Displaying 781 To 810 Of 1,008 Comments Since Congress has the constitutional authority of oversight as well as the sole power to impeach, a legitimate court has no choice but to rule in favor of Congress. Further, if trump wanted to get to the truth, whatever it is, he would not oppose testimony and investigation. When a person is innocent, they WELCOME an investigation. When they are guilty, they oppose an investigation. Of course, everyone knows that, but 40% of the American electorate don’t care about the truth. » Posted By TOCB On November 10, 2019 @ 11:47 am Graham on the impeachment inquiry: ‘I made my mind up. There’s nothing there’ When Graham says, “…there’s nothing there”, he must mean there is nothing there in his brain, because any sane and honest person can see there is something there as far as impeachable offenses like bribery and extortion are concerned. » Posted By TOCB On November 10, 2019 @ 11:41 am There are just over 600 billionaires in the USA and many of them are afraid that a President Warren will change their lifestyles. They are probably right. Not that Warren is anti-capitalism, but because she thinks, as most Americans do, that capitalism or whatever form of economy we have, should work for the masses of the people as well as it does for the wealthy and the well-connected. Does that mean that the wealthy should share their wealth such that all Americans have the same income/wealth? Not at all. However, I think she believes the wealthy should share a portion of their wealth to help provide the basic needs of all Americans. Some people may call that “socialism”. Again, they are partially right in the sense that some things that are fundamental to a decent lifestyle are more efficiently and effectively done collectively, rather than being dependent on the profit motive of capitalism or the survival of the fittest. Some examples are a standing military, police departments, fire departments, public schools and libraries, roads and bridges, and YES, healthcare, a college education for those with the aptitude and desired to get one, early childhood education. We are not talking about redistributing wealth so that everyone will have the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Nor are we talking about taking away the lifestyle of the rich and famous for those who achieve it through capitalism. We are simply talking about Americans sharing in taking care of the basic needs of all Americans. If THAT is socialism, put me down for being down with socialism. » Posted By TOCB On November 10, 2019 @ 8:15 am I know some people are of the opinion that we should not prosecute previous administrations out of respect for a smooth transition of our government. However, there are exceptions to every rule. The trump administration has virtually spit on the Constitution and the rule of law. In order for these principles to have meaning going forward, we MUST prosecute those who have assisted and encouraged trump in violating laws. Barr has been one of the most egregious ones. » Posted By TOCB On November 8, 2019 @ 5:07 am They Are Racist; Some of Them Have Guns. Inside the White Supremacist Group Hiding in Plain Sight. It is uncomfortable for white Americans, but THIS is who a LOT OF THEM are. I don’t want to believe it is most of them, but if those who are not racist don’t stand up against their racist family and friends, they are just as guilty. » Posted By TOCB On November 8, 2019 @ 5:02 am I am a Warren supporter, but she is allowing the press, republicans and her Democratic opponents to undermine her plan to deliver healthcare to all Americans. All of these people are warning the Democratic base that if they elect Warren as the Democratic standard bearer, she will lose. To Donald Trump no less! Why? Because the ACA, which was originally a republican plan that no republican voted for when Democrats were able to pass it when they controlled both chambers of Congress and the White House, AND republicans tried as hard as they could to repeal it when they regained the majority, is the best thing since sliced bread, and to build on it by getting rid of the middleman, the private health insurance industry, is anti-Obama. Warren’s opposition in both parties and the press are selling the myth that people like their insurance companies. NO, THEY DON’T. What they like is their healthcare providers. Their doctors and their nurses. Taking private insurance companies out of the mix does not take away anyone’s healthcare providers. Here’s the deal. Insurance, ANY insurance, is about managing risk. The larger the risk pool, the more efficiently risk can be managed. So how do private insurance companies manage THEIR risk, as opposed to YOUR risk? First of all, the risk for private insurance companies is to make a profit or not, while the risk to you is to get quality affordable healthcare when you need it. The goal of insurance companies is to collect premiums and to pay as few claims as possible. That is how they make profits. On the other hand, if there was one giant risk pool, i.e., every person is the USA, and that giant risk pool had the ability to incur deficits and still provide healthcare to everyone, the cost of providing healthcare to every American will likely decline, and the amount each person would have to pay to be in the risk pool would also decline. THAT is not good for the private health insurance industry, but it is pretty good for Americans. How many people do you know who are asking to not have Medicare when they get old and the private insurance industry think they are too risky to insure? Here’s your sign! v=p5ZkdHImCuQ”>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5ZkdHImCuQ » Posted By TOCB On November 6, 2019 @ 3:29 pm McConnell says senate republicans will acquit trump, and that is what they will have to defend in 2020. If most Americans agree that trump is more than the rule of law and the Constitution, then trump and republicans will prevail in 2020. If not, America will return to being a shining light on a hill. It is really THAT simple.
» Posted By TOCB On November 5, 2019 @ 5:54 pm Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: Not all people subscribe to a religious doctrine. From my perspective though, there is a lot of wisdom in seeking the nature of the Creator of all things. Some don’t believe such an entity exist. Just because one believes or does not believe has no impact on the existence of anything. Knowledge: facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. I submit that the reason people perish is due to a lack of knowledge. How does that relate to politics and government? The Republican Party has perished due to a lack of knowledge. The Democratic Party is not immune to the same destruction. Progressives: People who are progressive favor reform and civil liberties: this is the opposite of conservative, and means something close to liberal. Many people today, mostly young people, believe that Bernie Sanders is the father of progressivism in the USA. They believe he originated the idea of Medicare-For-All. He is not, and he did not. Why is it important to know that? If people mistakenly attribute universal healthcare insurance, i.e., Medicare-For-All to the wrong person, they are likely to place more weight on his or her positions related to it than they do on the positions of others who support it. Most of the progress we have made in social justice is the result of many people of all strips, well especially liberal stripes, fighting for decades and even centuries to bring that progress about. The idea of universal healthcare in the USA began with FDR. Not Bernie Sanders. https://timeline.com/social-security-universal-health-care-efe875bbda93 » Posted By TOCB On November 2, 2019 @ 7:08 am If we ever get another Democratic administration, will they investigate the investigators who investigated the investigators? » Posted By TOCB On October 25, 2019 @ 5:58 am As one of her top aides keeps the door open to a 2020 run, a host of Democratic senators are sending a polite warning to the failed 2016 nominee: Don’t do it. “She’s done a great service to our country and public service and I supported her wholeheartedly but I believe it’s time for another nominee,” said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). It strikes me as strange that Senator Durbin doesn’t say the same thing about Joe Biden. Hillary ran for president twice. The first time, the nomination was stolen from her as the DNC changed the rules during the primaries to help Obama win. The second time the Justice Department, the Russians and Congress actively worked against her. If there is one thing trump ever said that was true, it is that Biden only received 1% in any presidential election he ran in, AND whether it is true or not, I don’t know, but it was reported that Biden promised Obama that he would not run for president. So why is it okay for sitting Democratic senators to encourage a third Biden bid and not a third Clinton bid? That’s a good question, Lord. YOU answer it. I am reminded of a passage in the Bible that admonishes believers to not attempt to force their faith on those who refuse to accept it. It is theirs to accept or reject. This is the only reason I would not advise Hillary to run for president again. If the people choose Satan over God, there MIGHT be something wrong with the people. No, Hillary is not God, and she is not perfect, but she is A LOT closer to perfect than MOST who demonize her. Matthew 10: 13-15 If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. » Posted By TOCB On October 25, 2019 @ 5:41 am Trump and his minions, and his supporters, don’t believe it is a crime for republicans to solicit help from foreign governments to help them in elections, not withstanding the FACT that the law is codified as 52 USC 30121. Trump and many congressional republicans have actually said that for the world to hear. I suspect that if a Democrat did that, they would have a totally different opinion. Just because respondents in a poll say they don’t believe something is a crime, that does not mean it is actually not a crime. That might be why the Constitution does not require a poll to determine if a president should be impeached and removed from office. » Posted By TOCB On October 20, 2019 @ 8:18 am This is what Hillary Clinton is reported to have said in her interview about who pundits think is Tulsi Gabbard: Hillary Clinton says she believes that the Russians have “got their eye on somebody who’s currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate.” This is Gabbard’s response. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvRpkWtsY70 Gabbard responded with a furious tweetstorm Friday afternoon, where she blasted Clinton as “the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that sickened the Democratic Party for so long.” Call me stupid, but I trust Hillary Clinton’s judgement a LOT more than that of Tulsi Gabbard. Each of them are entitled to their opinions. However, we might consider that Clinton warned us about trump and we ignored her. She did not say Gabbard is a Russian asset, as the press is reporting. She said she believes Russia is grooming her. Gabbard does not have to be aware of Russia grooming her, in order for that to be true. Hillary did make the claim the Jill Stein is a Russian asset. I suppose if those in authority, including Gabbard in her position as a member of the Armed Services committee could actually look into that and question Clinton about it. Additionally, Gabbard has on many occasions made derogatory statements, as her opinion, about Clinton, AND she often includes the entire Democratic Party in those derogatory statements. People who think Hillary Clinton does not have a right to state her opinions as a private citizen may need to check themselves rather than Hillary Clinton. Do YOU have a right to express YOUR opinions? Quite frankly, I am more concerned about a presidential candidate criticizing a private citizen for expressing their opinions, EVEN IF that private citizen is Hillary Clinton. » Posted By TOCB On October 20, 2019 @ 8:00 am Stephanie Rulhe interviewed Rand Paul this morning and they discussed two pertinent issues, trump using the presidency to influence Ukraine to investigate one of his political opponents, and socialism versus democracy. Stephanie asked some good questions and challenged Paul on his responses, and Paul made the typical so-call small government conservative responses, including defending and making excuses for trump’s criminal acts. He also employed the “both sides” excuse for Ukraine, of course, using a false equivalency with Hunter Biden and Donald Trump and ignoring what trump is doing related to emoluments violations related to his business interests as well as activity by Ivanka and Jarred. I don’t think Bernie helped himself last week by saying he is not capitalist. I supposed he was being honest, but most Americans are not sharp enough to understand the difference between a pure socialist form of government, and using economic socialism along with capitalism as part of democratic republic. As I appreciate the difference between Warren and Sanders, other than one says she is a capitalist and the other says he is a socialist, Warren explains how she plans to accomplish the things she wants to use the government for to apply economic socialism in SOME areas of our economy, while Sanders proposes using economic socialism but not explaining how he is going to do it. In Bernie’s defense though, neither he or Warren is proposing a pure socialist form of government. The challenge they both have is educating Americans about the optimal mix of capitalism and economic socialism. It should be fairly easy to use Medicare-For-All/universal single payer insurance to fund healthcare as an example, because it is a simple concept to focus on healthcare from the perspective of treating diseases and maintaining a healthy society as opposed to focusing more on making profits than on healthcare, i.e., the private healthcare insurance industry. As far as Ukraine is concerned, the issue is pretty simple and clear. Trump used the office of the presidency to strong-arm a foreign nation to investigate a political opponent in order to help him in an election. THAT is a crime. It doesn’t matter that 12% of Americans (all of whom are republicans) don’t care if it is a crime. Our laws are not enforced based on whether the public likes them or not. The public’s part in laws is voting for representatives to “make” laws and presidents to “enforce” them. If the public doesn’t like a law, they can change it, but they can’t selectively enforce it. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:52%20section:30121%20edition:prelim) 52 USC 30121: Contributions and donations by foreign nationals §30121. Contributions and donations by foreign nationals (2) a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) from a foreign national. This is the law; It is not a suggestion. » Posted By TOCB On October 15, 2019 @ 7:49 am So the media is comparing Hillary Clinton’s email scandal with trump’s treason, abuse of power and other far more severe infractions/crimes? Do you remember the liberal media’s righteous indignation when then-candidate Donald Trump suggested that we should “lock up” Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election? Well, as it turns out, their party is increasingly falling victim to the same naive, authoritarian tendencies that they spent years decrying the Right for. According to a new poll from the Republican outfit Firehouse Strategies, a majority of Democratic primary voters in the three early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina want not just to see President Trump impeached, but to see him actually put in prison. As covered by Axios, the poll surveyed a representative sample of 1,765 likely primary voters via phone. It found 53% support for Trump’s imprisonment among Iowa Democratic primary voters, 50% among a similar group in New Hampshire, and 54% in South Carolina. So it’s official: Trump’s “lock her up” chant has come back to bite him. Nonetheless, it’s just as disturbing to see such authoritarian tendencies surging among the Democratic electorate. Locking up your political opponents is authoritarian in the extreme, and in the absence of extraordinary circumstances, is almost never worth doing. As an American, without regard to my party affiliation, I would support ANYONE who has done the things trump has done, to be imprisoned. First, what actual crimes has Trump committed that are somehow worthy of imprisonment? Even an impeachment-worthy abuse of power is not necessarily a criminal offense. Crimes against humanity, such as policies that cause the death of asylum seekers, excusing the murder of an American journalist because MBS buys planes from the USA, and now giving a green light for Turkey to use ISIS militia to kill Kurdish civilians for whatever reasons, are crimes that are worthy of imprisonment. » Posted By TOCB On October 15, 2019 @ 2:11 am She nailed it! I have often used that on people who say they are against a woman’s right to choose. If you don’t agree that women should have the right to choose, then don’t exercise that right yourself or don’t get a woman pregnant and put her in a position to choose to exercise that right. » Posted By TOCB On October 13, 2019 @ 6:28 am Trump AND congressional republicans are a CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER TO THE USA! » Posted By TOCB On October 13, 2019 @ 6:23 am INTENT. What’s up with trump’s State Department using WhatsApp to conduct what is “suppose to be” official State Department business? We went through at least a year of investigating Hillary Clinton for using a private email server to conduct official State Department business, and republicans wanted to “lock her up”. However, a lifelong republican who was the Director of the FBI decided that there was no nefarious intent on Clinton’s part and no classified data was compromised. (source: Black’s Law Dictionary) Criminal Intent: Overview Trump and his merry band of idiots not only used private communication to conduct “supposedly” official government business, but they MAY HAVE tried to conceal the fact that they were using official government status to conduct personal business on behalf of the “president” and themselves. They seem to have had criminal intent! More than four years after a squad of House Republicans led a charge against then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her handling of sensitive diplomatic information, the State Department is once again under scrutiny for how diplomats use personal phones to conduct official business. » Posted By TOCB On October 13, 2019 @ 6:19 am I worked in the oil and gas industry in Texas for 40 years. Most of the people I worked with were republicans. A few of them would discuss their political views with me. Although we sometimes agreed about certain things, we almost never agreed about how to fix them. Since I retired, I don’t get to talk to many republicans, but one republican I know will still engage me sometimes. I asked her today to explain to me why she still supports trump and the republican party. This is what she texted me. There have been many president that I didn’t like their personalities very much, at least not what I saw of their public personality and Trump is included in that. In fact, Obama was one of the few personalities I thought was decent enough to be a friend. That being said, the president is not about personality to me. It’s about what he does for the state of the country I live in. I happen to agree that many foreign countries have used and abused us and I like it that he wants that to stop. I like the state of the economy, low unemployment is a huge factor for me I worked with the poor most of my career and saw the frustration of mot being able to find a job. History has shown me that MOST politicians are greedy and on a quest for power so I rarely give credence to any of their promises. The “squad” however scares the life out of me. I think they hate America. But to be fair they are not the majority of Democrats. My daughter is a Democrat and we have stopped talking politics because as hard as I try to be moderate she cannot control her vehemence toward the president. I believe we can dislike someone but I do not agree we can disrespect or hate someone and in fact I don’t like much of the lashing out that Trump does when he is pushed but I do think he is pushed. But I also was raised to feel a certain way about the position. I remember telling my staff when they disagreed with our director and wanted to attack his character that you don’t have to like him but you not only have to respect his position, you have to follow his directions until he was replaced. I also tell my daughter that the actions of the Democrats this term is what is going to get Trump re-elected n 2020. You have no idea how childish their actions appear to the vast Republicans. I am not a diehard Republican. If Democrats came up with a moderate, reasonable candidate I would listen but I have yet to see one. I used to respect and wonder about Bernie, but now wonder where he’s coming from. Come on. Doesn’t every American know that nothing is free and usually it’s the middle class that pays no matter how they design it. This is a very sweet, professional white woman. She actually told me she supported Hillary Clinton in 2016 until two weeks before the election. I believe she honestly wants the best for the country, but how she thinks that involves trump and the GOP, I have no Earthly idea. She obviously believes Trump has been good for the economy and she likes his foreign policy. I KNOW this lady has a good heart. I cannot understand her logic though. » Posted By TOCB On October 5, 2019 @ 3:25 pm I just heard a law professor from Tulane University suggest that it is perfectly lawful for trump, or I assume any other president, to order the secretary of state or the attorney general to coordinate with a foreign country to investigate a private citizen of the USA, IF such investigation is focused on that citizen being involved in corruption in that country. This implies that there is a reason to support that the president is interested in personally stamping out corruption in countries all over the world. There is no indication that trump is interested in stamping out corruption ANYWHERE, unless it benefits him personally. However, I am sure trump and his supporters will attempt to persuade public opinion in this direction, AND at least 40% of Americans will no doubt accept this as credible. » Posted By TOCB On October 3, 2019 @ 10:30 am Although Congress is in recess now, Mitch McConnell MUST be thinking of an 25th Amendment move against trump. Otherwise, the entire GOP has a lifespan of approximately 13 months. Trump just OPENLY asked China to investigate the Bidens. We don’t need a transcript or an investigation. All we need are eyes and ears.
President Trump on Thursday encouraged Ukraine and China to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son amid growing concerns over how Trump has used his position to pressure foreign governments to look into his political rivals. Since China was not directly involved in this solicitation from trump, republicans are likely to say trump was just kidding, as they said when he asked Russia to find Hillary’s emails. For everyone else this is a sign of a complete meltdown of trump and by extension the GOP. » Posted By TOCB On October 3, 2019 @ 8:27 am Oh, my bad. You were addressing the “two sides” excuse, and not the “both sides” excuse. Yes, there are as many sides to a story as there are those telling the story. People have different perspectives. Trump MIGHT actually believe he is doing and saying the right things and there is nothing wrong with pressuring a foreign government to help him win an election. As wrong as that sentiment is related to the law and even morality, he is entitled to his opinion and his perspective. However, he is not entitled to his own facts or laws. And yes, it is imperative that those who respect morals and laws, stand solid for them. » Posted By TOCB On October 3, 2019 @ 7:22 am God is Love. Brandt Jean is the 18 year old brother of Botham Jean who was murdered by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, who was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for Botham’s murder. Brandt forgave Amber and told her he loves her. This is the example of the Love of the God I was taught about. Whoever calls themselves a Christian, this is the example of Christ. https://biblehub.com/nkjv/1_corinthians/13.htm The Greatest Gift » Posted By TOCB On October 3, 2019 @ 7:08 am The “both sides” excuse is only used when republicans can’t defend something. They just concede that they did something, but it is okay because “both sides” do it. NO!!! The reason we don’t have common sense gun safety legislation is because REPUBLICANS refuse to pass it. The reason we don’t have adequate affordable healthcare for every American regardless of their ability to pay, is because REPUBLICANS refuse to pass it. The reason we don’t have equal pay for women, is because REPUBLIANS refuse to pass it. The reason we don’t have federally funded climate change legislation is because REPUBLICANS refuse to pass it. The reason we don’t have comprehensive immigration reform, is because REPUBLICANS refuse to pass it. The reason women are denied reproductive healthcare rights, is because REPUBLICANS refuse to allow it. » Posted By TOCB On October 3, 2019 @ 2:00 am Trump said that Adam Schiff knew about the whistleblower’s complaint before it was filed, and indeed helped him or her write the complaint. Of course, no one but trump’s base believed a word of that, but the POTUS made this false claim before the whole world. According to a spokesperson for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, the whistleblower contacted the committee before raising concerns about alleged wrongdoing with the intelligence community inspector general. “Like other whistleblowers have done before and since under Republican and Democratic-controlled Committees, the whistleblower contacted the Committee for guidance on how to report possible wrongdoing within the jurisdiction of the Intelligence Community,” Patrick Boland, the spokesman, wrote in a statement. “Consistent with the Committee’s longstanding procedures, Committee staff appropriately advised the whistleblower to contact an Inspector General and to seek legal counsel.” So the whistleblower asked for guidance on how to legally file a complaint, and Schiff’s staff told the whistleblower to report it to the IG and to seek legal counsel. But the fact remains that even IF Schiff knew about the complaint before it was filed, and even IF Schiff’s staff helped the whistleblower write the complaint (which they did not do), that does not alter the facts of the complaint. Trump actually did what the whistleblower said trump did, as corroborated by the call notes released by trump. » Posted By TOCB On October 3, 2019 @ 1:43 am Trump had what was supposed to be a press conference this afternoon. What it really was, was a performance by the unstable genius and pathological liar about SOME of his impeachable offenses. How should the press handle trump’s so-called press conferences, since they know he is lying every time he opens his pie hole? Should they simply all just walk away? Should any member of the press who gets an opportunity to speak just tell him that the whole world knows he is lying, and ask him if he is going to tell the truth or is he going to once again put on one of his disgraceful and disgusting performances? https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a29342883/finland-president-shifty-schiff-trump-meltdown/ What in the hell is this man saying? He does not “always cooperate”—his administration is engaged in an unprecedented campaign of stonewalling on every front. His lawyers have made the argument, in a federal courtroom, that Congress has no oversight powers when it comes to the Executive. This is constitutionally absurd, but it’s what they said. But then it was time to rant about the Hoax and the Crime Against the American People and Shifty Schiff, whom this guy accused of having a mental breakdown. But this was just a prelude. » Posted By TOCB On October 2, 2019 @ 2:59 pm I guess it is natural for some people to fear change, especially when they are comfortable with the status quo. Of course, other people welcome change as an opportunity to grow, in spite of being comfortable with the status quo. I think that is one of the fundamental differences between progressives and conservatives. I am troubled though, by people of any persuasion who are unable to discern right from wrong. I don’t believe tribalism is nearly as strong among progressives as it is with conservatives. If a Democrat did the things trump has done, I don’t believe Democratic voters would support that person. Besides racism and bigotry, there is a reason trump chose to run for office as a republican rather than as a Democrat. The reason is he knew he could manipulate republican voters in a way that he could not manipulate Democratic voters. » Posted By TOCB On October 2, 2019 @ 2:33 am And the answer is, Hell no! » Posted By TOCB On October 2, 2019 @ 2:22 am Of course trump knows that Putin directed his people to work with the trump campaign as well as on their own to help trump win the 2016 election. I suspect Putin kept trump abreast of what he was doing. As for republicans supporting foreign nations investigating Joe Biden, a private citizen who happens to also be a potential 2020 opponent of trump, these are the same people who persuaded trump to declassify FBI records of their surveillances of Carter Page, even though the FBI used the proper agency to do that and they went through the proper court procedures to do it. However, they are okay with trump trying to gen up false information about Biden by applying pressure on our allies. https://www.apnews.com/181545c475ea45bfb10e2c82a5bf94bd All of this should be part of the articles of impeachment. As Rachelle Maddow succinctly put it, trump pressured a foreign ally to investigate a political opponent; trump admitted it; and trump will be impeached for it. That leaves republicans in the Senate to have to defend why they did not remove from office, trump, Pence, Barr, Pompeo, as well as hold Giuliani accountable for his part in the scheme. » Posted By TOCB On October 2, 2019 @ 2:19 am Poor trump! He is so harassed. » Posted By TOCB On October 2, 2019 @ 1:50 am Is Donald Trump a product of American conservatism? Considering the revelation of the July 25, 2019 telephone call between Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, public sentiment to impeach Donald Trump has increased dramatically. Prior to the Ukrainian phone call, 39% of Americans favored impeachment, while 53% opposed impeachment. According to a Ugov poll published on September 29, 2019, after the Ukrainian call, 55% of Americans favored impeachment while 45% opposed. Among Democrats 87% support impeachment, while 77% of Republicans disapprove. Independents are split 49% for impeachment and 51% opposed. » Posted By TOCB On September 30, 2019 @ 6:55 amComments Posted By TOCB
In a recent interview, Clinton didn’t mention Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii by name, but said she believes one candidate is “the favorite of the Russians.” Asked if the former secretary of state was referring to Gabbard, Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said, “If the nesting doll fits…”
(a) Prohibition
It shall be unlawful for-
(1) a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make-
(A) a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election;
(B) a contribution or donation to a committee of a political party; or
(C) an expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication (within the meaning of section 30104(f)(3) of this title); or
Criminal intent is a necessary component of a “conventional” crime and involves a conscious decision on the part of one party to injure or deprive another. It is one of three categories of “mens rea,” the basis for the establishment of guilt in a criminal case. There are multiple shades of criminal intent that may be applied in situations ranging from outright premeditation to spontaneous action.
It is possible to establish criminal intent even when a crime is not premeditated. Individuals who commit a crime spontaneously may still understand that their actions will cause harm to another party and contravene existing criminal law. In other words, an individual that takes or withholds action with the knowledge that such behavior will lead to the commission of a crime can be said to possess criminal intent.
But some of those same House lawmakers are now on the opposite side of the controversy, playing defense for U.S. diplomats.
On Tuesday, lawmakers said that President Trump’s top envoys for Ukraine and the European Union used personal phones and an encrypted messenger app as they conducted U.S. policy on Ukraine, a matter that was revealed during House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
The most vocal defenders of the Trump administration’s actions include some of the most aggressive critics of Clinton’s handling of sensitive information, including Rep. Jim Jordan (R) of Ohio, Rep. Mark Meadows (R) of North Carolina and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who as a Kansas congressman had attacked Clinton by underscoring the solemn role of soldiers in defending U.S. secrets.
“We have soldiers today in the field, fighting to protect classified information from getting out . . . [risking] a lot of their lives to keep the information safe. And Secretary Clinton handled this in a very different way,” Pompeo told a television host in February 2016, adding that she had violated “multiple laws.”
On Tuesday, Meadows dismissed concerns about the communications of the two diplomats, Kurt Volker and Gordon Sondland, saying their use of personal phones or encrypted apps was acceptable because they ultimately handed over their correspondence to the State Department.
“I would think that if they were honest about it they’d start a major investigation into the Bidens,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked what he wanted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to do about the Bidens following the July 25 call between him and Trump.
1) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2) And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body [a]to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4) Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [b]puffed up; 5) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, [c]thinks no evil; 6) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8) Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9) For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10) But when that which is [d]perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11) When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12) For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13) And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The New York Times first reported that Schiff “learned about the outlines” of the whistleblower’s concerns before the complaint was filed, after the soon-to-be whistleblower approached a committee aide with vague allegations of wrongdoing by Trump. The aide then shared some of that message with Schiff, according to the Times.
Trump, asked about the report that surfaced shortly before a Wednesday afternoon news conference with Finland’s president, held up what he said was a copy and called it a “scandal.”
“Well, I think it’s a scandal that he knew before. I’d go a step further: I think he probably helped write it. Okay? That’s what the word is. And I think it’s — I give a lot of respect for the New York Times for putting it out,” Trump said.
“At no point did the Committee review or receive the complaint in advance,” Boland wrote in the statement. He declined to elaborate when asked what exactly Schiff knew about the account before the complaint was filed.
What followed was a series of rants, some of them five minutes or more uninterrupted, in which Trump engaged in his stream-of-consciousness style in which no sentence gets finished and no syntax goes unpunished. Does he even know what he’s talking about? These seem to be fragments of Fox Newsian conspiracy babble bursting out of his mouth at odd intervals, colliding in his decrepit brain like bumper cars until one can go shooting forth into the world. Oh, and of course he lied, like when he said the “transcript” of his call with the Ukrainian president was “exact” and “word-for-word”—it said on the damn readout that it wasn’t verbatim.
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Supporting impeachment were 70% of Democrats, 5% of Republicans and 40% of Independents, and opposing impeachment were 23% of Democrats, 91% of Republicans and 51% of Independents.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/most-americans-oppose-trump-impeachment-hearings-after-mueller-report-but-questions-remain
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/29/politics/impeachment-inquiry-trump-cbs-poll/index.html
The movement is 17% more Democrats supporting impeachment after Ukraine, 14% fewer Republicans opposing impeachment, while Independents opposing remained the same and those supporting increased by 9%.
So, in the few days since Ukraine, a few more Democrats and Republicans support impeachment, while Independents have moved slightly toward impeachment. Basically, Americans are still deeply divided, so the question is why.
Democrats thought the Mueller Report provided enough evidence for impeachment based on Trump’s behavior related to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and obstructing justice in the ensuing investigation. Republicans thought the Mueller investigation was a witch hunt and so it was basically okay for Trump to obstruct justice related to that investigation. Democrats also believed that Trump has enriched himself financially by using the office of the presidency and that supports impeachment as well, while Republicans seem to think it is okay for Trump to comingle his personal business with his presidency.
So again, why are Americans so divided? If we dissect the Ukrainian issue, what we are looking at is an American president using the power of the presidency to influence a foreign government to investigate a political opponent and his son, in exchange for assistance from the USA in military aid to that foreign government which is involved in a hot war with Russia. Even if we put aside the fact that the claim made against the Bidens by Trump and his Republican supporters has been debunked by everyone who has looked at it, the part about pressuring a foreign government to investigate a political opponent alone is very troubling. So, the question arises that if a president other than a Republican president did this, would Republicans dismiss it as mere opposition research?
Is the underlying issue American conservatism verses American Liberalism? Conservatives who oppose Trump still agree with most of his policies like immigration, deregulation, Supreme Court appointments, trade and tax cuts for the wealthy, and they still deplore the Clintons. These conservatives want to distance themselves from Trump, in hopes that they can rescue the conservative movement. But did conservatism create Trump in the first place? Has the conservative agenda failed and thus created a shift to the left for most Americans?
Are the real issues facing Americans, a struggle between conservatism versus nationalism on the right, and liberalism versus socialism on the left?
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