I didn’t say he just supports random chaos monkeys when it comes to pushing that goal. You’re correct that he has an ideological preference, and who better to undermine Western liberal-democratic institutions than populists – especially right-wing nationalist ones who share Putin’s own values? The more isolationist, protectionist and nativist movements he can help gain traction in the West, the weaker Atlanticism becomes and the more room he has to behave as he likes in pursuing his own aspirations.
If they actually gain power it’s even better for him, but it’s important to understand that he’s not running some right-wing authoritarian version of the Comintern with these efforts. Putin’s focus is on reconstructing the Russian/Soviet territorial empire/sphere of influence that fell apart in 1991, restoring what his supporters call “Russian greatness.”
I don’t think its that complicated. Trump is in some ways well to the left of Clinton. He is not a right winger though he certainly has a right winger pulling some of his strings. Putin wants stupid people running his competition. So he promotes stupidity and dysfunction.
He would testify, but there’s that IRS audit, and…
Mr. Trump also asserted that Mr. Comey’s comments on Thursday, in which the former F.B.I. director implied that the president fired him for pressing forward with the Russia investigation, had failed to prove any collusion…
Is that what anyone else thought Comey’s testimony was about? I mean, Comey’s testimony failed to prove lots of things. So what? He testified about what he testified about.
“Comey’s testimony didn’t prove I paid Russian hookers to pee on me.” Okay, fine.
The man is delusional - certifiably so. He will pass through his impeachment and any criminal proceedings, all the way to his death, without ever being touched by doubt, second thoughts, or regret. In all things and in all ways, to Trump it’s always someone else’s fault.
The Congressional GOP won’t impeach Trump unless his support within the GOP base drastically weakens.
Corruption, treachery and incompetence is unlikely to shift their opinion, especially once filtered through Breitbart and Fox. There’s been a slight recent hint of waning enthusiasm, but I wouldn’t assume that is due to outside pressure; it’s just as likely to be driven by disappointment at the continuing existence of brown people.
The impression I get is that a lot of the base basically like the fact that Trump treats the presidency the same way that someone might treat being a rural mayor. He is a “common-sense” president. Just as no-one’s surprised if the mayor asks the town cop to drop a few speeding tickets for a friend, they find nothing particularly unusual or offensive about Trump asking Comey to drop the investigation.
After all, the main target has already resigned. The rest is just meaningless political theater.
The idea that there’s there’s a fundamental difference between being president and being a slightly corrupt small town mayor doesn’t quite mean anything to many of his supporters. No, strike that. The fact that Trump treats the presidency exactly the way they’d treat being president if somehow they won a presidential lottery is a massive point in Trump’s favor. They can relate.
Has he been caught with actual briefcases of money? Has he assassinated any “real” Americans. No? Then give him a break. So he lies. Everybody lies. That just makes him human like us. After all, we’ve already tried presidents that pretend they’re better than we are, and that hasn’t worked…
etc., etc.
It’s why I think Trump’s base is pretty much immune to the consequences of his horrible behavior. He’s awful like that braggart, good-for-nothing cousin. But that braggart, good-for-nothing cousin is still better than that fancy college-educated nephew who now thinks he’s superior to all of us.
No. Even just starting any impeachment procedures would most likely result in Trump/Pence doing a Nixon/Ford resign & pardon.
Yes, Trump would be removed from a position he is not fit to fill.
But he would also walk away from the utter mess he created scott free and unpunished.
As concerns grow that Donald Trump is doing lasting damage to the Republican brand, some conservatives are speculating that the New Yorker could really be working for the other side.
Anyone who thinks the Republican party can’t possibly be as mendacious and mercenary as Trump hasn’t been paying attention to them since the Southern Strategy.
I’ve been saying for a long time to anyone who will listen that 45* is the living embodiment of all The Seven Deadly Sins. Unfortunately, a large portion of both friends and family voted for him anyway, but at least some of them are beginning to vocally regret that decision.
The President is immune from federal civil lawsuits that deal with anything in his official capacity as President. He’s not immune from civil lawsuits for his personal behavior. In this case, I assume the courts would classify all of this as activity immune from civil lawsuit.
