If you think that’ll help.
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Yet Ford pardoned him. You don’t have to be convicted, or even charged to be pardoned.
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That is unsettled law. If he tried it, it would go to the SCOTUS really quick. In a sane world the SCOTUS would rule he can not pardon himself because that would make him above the law. In this world? Who the fuck knows.
The president can’t pardon anyone out of an impeachment (impeachment isn’t just for presidents, its any elected official maybe even appointees too). But all an impeachment can do is remove you from office. There are no criminal consequences.
Won’t make a bit of difference. Their mindset is that everybody is a criminal, they are just happy to have a criminal who is on “their side.” That’s why every time he does something egregious they immediately reference clinton - the FOXGOP did such a great job of turning her into a murderous, baby-fucking traitor that there is literally no crime he could do that would top her crimes and the FBI let her go scot-free so he should too.
This recent poll found that only 29% of his supporters would disapprove if he shot someone.
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Good stuff. The distinction between impeachment and criminal consequences is what I was aiming for but missing, thanks!
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I’m sure they’ll sell it as ‘bringing efficiency to the government by making any Democratic investigations moot’ or some such bullshit.
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There’s some suggestion that his whole campaign was (primarily) a money-laundering operation, so getting elected was just gravy (in that he can now further profit off of being president). So as long as he doesn’t go to jail (which he clearly won’t), it may all be a big win for him.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/special-counsel-investigating-possible-money-laundering-by-paul-manafort-1500587532?mod=e2tw
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Nothing is True…Everything is Negotiable…
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On the other hand if he goes far enough he will wipe out the private prison industry, there is that.
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I know the electorate is more polarized than ever. I know that tribalism plays a big role in a lot of what we humans do. But what in holy hell do people see in this shitbag?
He’s not smart. Or charming. Or funny. Or crafty. Or effective. Or handsome.
Is it just that he was on TV and some people can’t help toadying up to bullies?
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I think his drawcard is that he’s an utter fucking moron.
That’s highly relatable in a country that’s done so much for so long to promote idiocy.
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His supporters are despised arseholes.
Their ambition is to be feared arseholes.
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Some people emphasise the “representative” part of “representative democracy”.
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I am given to understand that the Office of Legal Counsel has already ruled that the answer is ‘No’.
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It feels entirely appropriate that the tool can’t even find the right tool.
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But that answer is irrelevant, as the President cannot be prosecuted.
The courts will not save you. Only you have that power.
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His biggest draw is probably that he’s hated by the right people.
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“Can’t be prosecuted” only applies while in office. If the question of a self-pardon comes up, it’s in the context of cleaning the slate for a post-presidential future. This has the encouraging corollary that the possibility of “President-for-Life” has already been considered but rejected.
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Eight years is sufficient for the US military to slaughter millions of brown people.
In eight years, Trump will probably be dead. Which gives you the choice between Ivanka and Pence, either of which will continue the massacre.
What does it take for Americans to pull their finger out and clean house?
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I didn’t do anything illegal, because if the president does it then it’s not illegal, but just in case, will I be able to pardon myself for my crimes? Asking for a friend.
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I think that he has a talent at figuring out what people are angry at and parroting that back to them. To some extant that is an iterative process and you could SEE how he honed his message on the campaign trail. In his semi random statements, if something got applause, he repeated and expanded on it in the next speech. If it got no reaction, he quietly dropped it. So he doesn’t have a platform, or a program, just a series of grievances, and no real plans or ability to solve them. People see him as genuine because he is so unguarded, but his promise everything and deliver nothing pattern makes him even worse as a “politician.”
Edited to add…Kind of a cross between Clinton’s “I feel your pain,.” and emperor Palpatine’s “Give in to your anger.” sort of “I feel your hate.”
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