Vox Populi, our weekly live chat about the week’s events begins tonight at 7:00pm PDT. Hope to see you then!
AdLib3 hours ago
Here early.
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
Hey Murph! How are things with you?
AdLiban hour ago
Ok.
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
And you?
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
Going well. I saw that heavy rainstorm that flooded NY continued over MA so I hope all is well with TW.
AdLiban hour ago
Ah….yes…..me too.
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
You saw the news about the plea deal in the GA case?
AdLiban hour ago
I did…..what is your read on the guy who took the deal…some are saying he is nothing but a bit player. Others are saying that he was a significant presence and was everywhere at once.
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
I read an article about Hall, he is right in the middle of so much, he will be damning for Powell, Clark, and Trump! It’s a big deal!
AdLiban hour ago
Scott Hall……he is on a lot of video inserting himself into counting activity.
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
I think Powell has to be sweating about taking a plea deal. He worked closely with her and will crush her in testimony. He was the go between on the theft of voting machine data between the Trump Campaign and Powell.
AdLiban hour ago
Yep! And the only reason he would have been given such a sweetheart deal on misdemeanors and no jail time is because he has huge testimony and evidence that is damning against top targets, including Trump I’ll bet.
AdLiban hour ago
A bail bondsmen who has made a mark….on those who he was, at one time, allied with.
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
And if Powell flips, Chesebro will be going nuts, he may flip too.
AdLiban hour ago
Will the cards cascade.
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
How funny that he needed a bail bond himself!
AdLiban hour ago
Poetic…
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
Good evening gentlemen
twilson117
an hour ago
Hey TW….you ok? Given all the water? Ad raised the concern and I joined in.
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
I think so, the dominoes are falling. No way Willis will be prosecuting 17 defendents, most will plead out just as she planned.
AdLiban hour ago
Hey TW, staying dry? Saw that NY storm headed your way.
AdLiban hour ago
I’m fine just a little rain here in MA Brooklyn got clobbered though. I see there is a chink in the armor around Trump with the Hall taking a plea deal it’s just a matter of time.
twilson117
an hour ago
Ad thinks the chink is just the beginning…..
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
TW – Yes, I think there will be a rush of defendents taking plea deals in the next couple of weeks, before the first trial takes place for Powell and Chesebro. After that trial, the best plea deals will be gone.
AdLiban hour ago
Ad I believe it will soon become a major problem I also think it’s just a matter of a lot more will try to plead out narrowing it down to 6 maybe.
twilson117
an hour ago
Will McCarthy deal with Jeffries to get the votes needed?
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
TW – Good point! And Willis being the brilliant prosecutor she is, knew she wouldn’t actually be having to prosecute 19 at once, she knew the plea deals would come. The evidence is so plentiful and damning.
AdLiban hour ago
Hall got a good deal according to reports. But that won’t be the same for others as they will have to give up a lot more.
twilson117
an hour ago
Murph – If I was among the Dems in The House, I would never make a deal with McCarthy. He made a deal on the budget with Biden then betrayed it without hesitation. You can’t be foolish to make deals with people who prove they’ll break them at any time.
AdLiban hour ago
I need a fact check but I’m betting McCarthy will set the record for being the House speaker for the shortest time.
twilson117
an hour ago
TW – Right, this is the way it’s done, the first to flip gets a great deal then those that follow get less and less, pressuring defendants to flip quicker or lose out.
AdLiban hour ago
Ad I will be reading the accounts of Trump’s dissolution and laughing the entire time.
twilson117
an hour ago
TW – I think you’ll win your bet. McCarthy has no clean way to get out of this corner he’s painted himself into, he’s damned if he works with Dems and damned to be unable to pass anything if he stays married to MAGA extremists. I always said he was an idiot. It seems pretty clear he is one…a spineless idiot to be clear.
AdLiban hour ago
Ad…..it all depends on how it would be handled. But, for me the key is that the GOP cannot be trusted to honor a commitment.
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
Ad I’m doing my prep work by reading the decision the judge handed down essentially saying he committed wholsale fraud.
twilson117
an hour ago
TW – The NY AG trial against Trump and his companies starts next week, he said he’ll attend but no way will he testify. I will save the video of his reaction to the judge hammering him with the financial verdict, hopefully close to the $250M the AG is asking for.
AdLiban hour ago
Murph you’re correct this set of Repug Congressional reps have no honor at all.
twilson117
an hour ago
Ad that will be fun to watch. If Trump takes the 5th his goose is cooked. If he testifies his goose is cooked, fried, and flayed and laid to the side. 
twilson117
an hour ago
Murph – Exactly. The moment McCarthy betrayed his agreement with Biden, his speakership was doomed. WHo would be foolish enough on the Dem side to ever make another agreement with him? The way things will have to get done between now and 2025 is to let him be tortured by his MAGAs, let the public get angry at him and the Repubs and then let them come to the Dems with the votes to do what needs to be done.
AdLiban hour ago
In a broader sense……we see in the drama in the House the underlying weakness of the House which was not designed as a place for parties….
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
TW – Yes, the judge has already granted summary judgement on these fraud charges but there are like 7-9 more that will be decided in the trial, along with damages declared on the fraud charges. This will be so ugly for Trump, I can’t wait to watch it all unfold. And this judge is pissed off at Trump and his lawyers, he sanctioned the lawyers for trying to delay the trial with nonsense motions.
AdLiban hour ago
Ad I’m thinking those in the House who want Kevin out won’t wait for him to ask Dem’s for help the will make up a reason to push him out just like they’re making up the evidence in their phony Biden impeachment investigation.
twilson117
an hour ago
The model that the framers were operating from was that of their individual state legislatures which had lower and upper houses. Lower houses met for very short periods with coalitions forming in response to budgetary matters. The coalitions were fluid and given the shortness of their stay in Washington (that is why they have benches rather than desks) they moved things with alacrity
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
TW – If Trump testified, which he won’t, taking the 5th in a civil trial can be construed as an indication of guilt. So I don’t think he’ll do that. He just wants to play victim and brood with his mugshot face for his suckers that contribute to him. He’ll need it, his companies (and his kids “legacy”) are all going away.
AdLiban hour ago
Ad, I heard Trump is trying to sell the Brookyln bridge at a discount any truth to that?
twilson117
an hour ago
Murph – How do Repubs even imagine they could keep the House in 2024 after exposing themselves through this shutdown of being incapable of governing and harming the nation when they are given power/
AdLiban hour ago
Murph I recall that in my 8th grade social studies class, what I don’t remember is when they turned into the idiot we have now.
twilson117
an hour ago
Side note. I was at a gathering a few days ago and a bunch of vets with MAGA in their blood were crowing about how Trump was going to hand some of the brass their heads on a platter…..which led to a number of other vets threatening them…a fight broke out. I left.
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
TW – I heard Gaetz is saying he’ll put in a motion to vacate by next week. He wants McCarthy’s scalp on his belt, he has no other purpose in The House than grandstanding and trying to show he’s smarter and more powerful than anyone who disagrees with him.
AdLiban hour ago
Murph who the hell are you hanging out with??? Grown men fighting over the likes of Trump wow.
twilson117
an hour ago
TW….what altered the House (and the Senate shortly thereafter) was the formation of permanent alliances which became parties. The idea that the Speaker of the House, third in line for the Presidency, should be chosen exclusively by a pretty holding the majority of seats even if that is by the narrowest of margins.
MurphTheSurf3
an hour ago
Murph – That makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, like many institutions, The House has become just a political tool for Repubs to extort policies a majority opposes.
AdLiban hour ago
Ad…in a world where citizens took their politics seriously….the GOP would be a has been party but ignorance is bliss for many of their supporters.
MurphTheSurf3
44 minutes ago
TW – Trump has declared that Mar-a-Lago is worth a billion so it’s not a leap to imagine such a liar might promise a title to the Brooklyn Bridge for $2 billion.
AdLib44 minutes ago
Murph – Really?! Were the vets MAGAs too?
AdLib44 minutes ago
Ad…I would be surprised if they were not pro Trumpers as well.
MurphTheSurf3
43 minutes ago
Ad wasn’t that one of his son’s that said Mar-a-Lago was worth a billion. Just shows the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
twilson117
43 minutes ago
Murph one has to wonder about grown ass men fighting over Trump, you really do.
twilson117
42 minutes ago
TW….the are juvenile……
MurphTheSurf3
41 minutes ago
Murph – I saw Maddow say this week what we’ve been saying for a long time, the GOP is no longer a party interested in politics. That’s why they’re working so hard to disable democracy. They are merely a vehicle for authoritarianism so of course their enemies are the press, truth, democracy, and decency.
AdLib41 minutes ago
Ad, but I’ve sold the bridge along with toll booths a number of times. I sorta of got the paper work to prove it.
twilson117
41 minutes ago
Ad…I saw the same thing….she has a way of gathering strands into whole cloth.
MurphTheSurf3
40 minutes ago
Madow has been spot on about this current set of Republicans.
twilson117
40 minutes ago
Murph – So that makes me think that this could be a microcosm of what could be happening not just in MO or The House but across the US. MAGA Extremists could be getting so extreme that they become adversaries of other MAGAs who they begin to view as enemies. They could tear themselves apart as they’re doing in The House but nationwide.
AdLib39 minutes ago
TW – Eric said it was worth $1B but trump repeated that.
AdLib39 minutes ago
I wish she was on more often. I think she wanted to put her shoulder to other interests and her once a week gig (along with special appearances and roles with groups) was a way of keeping her.
MurphTheSurf3
38 minutes ago
TW – I always wanted to own a bridge! How much do you want for that Brooklyn one?
AdLib38 minutes ago
Ad of course Daddy would, damn I’m surprised he didn’t say 2 billion.
twilson117
38 minutes ago
So did either of you watch the Repub circus…I mean debate?
AdLib37 minutes ago
Ad nothing just said I owned it. Why not.
twilson117
37 minutes ago
Ad…the history of autocratic movements is one of splintering that leads to widespread infighting…normally a uniting figure such as Hitler catalyzes the movement.
MurphTheSurf3
37 minutes ago
Ad here in M
twilson117
37 minutes ago
I did not watch. I got the high (or rather low) lights the next day. Toadies and buffoons. All of them.
MurphTheSurf3
36 minutes ago
Ad here in MA when we got ride of toll both and went fully with easypass I just claimed the toll boths.
twilson117
36 minutes ago
After watching that 2nd debate, I think all the Repub candidates have disqualified themselves from being taken seriously. Trump will win the primary but he’ll do so after and during losses and convictions in court and his ratings will plummet. And Repubs are scared little rats just cowering as an obvious destiny awaits them in 2024.
AdLib35 minutes ago
TW – Nothing? Then I’ll take it!
AdLib35 minutes ago
I agree Ad….what I notice here is that there is little enthusiasm for the man personally…..no sudden burgeoning of fields of Trump flags….half hearted demonstrations of loyalty by a handful of fools….
MurphTheSurf3
34 minutes ago
Ad you put yourself through that Hell of watching the second debate, have to tip my hat to you brother I snippets MSNBC showed and I was profoundly glad I didn’t watch it because I wouldn’t have a TV.
twilson117
33 minutes ago
Murph – Good point but Trump has kind of jumped the shark on being a unifying force in the GOP. The polls show he has about 50% support in the party, meaning half the party doesn’t want him. Meanshile, Biden has support from Dems in the 80% range. And did you see RFK Jr. is going to run as an indie candidate? Repubs have far higher favorables for him than Dems, I think he’ll carve away more Repubs from Trump than Dems from Biden.
AdLib32 minutes ago
TW – Oh! So you bought up the old toll booths! Lets just drop a few of them in some busy highways!
AdLib31 minutes ago
Bobby for Prez…Good Gawd Almighty……what have we come to…..still I agree that his brand of lunacy will appeal to segments of the mega mess.
MurphTheSurf3
31 minutes ago
Murph – Someone on MSNBC described it as the GOP just sleepwalking towards losing with trump in 2024. We can all see what’s coming, the drag that Trump will be on the GOP is obvious but they are too cowardly to at least try to stop Trump before the train flies off the cliff.
AdLib29 minutes ago
Ad….agreed…..Romney is stepping away from the Senate because the GOP is not serious about governing.
MurphTheSurf3
28 minutes ago
TW – It was actually amusing to watch the debate, they all seemed desperate, attacked each other over such petty things and had many instances of all of them talking over each others for long spans of time, they so humiliated themselves, all of them. And the one moderator from Telemundo asked good questions, actually.
AdLib27 minutes ago
Murph I saw that about Romney and I will say I’m a bit disappointed in him for doing that. While I understand he’s looking at his age, and he has said there is a history of heart issue for the men of his family when they get older, I think he could have been far more forceful during his tenure in the Senate.
twilson117
26 minutes ago
Ad I watch chunks of the debate but it came across as a playground skirmish.
MurphTheSurf3
26 minutes ago
Murph – I saw polling on RFK Jr. and it’s true, by a huge swing, Repubs favor him and in most demos, he’s in negative territory with Dems. But he has a ton of dark money behind him to pay for Biden-attacking ads. Though, do ads really make a difference anymore?
AdLib25 minutes ago
TW…I hoped that Romney would be a catalyzing force for sensible unity but he was marginalized and dismissed by the malcontents who even in the Senate have a very loud voice.
MurphTheSurf3
24 minutes ago
Murph – Yep, like a high school debate but more immature.
AdLib24 minutes ago
Ad, well at least you watched it and can provide the highlights or lowlights. I did see snippets in reports. Still glad I didn’t watch it.
twilson117
24 minutes ago
Ad….yes. The kids in a sandbox fight.
MurphTheSurf3
24 minutes ago
Murph – My theory is that the only way to crush MAGA is to crush the GOP. Dems simply have to quit looking to convert MAGAs into reasonable people and just whip their asses in election after election. After a while, out of power for years, they will have to change or remain in the hinterlands.
AdLib23 minutes ago
I think that the GOP as a whole is empowering the maga forces through both action and inaction. For that alone they shoiuld be ousted.
MurphTheSurf3
21 minutes ago
Kennedy may be the golden boy for some but is out there in ways that even space aliens want nothing to do with him.
twilson117
21 minutes ago
My bottom line on the GOP debate, aside from they all look like amateur goofballs, is that they all seem to accept that they have no real shot at becoming the nominee and this is just a beauty contest for big money contributors to put money behind them and profit professionally and personally. I don’t see an honest belief in any one of them that they really think they could be president and as shallow and dishonest as they all are, they’re right.
AdLib20 minutes ago
TW…..with bobby, the apple really did fall far from the tree and then rotted.
MurphTheSurf3
20 minutes ago
Murph – Yep, maybe things can start to change once Trump is taken off the gameboard but on the other hand, I can imagine narcissists like RamaswamPy popping up to be “the new Trump” and keeping the MAGA madness alive.
AdLib19 minutes ago
Ad, I generally agree with your assessment with this bit of extra spin. I think that they are also sticking to the campaign trail is a hope that Trump will suffer some setback so great that he cannot go forward. At that point the last man/woman standing gets the nod.
MurphTheSurf3
18 minutes ago
Ad, truth. That party has become a nursery for narcissists
MurphTheSurf3
17 minutes ago
I don’t know if we should keep referring to Republicans as the GOP any more. Those individuals who are the die hard Trump supporters are clearly MAGA and in my opinion determine to eliminate what we know as the Republican party. They have their own agenda which is to move the country toward autocratic governance and do away with the current form of governance we have that makes us a democracy.
twilson117
17 minutes ago
TW – RFK Jr. is an obvious stalking horse for Trump, the Kochs, and the RW in general. Just as they keep running phony “Democrats” who flip to becoming Repubs after elected by Dems, we’ll see more of this candidate fraud going on because Repubs know they can’t win elections fairly anymore.
AdLib17 minutes ago
Ad agree with you regarding RFK.
twilson117
15 minutes ago
Ad, for someone like me who has deep roots in the progressive Grand Old Party that stood up to racism in the South, the diminishment of the Party has been particularly sad. Yes they have no rightful claim to that banner.
MurphTheSurf3
14 minutes ago
Murph – The dynamics as I see them are that only 2nd rung “losers” got in the Repub primary because any legit candidates knew they shouldn’t run this time, against Trump. Meanwhile, the “losers” are afraid of pissing off MAGAs so they may dip their toe in the water of going after Trump but as you say, they probably are just hoping something happens to Trump and then they could “luckily” get the nom…despit being 2nd Rung Losers who could never win a GE anyway.
AdLib14 minutes ago
TW – Good point, there is no difference between MAGA and GOP. Maybe we could change the party name to MAGOOP.
AdLib13 minutes ago
Ad….2nd rung ideation makes sense to me…but who are the first rung…it may be an empty slate.
MurphTheSurf3
13 minutes ago
Have either of you heard any more on the 14th amendment push?
twilson117
13 minutes ago
MAGOOP. Good one.
MurphTheSurf3
12 minutes ago
MAGOOP works for me.
twilson117
12 minutes ago
Murph – The only first rung candidates I could think of would be GOP governors who might be more attractive to moderates. It is funny that GOP pluotcrats are panicking and begging Youngkin to get in the race. Much too late for that this time around.
AdLib11 minutes ago
Side note….did you see Prez B make the case for this election as a righteous battle against the forces of autocracy. Found it very compelling.
MurphTheSurf3
11 minutes ago
TW – Haven’t heard more news on the 14th Amendment cases but they are in process and moving forward for CO and the other state…MN?
AdLib10 minutes ago
Ad, governors would be a logical group to look to but they have, as a whole, been forced into the mega mold to control their legislatures.
MurphTheSurf3
10 minutes ago
Murph saw that. I hope he keeps the message up because the country needs to hear it.
twilson117
9 minutes ago
Murph – Yes, saw Biden’s speech and it was good though I did get twinges about his low energy in some of it, you could barely hear him at some points. Not crazy at how he’s slowed down because of his age but makes absolutely no difference in my 100% support of his re-election.
AdLib8 minutes ago
Biden comes across as very human and very committed. His oratory is getting better.
MurphTheSurf3
8 minutes ago
Friends…..I must go…..but I very much enjoy our interactions each week.
MurphTheSurf3
7 minutes ago
Murph take care and stay away from those Bar fights.
twilson117
6 minutes ago
Murph – Yes, the MAGA Govs may not have a prayer in a GE but they could be 1st Rung in a GOP primary. There are other, less extreme Repub Govs and ex-Govs who could run competitively too and have better prospects in a GE but anyone who had a legit prospect to win the nom and the GE was smart enough to stay out for 2024 and blow their chance by losing to him.
AdLib5 minutes ago
TW…I did not seek out a brawlers’ pub but a brouhaha lies just below the radar at every gathering.
MurphTheSurf3
5 minutes ago
Ad your take on the Govs is well considered.
MurphTheSurf3
5 minutes ago
Murph – Get some rest, have a great weekend!
AdLib4 minutes ago
Murph it has to be tough when it can happen at any moment, just be sure you’re watching you six at all times.
twilson117
4 minutes ago
Good night…rest sounds good….I am getting old…..
MurphTheSurf3
4 minutes ago
And keep in mind, DeSantis was so hyped as the heir apparent, that scared off many other Repub Govs from running.
AdLib4 minutes ago
Night Murph
twilson117
4 minutes ago
OH…by the way…..any reaction to Feinstein death….
MurphTheSurf3
3 minutes ago
Murph she had a stellar career hopefully she is at peace now.
twilson117
3 minutes ago
I was happy that she passed away in office but still in time to find a worthy replacement.
MurphTheSurf3
3 minutes ago
TW….well said…stellar career…esp in her earlier days….
MurphTheSurf3
2 minutes ago
Murph – I’m not surprised, Feinstein looked close to death and I never believe the representations of an old politicians health, like the shingles story. Now, Repubs in the Senate are saying they’ll allow Dems to replace her on the Judiciary committee so that’s good. And Newsom will replace her with a caretaker, not one of the three running for the set which is the right thing to do.
AdLib2 minutes ago
Ad…that would all be good.
MurphTheSurf3
a minute ago
And with that….fare thee well.
MurphTheSurf3
a few seconds ago
But seriously, it should not be a politicians “right” to die in office. We need term limits, this is ridiculous. Wouldn’t be surprised to see McConnell pass away next.
AdLiba few seconds ago
You up for a call, TW?
AdLibin a few seconds
I will call you.
twilson117
in a few seconds
AdLibin a few seconds
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