General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCan we just, for once, play the long game?
Hecate_Demetersdatter
You know, I want Trump impeached, flogged, thrown into jail, pelted with poo, and kept in solitary w/o access to Twitter, Daughter-Wife, orange make-up, and McDonalds. And the rest of what I want is bannable and would get both me and Atrios in serious trouble, but I am a Witch who believes that a Witch who cannot hex cannot heal and I CAN, in fact, heal, so I'll just leave that bit for your imagination. I want him impeached with the heat of ten thousand suns. But Pelosi has a point. She counts votes. That's what she does. It's who she is. And at this point Trump: (1) can't get impeached thanks to the Senate, and winning an impeachment battle will make him look "strong" to his cult and, (2) is a wounded beast that Pelosi may as well keep stabbing between now and next year. Can we just, for once, play the long game?
https://www.eschatonblog.com/2019/03/brexit-vote-day-tomorrow.html#comment-4374257873
Quemado
(1,262 posts)Start cutting!
slumcamper
(1,606 posts)DownriverDem
(6,232 posts)As much as folks here and on other sites want a far left candidate, the country is not far left. We need a candidate that can win in a number of states to win the Electoral College. We need to play long ball which we didn't in 2016. So what do we do? Biden with a strong progressive woman as VP would be a formidable team.
Biden/Harris could win. It's not who I like or who you like. It's who could win.
onit2day
(1,201 posts)We must hold presidents accountable to reinforce we are a nation of laws. I also firmly believe we lost the House because Pelosi refused to impeach Bush. What good are the dems if they allow repubs to tear down our nation and refuse to hold them accountable. Look at how much damage Bush/Cheney did that possibly could have been restrained. The same with Trump. Impeaching Trump gives Congress more investigative powers and there has never been a more corrupt president as we already know.
There is no doubt in my mind that the senate will NOT convict but I disagree that this will make dems look bad. It will succeed in making repubs look bad. Trumps base will not cheer any louder than they are now in the midst of Trumps criminal behavior. There is so much evidence of Trump wrong doing that refusing to impeach will tell future presidents they can get away with anything. Pelosi can walk and chew gum at the same time but please don't repeat the past because not impeaching may cost us the senate like it did the House last time. Republicans will be held accountable for supporting the Trump crime family...not the dems, who hopefully will do everything in their power to stop him and stand up for the people. No matter what, Trump will not win a 2nd term. Any of our candidates can beat him. Only cheating will even give him a chance. It's not "IF" we should impeach, but "WHEN".
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,899 posts)As much as I'd like to see Trump not just impeached but tarred, feathered and ridden out of town on a rail, as long as conviction following impeachment remains impossible - and it will, unless either Mueller or the House committees find the equivalent of Nixon's "smoking gun" tape - the best strategy is the death by a thousand cuts for the next year and a half. Trump wants the impeachment battle. He always wants someone to fight with; it makes him look powerful to his dimwitted, authoritarian-follower base. Pelosi's strategy of not giving him that fight and instead saying he isn't worth it (which should and probably will rankle him terribly), while continuing to inflict one political colonoscopy after another on him, is the smart one.
cannabis_flower
(3,768 posts)Conviction following defeat!
greblach
(257 posts)This will bug the orange one mightily...
MyOwnPeace
(16,940 posts)I'm shocked that he hasn't come out DEMANDING that Pelosi impeach him. After all, she said "he isn't worth it!"
"Waa..waa..waa.. Am too, am too!!"
lunatica
(53,410 posts)which is the ultimate slap in the face.
I cant believe that this country, this powerful Democratic country that struggles to be better is in fucking thrall to one of the worst type of human beings. He has torn us down to the lowest common denominator with his narcissistic crudeness. Every single thing he does diminishes us, our legacy and our potential. He represents the absolute worst in humanity.
Sometimes it really hits me.
littlemissmartypants
(22,839 posts)And that's thre really disturbing part. What will be left when Trump is gone? I don't anticipate the millions of his base going back to the shadows quietly! We will be dealing with the fallout of Trumps regime for a generation
crud
(627 posts)I get more cynical everyday, it make me ache.
MH1
(17,608 posts)to vote against him, in 2016.
That is why we are here. Not because of Trump. There will always be people like Trump. It is the people who handed him the power of the U.S. Presidency, who are the problem.
Andy823
(11,495 posts)Came to 46% of registered voters a total of 92,077,433. We really need to get them out in 2020 so we can vote trump out of office.
GetRidOfThem
(869 posts)I wish impeachment would work, but I really do not want to give the guy even more power and assertiveness, which is what happened if the process failed, which under current circumstances it would.
We have not clue what the Mueller report, or the SDNY investigations, will yield. The impeachment issue must wait until the gun is smoking so badly and the barrel is so hot that we would get the majority of Republicans to agree.
Who knows, we might be there. But until the investigations have concluded we know nothing, really. So we do need to sit tight and play a "long" game...
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)it's the duty of our politicians to impeach him.
There is no "long game." THIS is the long game that we are currently "playing."
Why is the House conducting investigations?
Why is Mueller conducting an investigation?
Just so the Democrats can say, "See? He's a bad guy." End of story?
slumcamper
(1,606 posts)Many want a swift "beheading." I get that.
Settle in and observe the machinery of real congressional oversight in action. And watch the object(s) of that oversight sweat and squirm.
Hang tight and hold on.
klook
(12,171 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)His supporters, like a cult, are there to stay.
Russia doesn't care about investigations. It is there in our election process to stay.
Watch him squirm? I think we can put tens of millions of dollars to better use than to make Trump squirm. Besides, the more the invesigations proceed, the stronger his support digs in. His approval rating has gone UP since the investigations began.
If we don't try to remove him, or failing that, impeach him, there is no point to the House investigations, that I see. Or the Mueller investigation, for that matter. Except to stir up the base on the left, and as a counter measure, to stir up the base on the right as they react to what they perceive as attacks on their leader.
The Muller investigation and the House investigations have been divisive. Still, they proceed. So that is no reason not to impeach.
I don't see what the end game could be, if not impeachment.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)She said. WTH.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)I'm a moderate...really. If I think that impeachment should be pursued if the evidence shows impeachable offenses, I'm pretty sure that's not a radical idea. It's our duty.
I don't see the point to all the investigations, if we don't impeach. Talk about divisive...all the investigations. And the cost is tens of millions of dollars.
Trump's response to Nancy's assurance that "we're not trying to impeach you": "That's good, Nancy. Because you don't impeach people who are doing a good job."
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)On TV struggled to explain.
Totally agree...hearings just as bad if not worse than impeachment. Often thought that impeachment would pull everything together in a nice neat concise bundle and lay it out there. And Russia needs to block fox signal so wingnuts have to watch on real tv network.
Why not say, many think there are definitely impeachable offenses already but we will wait for mueller report. Then hopefully the republican will do their duty instead of protecting a corrupt administration.
I hear you about being more moderate. Think I have become more pragmatic. Irresponsible to throw out progressive ideas without some business plans on how you get from point a to point b.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)She told him that during the shutdown.
So maybe that's a factor.
Trump's response was, "Good. Because you don't impeach someone who's doing a good job!"
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Now the republicans think youve committed crimes too? Saying something is not worth it means to me that nothing wrong has been done.
BeyondGeography
(39,386 posts)You know, the one where separation of powers and the rule of law applies.
People can become so dug in on their personal loyalties that they become a danger to themselves.
themaguffin
(3,828 posts)and I don't see a scenario where they actually do their part as long as the GOP controls it.
BeyondGeography
(39,386 posts)My point is we normalize criminality at an enormous price if we fail to hold Trump accountable for verifiable impeachable offenses (the evidence on obstruction is already there plus if Cohen is telling the truth Trump is guilty of five felonies) because of perceived political difficulties. We're not talking about a highway bill here.
If statements of principle don't do it for you, public impeachment hearings would be a far more effective way to put Trump and the Republicans on the defensive in advance of 2020 than passing legislation that has no hope of becoming law because, like impeachment, it lacks Senate support. I really don't get the queasiness. Too divisive? That's the weakest part of her argument.
themaguffin
(3,828 posts)She should have left out the part of division. He's causing it, along with his party.
OMGWTF
(3,980 posts)Beartracks
(12,821 posts)... a different tack may be appropriate, even necessary, for the time being.
======
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Do you? Why are we dividing the country by doing the House investigations? Why are we spending tens of millions of dollars on the House investigations?
To find out that the President of the U.S. is unfit for office, and not try to protect the country from him, is....well, I won't say it. Suffice to say that I can only wonder "What's it all about, Alfie?"
uponit7771
(90,367 posts)Well said
nini
(16,672 posts)If they weren't that jerk would be gone already.
God I wish it was as simple as you think.
littlemissmartypants
(22,839 posts)manor321
(3,344 posts)Nancy is completely wrong.
notdarkyet
(2,226 posts)watoos
(7,142 posts)Is if she is doing this to give Mueller more time.
It is her duty to impeach when warranted
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)He's committed grievous crimes...but we will wait for Mueller to add to it.
Ilsa
(61,705 posts)at least for now. When (I won't say "if" Mueller's report provides evidence of high crimes, we can recount the senate vote votes. If the gop still tows the putin party line, then they've won; they've destroyed the US from within, without ever firing a shot.
BamaRefugee
(3,488 posts)Mr.Bill
(24,334 posts)it did give us Obama.
BamaRefugee
(3,488 posts)and nothing would happen to them.
Looks like they were right, almost everything Obama did has been wrecked by them, and they just REFUSED and OBSTRUCTED Obama's right to appoint a Supreme Court justice.
watoos
(7,142 posts)and very much overlooked is the role that the far right M$M plays in aiding and abetting Republicans. When I say far right I also include msnbc.
uponit7771
(90,367 posts)uponit7771
(90,367 posts)pnwmom
(109,009 posts)to pass legislation before the R's came in and started blocking him.
watoos
(7,142 posts)pnwmom
(109,009 posts)aeromanKC
(3,328 posts)I will defer to the Speaker on this even though I absolutely believe Trump deserves at least the * for historical purposes. Let the Senate go down in History for refusing to convict a corrupt President.
But again, You gotta believe Speaker Pelosi knows more than we do. (can see see under black redacted lines!!?? I think she can)
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)watoos
(7,142 posts)I am for impeachment too but I accept Speaker Pelosi's decision. There is nothing wrong with Democrats having rigorous debates so long as we stay together in the end. The only way we lose in 2020 is if we fight among ourselves. Posting right wing talking points here about Democrats being in disarray serves no purpose.
That comment is not directed at you Laura.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)like that. It sounded juvenile to me. And we are supposed to be responsible for insuring he doesn't commit a crime?
aeromanKC
(3,328 posts)And from I see she is kicking Trumps ass!! (Hell, he's still deciding red or black) But, I also see someone else just gave Pelosi a boost at her next move with this headline: "New York Attorney General Opens Investigation of Trump Projects" Which by the way is a State case. Nothing in DOJ memo's about not indicting the President in state cases!!
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)But here is what I dont understand. What is happening that you refer to as 3 d chess? Everyone says that...I dont see it. There are a lot of great adjectives to describe pelosi. Admired, persuasive, good feel for votes, numbers, etc. but the nature of the job itself...doesnt seem more than having the votes or not. Black or white. Saying hes not worth it (impeachment) - what does that actually do. It sounds so flip to me. Not serious enough. If stalling as more dirt comes out, ok.
orleans
(34,084 posts)can we just have him arrested and frogmarched out of the white house instead?
Poiuyt
(18,131 posts)Future presidents should know that there are real consequences to their actions. If Trump has committed impeachable offenses, then it's Congress's responsibility to act and make an example of him. Presidents and other executives will continue their corrupt ways if they know that they're going to get away with it.
Maybe committing campaign finance crimes by paying hush money isn't serious enough to impeach. Maybe accepting bribes in the form of foreign emoluments isn't either. But conspiring with a foreign adversary to subvert our elections sure in hell is.
AND Dems will, once again, be perceived as almost as bad. Pox on both houses. Smh
Dixc
(52 posts)I stand with Speaker Pelosi right now.
watoos
(7,142 posts)there is nothing wrong with Democrats to disagree with Pelosi but accept her decision. I am for impeachment and strongly for Speaker Pelosi even though I disagree with her. Boy, that was very bad grammar, but I'm going to let it stand.
Dixc
(52 posts)I think disagreement can lead to discussion. Seems like you jumped to some sort of conclusion about my opinion. I will not do the same about your opinion.
mgardener
(1,822 posts)I have this wish that someone would dump a barrel of water on him. Maybe Mr. Kraft could arrange it after a winning football game. I would like to see what that orange mess on his head looks like wet. And photographed.
And then I want the full fury of Mueller's report to prove a conspiracy with Russia.
And, the full force of the SDNY on the entire Trump crime family syndicate, including Jared.
I really do want to see how the family looks in orange.
And maybe something on Shawn Hannity. I really can't stand white men who have a permanent sneer, they are never up to any good.
PatrickforO
(14,594 posts)he might go like the Wicked Witch and melt...Oh what a world, what a world!
pazzyanne
(6,559 posts)Maybe that is why he doesn't share his umbrella, refuses to go to outdoor events in the rain, etc. He is afraid of melting? In the end, I just want him to go away permanently. In the meanwhile, lets focus on creating a BLUE WAVE in 2020. I think all agree that we need to get rid of tRump ASAP!
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)It might find him!
Thekaspervote
(32,809 posts)solara
(3,836 posts)We can't afford to be careless now. trump must pay for ALL of his crimes and they are legion.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, When you strike at a king, you must kill him. or more familiarly, from the TV show 'The Wire,' spoken by the character, Omar Little - "You come at the king, you best not miss."
Either way, this is true - especially with trump, the king wannabe, and his hand-maiden, McConnell. The whole story, the whole truth must be revealed, all of it. Every little nasty morsel must be presented to We The People and to the world and once the incontrovertible evidence of trump's corruption and fraud; of his sociopathic, sexual criminality and treason - once the world is shown absolute proof of his crimes..then the people will demand remedy.
And so be it.
watoos
(7,142 posts)the M$M is complicit with Republicans. If we had an impartial M$M Trump would have been already impeached.
yortsed snacilbuper
(7,939 posts)ancianita
(36,158 posts)DinahMoeHum
(21,814 posts). . .and he thinks it's better to bleed Trump with thousands of cuts, through everybody else around him being investigated, going to prison, getting voted out of office (including him) come 2020. 'Cause when he steps out of the WH come January 2021 after being ignominiously defeated and denied a 2nd term. . .BANG !!! BUSTED!!!. . .Onto the SDNY to answer for what he's done.
P.S. There will likely be a YouTube on this interview in a matter of hours.
Bettie
(16,132 posts)he dislikes Trump, but mostly because Trump says the things out loud that they are only supposed to speak of in private.
Don't make the mistake of thinking he's even nominally on the side of human beings.
DinahMoeHum
(21,814 posts)Those are two different entities. Please learn the difference.
Work with an ally, but never completely trust him or give him any position of consequence.
uponit7771
(90,367 posts)DinahMoeHum
(21,814 posts)It's up to the Senate to convict/remove Trump, and right now, we do not have the 67 votes needed for it.
Which means it may be better to keep Trump's crimes/corruption (and by extension the GOP's) in the sunlight, and crush them at the polls in 2019 and 2020.
When Trump leaves the WH in January 2021, THAT is when he should be arrested and taken to the SDNY to answer for what he did.
uponit7771
(90,367 posts)... There's no reason to believe we'll have a more fair election this time than last time seeing the cut in resources to keep outsiders from interfering.
Doesn't mean we sit back and do nothing but "crushing" isn't what is going to happen when RussiaPublicans are getting outside help.
DinahMoeHum
(21,814 posts)Putin and his fellow pillocks can be beaten, along with the GOP. Don't ever say they can't.
We kicked GOP ass in 2018. And there's more to come in 2019 and 2020.
BTW, are you involved with your local hometown Democratic Party committee/club? If you're not, then what are you waiting for?
uponit7771
(90,367 posts)No one intimated the Russians can't be beat I am ... SAYING ... that the Trump admin is helping them by reducing resources needed to fight outside influence.
I just don't trust "crushing" anything when there's Russian interference involved.
Point being we can't trust the Trump admin enough to wait for elections, that's doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
PatrickforO
(14,594 posts)I know at age 60 I am a heck of a lot more patient than I was in my 20s and 30s. Pelosi has nearly 20 years on me and is clearly quite patient. She's a smart Speaker.
Thing is, the GOP has been screwing us since 'tailgunner' Joe started the blacklists. Then Nixon commits treason by sabotaging the Vietnam peace talks until he won the election. The Southern Strategy and dog whistles. Then Watergate, CREEP, Atwater and Rove. And then Reagan? End of the Fairness Doctrine. Beginning of systematic union busting. And then three stolen elections since 2000. Swiftboating.
And lastly we have Trump. He doesn't even try to hide his corruption. He's presiding over the final ravaging of our treasury - the largest multi-decade transfer of wealth in the history of the world. Trillions hidden offshore. A giant tax cut for billionaires and corporations. Iron triangles. The Panama Papers. Cozy Bear and Putin. A multi-billion dollar boondoggle wall.
I'm hoping, kpete, that this long game ends with overturning not only Trump and his criminal empire, but also ends up overturning the primacy of the shareholder doctrine and redistributing all the wealth that has systematically been stolen.
I want healthcare, strong Social Security, subsidized debt-free college, and my grandkids need that Green New Deal NOW.
deurbano
(2,896 posts)Senate, so he will have that asterisk by his name forever, to show Democrats stood against this deplorable, hateful, racist, sexist, xenophobic (etc.), amoral, immoral, grifting con-artist whose campaign committed crimes to win the election.
That said, maybe when he is a lame duck? (Kick him on his way out...) Maybe that would be the best timing.
oregonjen
(3,342 posts)pamela
(3,469 posts)Or maybe 24 business years.
CentralMass
(15,265 posts)GeorgeGist
(25,324 posts)chillfactor
(7,584 posts)Pelosi never said she would NEVER consider an impeachment... .she knows she doesn't have the votes NOW......what good does an impeachment do but divide the country even more and is DOA when it gets to the senate?
Bettie
(16,132 posts)overwhelmingly bipartisan.
That means never, because there is literally nothing that would make Republicans turn on their golden idol.
oasis
(49,428 posts)Trump and all of his warts has to have his ass flattened at the polls. That way we take both of 'em down.
DinahMoeHum
(21,814 posts)n/t
LuvNewcastle
(16,860 posts)I don't want them running Pence as some sort of 'moderate' against our 'socialist' candidate. I want to run against unhinged, drug-snorting, scandal-ridden Trump.
oasis
(49,428 posts)His flaws are minor by comparison.
jimlup
(7,968 posts)more important now than ever.
NoMoreRepugs
(9,480 posts)the Orange Douche's chances in 2020. Madame Speaker is skilled in the art of politickin' and understands this. Just keep building the dirt pile with more oversight and investigations and bury him.
Bettie
(16,132 posts)We aren't even in the game. We are on the sidelines watching our country being destroyed, powerless to do anything.
Skidmore
(37,364 posts)and if you want in the arena, run for office.
pazzyanne
(6,559 posts)It is hard looking on from what feels like the sidelines. However, focus on what is being done on the stage in front of us, especially since the Democrats won the House. Considering we have controlled the House for just 2 months, a lot has been done. Give the time needed to unravel the mess because it is a big one! Doing things the quick way is not always prudent. I agree that we need tRump out ASAP, but lets do that using a well coordinated strategy. A rush to the finish may just result in fatal errors. Concentrate on creating a Blue Wave for 2020. WHEN we pull that off, we will have won the long game without doing more damage IMO.
Bettie
(16,132 posts)My oldest son turned 18 today and I am so afraid for his future.
I have no idea how we're going to get him through college without crippling debt to him and us, I have a sinking feeling that raising him to be honest and decent will end up being a mistake and that it will hamper him in life rather than helping him.
It's just becoming too much. It is becoming so much actual work to believe that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. I live among MAGATs and they adore their orange leader.
This morning at the grocery store, two of them were discussing how 'even Nancy Pelosi knows that he's innocent and she finally admitted it'.
It took everything I had to just get my stuff and walk out without engaging in an argument that can't be won because these people are too fucking stupid to live.
pazzyanne
(6,559 posts)Others here on DU have given me the encouragement that is needed to move forward. I have a family of MAGATs that have basically thrown me as well as my youngest brother out of the family based on their cult behavior. It is demoralizing, but I know right from evil. Uniting with those who recognize evil and are fighting to preserve good gives me hope. We are now moving in the right direction, and we need to stay positive and on course. Stay strong and carry on!
mahina
(17,715 posts)I only ever heard of it when a friend from the Obama volunteers in my area, an alum, shared her lifelong love of the school. She still goes back once in a while and stays there. Its a great education.
Good luck to you and your son.
Bettie
(16,132 posts)We will be checking into it and thank you!
mahina
(17,715 posts)As always, a bit earlier is better, especially since theres an endorsement letter needed by then.
Best luck!
PinkTiger
(2,590 posts)Im a retired college professor. Unless you have to go Ivy League. And even if he does want Yale, he can go to a community college and then qualify for a full ride to a university that will take him through grad school.
Firestorm49
(4,037 posts)TNNurse
(6,929 posts)on camera, certainly not in person, when he heard her say "He is just not worth it".
drmeow
(5,028 posts)As many of Trump's satellites indicted, tried, convicted, jailed, and financially damaged as possible. I want some long term loss of power for these traitorous f**ks. If not impeaching the orange shittgibbon increases the likelihood of long term damage to those people I fully support it.
What I'd like to see done to McConnell would get me banned. I'd ALMOST (not really) vote for a Republican if doing so would guarantee the complete and utter destruction of that man and every member of his family - and I do mean complete and utter destruction as in destroying them now, wiping out their genetic line permanently, and having them historically lumped with every other famous traitors (Benedict Arnold, Aldrich Ames, Tokyo Rose, Aaron Burr, Julius Rosenberg)
aikoaiko
(34,185 posts)I get it that there are those who think we should impeach even if we can't convict and there are those who are ready to impeach if we have the Senate votes, but Pelosi gives up soundbites that are easily repeated and sometimes comes across as undermining the possibility of impeachment.
No one is perfect.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)The next president is going to look sane and competent with Trump as a reference. I'd far rather that be anyone currently or reasonably projected to run for the Democratic nomination, rather than seeing Pence get the benefit of that relief from the public mood.
We need to be running our candidate against Trump in order to guarantee victory, at least as much as things can be guaranteed politically speaking.
Paladin
(28,277 posts)"If you're a Democrat who thinks impeachment should be off the table because it might piss off some Republicans, then you're just doing their job for them."
Long Game, my ass.
Politicub
(12,165 posts)Hekate
(90,865 posts)heckles65
(549 posts)sell no wine before its time. I am 100% with Nancy on this one.
BlueWI
(1,736 posts)2 years? 4 years? 8 years?
How about we lose the cliches and look at the calendar instead?? Eighteen months till the 2020 election!! Is the long game shorter than that, or longer than that? I hope it isn't longer!!
Meanwhile signaling to the Republicans that the opposition party has no stomach to hold a president accountable for obstruction of justice, personal enrichment through relationships with foreign governments, etc??
How weird is it to have to convince Democrats that Trump is unfit for office and all legal options should be left on the table???
Orwellian reasoning on impeachment is getting a lot of recs. Sad!!