-ready-ahead-of-inauguration-in-rare-political-letter/
The Leonardo thing is part of it. Old news. Isnt everything propaganda? Until its not? These are 1984 times. Funny for me, that used to be the future……..Fffff
its more or less, just noticing things……..Trump just seems overly optimistic……back to his old self.. And, timing is everything.
Now days if you were to get high at a family gathering, the family gathering would be the illegal part. Strange times. I did steal that. And I think all this public “infighting” at the top at least is all a diversion. Mitch McConnell not included, never liked that guy.
Plus, it seems to me that, both Sydney Powell and Lin Wood, however crazy we may think they are, are both successful, smart lawyers. They would know better than to just say things in public.
kind mixed up 2 thoughts in one paragraph there….sorry bout that
NeoConScum:
I believe it was in the WaPo.
According to this, McConnell has refused to call the Senate into emergency session to try the impeachment charge. Ed Morrissey at Hot Air says, translation, he knows they don’t have the votes to convict:
https://hotair.com/archives/ed-morrissey/2021/01/13/breaking-mcconnell-shoots-emergency-session-impeachment-trial/
There are good legal arguments against a trial after Trump has left office. A government action against a private individual is prohibited by the Constitution.
boot55555:
I think you are clinging to a false hope.
om:
Thanks.
I have plans to leave the Amazon Associates program, as soon as I get around to the technical side of it, which takes a bit of effort.
NeoConScum:
My link to a WaPost editorial is probably incorrect. I didn’t hear Hugh Hewitt read it (don’t get up at 03:00 to listen to the radio), so I apologize. The linked editorial is about a president pardoning himself. I haven’t been able to find anything beyond the Byron York article. My bad.
Totally off topic, but we all need good news. The CNN airport network will end operations on March 31. No longer will the traveling public be subjected to it.
“Plus, it seems to me that, both Sydney Powell and Lin Wood, however crazy we may think they are, are both successful, smart lawyers. They would know better than to just say things in public.” – Boot55555
That’s been a very curious part of all this.
You can add Mike Flynn and Gen. Mcinerny to that list. The only commonality seems to be there association with Q or at least expressing a similar apocalyptic vision. It’s seems to be almost messianic, and I don’t mean Trump as messiah, but they seem to think they’re doing God’s work. This is just speculation on my part, having not spent any time listening to their speeches.
This is a problem for me. As a Christian, God’s command to Christians is to share the gospel of salvation in Jesus, not to retake the US.
My personal opinion about Wood and Powell, et al., is that the terrible things that have happened in this country for the past four years, and the bitter and frustrating fights they’ve been involved in and the losses with Flynn/Sullivan (after apparent wins, a la Lucy and the football) have driven them to take refuge in delusions that they wish to believe are true.
Powell and Wood are different from each other, though. I think Wood was always a bit out there. Powell’s is a much more recent change. It’s hard to fight and fight and fight and see everything slip away.
incite Republican fratricide, although Liz Chenney and others ought to be replaced by actual conservatives
It’s amazing that Liz Cheney had the audacity to run in Wyoming and even more amazing that the Wyoming electorate accepted her. What this brou ha ha reveals is that Liz Cheney’s mentality is precisely what you’d expect of a woman who has spent 3/4 of her life in metropolitan Washington (with another 15% in the two loci where she received her tertiary schooling), of a woman whose father landed his first job on Capitol Hill when she was two years old, of a woman whose father collected federal salaries for 31 years (but never held a post in the civil service or the military), of a woman whose husband is a BigLaw attorney in a firm with a ‘government relations’ practice. Her husband registered to vote in Teton County, where the Jackson Hole resort is located. Liz Cheney is as swampy as they come. Republican primary voters in Wyoming should can her a**, and her husband and semi-adult daughter can quit pretending they live there.
Ed Morrissey at Hot Air says
[raspberry]. He’s leaving the Republican Party. Which tells you he was among the 6% or so of self-identified Republicans dissatisfied with the President on balance. Which tells you he’s yet another word merchant who believes it’s the Bush clan or it’s nothing. Salem Media ought to tell him to apply for a job as S.E. Cupp’s research assistant.
My congresscritter has announced he’s voting for impeachment. He represents a very red district. Is this a calculation that he’ll get enough graft to ensure his re-election?
2022 will be a Rorschach test.
(Reuters) – Visa Inc said on Tuesday its political action committee had temporarily suspended all donations last week as it reviews its candidate contribution guidelines.
Why does any corporation have a political action committee? If the employees want to get together on their own time to form one, I suppose that’s fine, but not the corporation itself. Ditto philanthropic donations by corporations, except during natural disasters and the like.
It’s roughly proper for corporations to place public service advertisements promoting a congenial environment for the corporation, but if you cannot make some sort of business case for the expenditure, you’re not being a proper fiduciary for your shareholders, just appropriating their assets and revenue to advance the personal projects of employees. Shareholders and employees can engage in civic and philanthropic activity on their own time, using the work venue as a social network. The business corporation as a business corporation has only one purpose, and it’s not a philanthropic one.
Corporate donations delenda est.
My congresscritter has announced he’s voting for impeachment. He represents a very red district.
Who is he?
I have plans to leave the Amazon Associates program, as soon as I get around to the technical side of it, which takes a bit of effort.
I just sent a donation (meant to include a note too). I hope others do to.
Alcee Hastings was a Federal Judge who was impeached and removed. He is now
a Representative for Florida in the House.
“That’s partly because a consequence of being convicted is you can’t run for office again.”
So explain Alcee Hastings. Impeached and removed from his federal judgeship and yet he is now a sitting Representative.
Teton County, Jackson Hole, Grand Teton Nat. Park, Yellowstone Nat. Park, home of the elites, that makes sense.
Not Natrona County, second most populous in the state (oil and gas blue collar town, regional hub for businesses) or even Laramie County, the most populous (University of WY, State Capitol, etc.).
BrianE:
Dan Newhouse is my congressman too. I will be working to remove him from the Republican ticket in 2022, starting today. Sending an email to him just to let him know to start looking for a new job. He was always a bit sketchy in the past but not being a Democrat was all he had going for him.
I already have discussed in the post why a conviction is probably not a bar to running again, although Congress could pass a law explicitly forbidding it. But there is no such law at present. That’s why Hastings was able to do it.
Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), John Katko (R-N.Y.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.)
You had about 200 Republicans in the House of Representatives in 2019 and 2020. Katko, Kinzinger, Herrera Beutler, and Upton were among the two-dozen or so whose voting records have been during their time in Congress most distant from the caucus median. Upton is a founder of a squish caucus called the ‘Tuesday Group’ and Katko currently chairs that group. Newhouse occupies a spot adjacent to this crew, with a voting record more dissimilar to the caucus median than that of 80% of the Republicans therein. All five are members of the Republican Main Street Partnership.
Art Deco,
Dan Newhouse, Wa 4th District.
The district relies on a lot of migrant labor, and bringing the workers in legally is very expensive. I don’t know the liability of hiring illegals now, but 30 years ago I worked in the ag industry, and it was almost comical– INS would come by a warehouse, round up all the workers for deportation. Most of them would be back in less than a month with new id.
Now to bring in a migrant laborer, the orchardist has to pay transportation, housing plus wages. When there was in influx for the harvest season, the covid rates skyrocketed (think lots of young Mexicans hanging out together), even though the orchardists were responsible for isolating them (the housing is more barracks like, as I remember it).
One of the larger farmers in the area was fined $2 million after one of the migrants died of covid. They’re claiming they broke no laws, and did everything they could to protect the worker.
Anyway, I wonder if he thinks he can still win on open borders, since his district is probably 30% Hispanic.
Totally off topic, but we all need good news. The CNN airport network will end operations on March 31. No longer will the traveling public be subjected to it.
Around about 1970, ‘TV chairs’ appeared in airport waiting areas. One chair and one screen, pay for views. I don’t recall the volume was so loud that everyone and their brother was subjected to it. One of my pet peeves is televisions blaring at people in airports, restaurants, bars, waiting rooms & c.
The district relies on a lot of migrant labor,
I don’t want to be brutal about it, but if you have to import labor and your crop would be unsalable paying local labor what the market will bear, the market signals are telling you you need to switch crops. Or they’d be telling you that if we enforced the immigration laws.
Dan Newhouse has run on his background as a farmer from Sunnyside (migrant labor familiarity) and not being a Democrat. His last opponent was so far out that it was a cake walk for Dan. Not being a Democrat was all he had going for him in the Tri-Cities IMO. That distinction is now gone.
Art Deco,
Apples are a major crop in Washington. For example, the state produces 171 million bushels, while the second producer is New York with 31 million. The climate is right in those areas. And these areas are only suitable for fruit.
The biggest problem is it’s very seasonal labor, and very hard work, so it’s not conducive to local labor.
They are working on mechanical pickers– and I think that will probably happen at some point.
Art Deco, yes, I know Morrissey is a squish. But he’s probably right about there not being enough votes to convict on the impeachment.
om(2:21pm):
Thank You!!! Hugely appreciated!!
NeoConScum:
Here is the correct editorial I think:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/12/once-trump-leaves-office-senate-cant-hold-an-impeachment-trial/
and another link with some text from the editorial
https://redstate.com/mike_miller/2021/01/13/impeachment-doa-mcconnell-nixes-emergency-session-former-federal-judge-no-constitutional-authority-to-impeach-trump-after-he-leaves-office-n3095
Clearly, Pres. Adams was mostly responsible for the Sedition Act, but did Federalist A. Hamilton vocally support it? Bing delivered this at the very top.