Why waste time with that when there are more efficient ways to use that upper body strength:
You know, when I researched how to write mysteries, my favorite advice was asking yourself the question, "Who benefits?"
Most of Trump's actions are pretty clear: they benefit himself and all his billionaire buddies.
But I can't for the life of me figure out who benefits in a government shutdown.
Though someone else theorized he shut it down to stop the Democrats from accomplishing anything now that they have the House. Including pushing or supporting Mueller's investigation. Which wouldn't surprise me in the least.
Most of Trump's actions are pretty clear: they benefit himself and all his billionaire buddies.
But I can't for the life of me figure out who benefits in a government shutdown.
Though someone else theorized he shut it down to stop the Democrats from accomplishing anything now that they have the House. Including pushing or supporting Mueller's investigation. Which wouldn't surprise me in the least.
I don’t think it’s that complex. Trump wants to get re-elected and he thinks this is the way to do it. This matters to his base, A LOT, and I believe he thinks that pleasing his base is the only thing that matters in November of 2020.
It is expected that the Mueller report will be submitted in February. This about him getting the Senate in line to avoid impeachment. Remember the cheeto narrative is now, when we lied to the FBI about collusion it was an accident.
Also Guilliani just said the White House gets to review and edit the report before Congress can see it.
I feel like antagonizing the senate is a bad choice though. They all don't want this shutdown. They passed a bill unanimously back in December to avoid this.
I suppose. It's not like the Republican senators haven't let him do whatever he wants always. Just a power play that makes no sense when it's obvious this is incredibly unpopular. Trumps base won't leave him even if the wall doesn't exist.
Of course trump is an idiot so that explains it too.
Of course trump is an idiot so that explains it too.
The fact the president can be allowed to "edit" a report about his own possible crimes before it goes to congress is so stupid. All evidence needs to go untouched and if the president wishes to defend himself in a court of law, then do so, but he shouldn't be able to stack the deck just because he is president. We have checks and balances for a reason.
From the Jan 10 episode of Lou Dobbs Tonight:
--Patrick
The article that brought this to my attention then goes on to say: "This is 'a solution.' Is that your FINAL solution, Mr. Dobbs?"
--Patrick
GasBandit
Staff member
Yeah. Four years ago, it was the right that was the obstructionists, and the Democrat president that was perpetrating unprecedented executive overreach. That pendulum just keeps swinging, and nobody ever thinks their own shit stinks. "It's not X when WE do it!"
Dave
Staff member
The democrats have NEVER made their congressional platform to obstruct and prevent a president from doing anything. The republicans said IN PUBLIC during Obama's presidency that their main goal was to make sure he couldn't get anything passed.
Yeah, the democrats are doing it now, but the situations are completely different with an insane and destructive president and a complicit congress.
Yeah, the democrats are doing it now, but the situations are completely different with an insane and destructive president and a complicit congress.
Normally I use the derivative term cheeto from my youth to describe the piece of shit, but for this it needs his full name.
Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America has directed his administration to reclassify nuclear waste so that his administration will not be required to spend the money to safely clean and remove the nuclear waste that is currently leaking in Washington State.
Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America has directed his administration to reclassify nuclear waste so that his administration will not be required to spend the money to safely clean and remove the nuclear waste that is currently leaking in Washington State.
But it works oh so well.
GasBandit
Staff member
"It's not Unconstitutional when we do it." - Blotsfan
"Obama's pursuit of executive power without apology … will shape the presidency for decades to come.” - New York Times
"President Obama’s two terms have been characterized by “bureaucratic bulldozing, rather than legislative transparency.” (same article)
Candidate Obama: "The President doesn't have the authority to do that." A few years later, "I'm an Executive Order, and I pretty much just happen."
"President Obama is not just rewriting laws, he's creating them from scratch." - Unites States Supreme Court
"This is a power grab that usurps the power of congress to make law. Burning the constitution should not become part of our energy policy." -Harvard Law Professor (and Obama Mentor) Larry Tribe, who had also previously argued on behalf of Gore in Gore v. Bush, talking about Obama's adoption of the Paris Accords without Senate approval (and in defiance of it, in fact), when the constitution requires it for treaties.
I'm not "Both sidesing" it, I'm saying you were gleeful when Obama was paving the fucking way for Trump, and I Told You This Would Happen ™.
Dave
Staff member
So serious question. When a congress publicly says that they would never under any circumstances work with a sitting president so that he could not get anything done, what is that president supposed to do to move the country forward? I understand that this paved the way for Trump, but laying the blame at the feet of Obama ignores the culpability of the republicans and does exactly what they wanted people to do - blame others for their obstructionism.
GasBandit
Staff member
How about accept the contitutional limitations of your office, and petition the American people that if they want progress made, they're going to need to vote in midterms too, and pay attention to more than just the first election on ballots?
Once you set the precedent that "anything is OK as long as the ends justify the means," and "the rules don't apply to good guys," you've opened a can of worms that the other side will not hesitate to abuse.
GasBandit
Staff member
If you abandon contitutional democracy because the electorate is stupid, you never were in favor of democracy to begin with.
PS: I finally tracked down where we had this EXACT CONVERSATION before, back when "President Trump" was still a hilarious hypothetical.
Dave
Staff member
-heh- Yeah, you kinda got me on that one.
GasBandit
Staff member
I didn't say "a" democracy. You're right, we don't have "a" democracy, we have a representative republic, the representatives of which are elected through a process also known as "democracy."
Unless you were asserting we don't have that, either, anymore.
In which case my reply is, "then it's a good thing we have private gun ownership."
Those days were GLORIOUS.
If we have an armed uprising that isn't squelched immediately, it will be because the military also turns against the government, so IDK about that. And saying we have representatives is fine, except most of the populace just votes for a letter on a page regardless of if the person they are voting for gives 2 shits about them, and then the person they vote for votes in favor of whichever business gives them the most money. So if by representative democracy, you mean Representative Kleptocracy, then sure.
Again though, I'm talking about just keeping the country running and not using a shutdown to implement new things. Obama didn't say "DACA or no government."
The real problem is that the shithole states get a massively disproportionate say in the senate, so we have to put up with your racist uncle getting way more input than civilized people. Don't forget that the senate could end this today without trump's approval of the republicans had a spine.
The real problem is that the shithole states get a massively disproportionate say in the senate, so we have to put up with your racist uncle getting way more input than civilized people. Don't forget that the senate could end this today without trump's approval of the republicans had a spine.