And the Verdict . . . (as if we did not know)?
Stolen from the comments section. Will Romney pay the price? I do not think so. He may get critiqued by the madman in the White House; but, I am not so sure if he can touch Romney.
By EMichael
Credit where credit is due. Despite the fact that he faces almost no repercussions for his vote, Romney deserves credit.
Otoh, let us hope that Collins latest reptilian act costs her the Senate.
“No, Romney set himself apart. Even if he is only concerned with the judgment of history, it has put him in a far better place than the sycophants and enablers who so befouled the old halls of the legislature during the president’s pantomime State of the Union address Tuesday night. Romney’s speech was sweeping, decisive, and hardly short on moral clarity.
In one section, he got to the heart of it.
‘What he did was not “perfect”— no, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security interests, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.’
That’s it. The president attacked American democracy, undermining the legitimacy of an American presidential election, to keep himself in power. He used his power to stay in power, regardless of the people’s will. It is the essential abuse of power. It is the elemental high crime and misdemeanor. The president extorted an ally who’s under assault by authoritarian Russia until they agreed to ratfuck his domestic political opponent for his own personal gain. Then he sent his lawyers to the floor of the United States Senate to argue that if he deems his re-election to be in the national interest, he can do anything to get re-elected. Never mind that the purpose of the election is to allow voters to decide if his re-election is in the national interest. These craven fools would make for themselves an American king and gleefully bow before him.
If the president is acquitted, and it appears he will be, he will put Alan Dershowitz’s despicable argument to the test. He will do the same he did with Ukraine, and more, here and abroad. Susan Collins has enabled this on the hilarious pretense that “the president has learned from this case.” The idea Donald Trump is chastened when he gets away with something was absurd on its own before Trump declared, within 24 hours, that he still believed what he’d done was “perfect.” Now Collins says she should have said she “hopes” Trump learned a lesson. How’s that for an historical epitaph?
Romney will pay the price for his integrity in a party that has jettisoned any discernible principle beyond full-bore allegiance to The Leader. Already, Junior is calling for him to be expelled from the party, because there is nothing holding the party together except frightened servitude. Republicans do not care about The National Debt. They’ve said nothing as Trump exploded it and the deficit hit $1 trillion a year. They don’t care about free markets over government intervention in the economy. Trump is driving a fully socialist program to pay farmers whose businesses have been decimated by his trade war. All anyone cares about in this new American Versailles is garnering the leader’s favor. Romney, for all his past malleability, should be applauded for standing up straight when his colleagues would bend to greed and fear.”
“Mitt Romney Will Pay the Price for Failing to Serve the Leader,” Jack Holmes, Esquire Magazine,
“He used his power to stay in power”
That’s something Mitch McConnell, for one, certainly understands, and no doubt, admires.
Sandi
Sandi:
Mitch finesses it and trump??? Well, what can you describe or how would one describe his actions and/or character?
Run, I’m all out of adjectives.
I’m wondering when we’ll find our bottom as a nation? How low can we go? And do I really want to find out?
Now that what passed for restraints are off, how far will Trump go?
Sandi:
He never had restraints. Think about what he has said. I collected a whole page+ of his quotes plus citations and people just look past them. I have a “privileged” cousin who l pray up a storm, go to church on weekends, and he accepts this behavior. To talk to him, you would think he is quite the guy. Not any more and I dropped him because I can not accept trump’s behavior as acceptable much less normal.
And the senate Republicans? Cowards. Collins, ok we all knew you were lying. Just do it and quit feigning anger and remorse at trump as you are lying. Murkowski, faux anger. Even Romney one yes vote is weak. trump can’t touch Romney.
They are a joke.
Sandi:
As I told one group, trump could still win the 2020 election. He has the support of people who believe he is doing right by them and pushing hard on liberals who want higher taxes, equal rights, etc. I live north of Ann Arbor in a county which is rich in income and 95% white. On the other side of Ann Arbor is the town of Saline. Yesterday, they had a community school meeting on racial relations, the community is 88% white. Considering the proximity of Ann Arbor, one would think it would be rather open and accommodating meeting.
One father, a Mexican by birth, was talking about how his son came home and was affected by the comments being made. He felt the community schools could do better. Now this was on TV . . . one white father said to him “why didn’t you stay in Mexico.” The answer was “this is the greatest country in the world.” Mind you, the Mexican father had been here 40 years, owns three restaurants in town or near it. He made his way in the US and in a relatively hostile Michigan. The people were aghast at the other person’s comments and started to speak out.
At issue to all of this is I do not believe many people would be willing to make such comments without feeling empowered to do so. Trump empowers them with his actions and verbalizations. Republicans support such until something bad happens and everyone runs for cover except trump. He is an honest racist, bigot, misogynist, etc. and a liar in every other aspect. He supports this.
Bert:
Have a good day.
Run,
I have in-law family in the Leslie and Nashville area, so I’m kind of familiar with the head space you’re talking about. One of my brothers-in-laws, if still alive, would be a rabid Trumper.
The county I live in just passed a ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary City” ordinance. I live out in the county, surrounded by many preppers and the like. Sunday afternoons around here sounds like WWIII. And they really believe they’ll hold off the US military with their AR15s. There is a church of some conservative flavor about every 1/4 mile. A friend no longer puts out yard signs – she’s had them shot at so many times. And that was long before Trump. So I get it.
You said “Republicans support such until something bad happens and everyone runs for cover except trump” Yes, I agree with that, too, but it leaves me wondering how bad that something will have to be.
I’ll be working the polls as a Democratic judge for the primary and general, and I am, for the first time, truly worried about what might happen. I would not be surprised to see guys in cammo walking the 50’ perimeter, questioning (and intimidating) voters.
Sandi
Sandi:
Walt Disney and his movie about the King of the Wild Frontier Davy Crocket did us no favors in the fifties. A whole generation was raised on the heroic efforts of a few against the many in a mythical fashion. And then, we did the same to our sons and daughters. The military would roll right over them. Toy Soldiers, Red Dawn are the same crap. They could stay in the woods and hillsides as Gorillas (Captain Ron’s version (Short) of guerillas). Dmn, it gets awful cold or hot out there. They are deceiving themselves they could hold out.
Look to Cliven Bundy and the Malheur Reserve as an example of a wrong approach to solve an issue. Wrong method to get his point across as small cattle ranchers being squeezed by the large meat processing mills and big box retail. The authorities waited them out. The same would happen.
Michigan Electioneering Boundaries, A person shall not, while the polls are open on an election day, solicit votes in a polling place or within 100 feet from an entrance to the building in which a polling place is located. No one has to talk to anyone and no one can obstruct your passage. Yes, presence is intimidating.
For Mitt it was the oath. And what will be devastating for all the other bible thumping hypocrites is that by implication, their oaths to God himself meant Jack shit. This speech was not made like so many others to disappear into the ether. It is part of the permanent historical record. It will be studied for all time. And it will be held in contrast to the behavior of his colleagues. They will never forgive him for that. But history will be the judge and it isn’t very difficult to see what the verdict of history will be.
Exactly . . .
Run sez:
They are deceiving themselves they could hold out.
Precisely. Or, as my son-in-law opined – “They’ll never hear the drone that takes them out.”