China, Cuba, and Vietnam are not socialist countries, they are communist countries. There is a huge difference between communist and socialist. In communist countries the government owns everything (officially the means of production, as well as the land). They also tend to be authoritarian, where the government owns the media and they certainly aren't democratic. I haven't heard any US politician calling for that - even the most left-wing progressive in the US. It is just a buzzword meant to elicit an automatic negative reaction. Now a socialist country on the other hand is a country where the government provides some essential services (healthcare, education, retirement, etc) as a collective for low cost that is paid for from your taxes. Examples include Norway, Canada, UK, Denmark, etc. It is nothing like communism. In socialist countries they still have private land ownership, private companies, private banks, private media, democracy, capitalism, etc. The US already has some forms of socialism (social security, Medicare, K-12 education, etc). So socialism as a buzzword is kind of silly. Instead, why not just focus on what you want your taxes to pay for instead of putting labels on it?
@cyclone88 I wish that I could see Trump looking into a mirror and asking himself, "did I leave things better than I found them?" I wonder if he has the compassion or decency to even think like this.
He's not a thinker & he does believe he left things better than (in his mind) the mess Obama left him. I do think his closest advisor Ivanka got through to him that he needed to do just a few things to pacify Republicans who are running away as fast as they can - he does have an impeachment vote coming up along w/a prohibition to ever hold federal office again & right now he wants to be back as president in 2025. She reportedly was w/him for hours culling pardons that he just couldn't do w/o angering those he needs, made a scripted video, waved a lot, and left early - not a snub to the Bidens as much as his inability to hold his temper long enough to spend hours w/them.
@cyclone88 I wish that I could see Trump looking into a mirror and asking himself, "did I leave things better than I found them?" I wonder if he has the compassion or decency to even think like this.
He's not a thinker & he does believe he left things better than (in his mind) the mess Obama left him. I do think his closest advisor Ivanka got through to him that he needed to do just a few things to pacify Republicans who are running away as fast as they can - he does have an impeachment vote coming up along w/a prohibition to ever hold federal office again & right now he wants to be back as president in 2025. She reportedly was w/him for hours culling pardons that he just couldn't do w/o angering those he needs, made a scripted video, waved a lot, and left early - not a snub to the Bidens as much as his inability to hold his temper long enough to spend hours w/them.
Impeachment aside (I'm just not sure how useable/valuable this would even be) - can he be CHARGED for his atrocities that include inciting an angry mob to storm and overthrow the government? I mean - the same way that any other citizen would/could be? In America, we've seen Mayors (especially African-American ones) go to prison. Any reason that President couldn't be locked away?
@cyclone88 I wish that I could see Trump looking into a mirror and asking himself, "did I leave things better than I found them?" I wonder if he has the compassion or decency to even think like this.
He's not a thinker & he does believe he left things better than (in his mind) the mess Obama left him. I do think his closest advisor Ivanka got through to him that he needed to do just a few things to pacify Republicans who are running away as fast as they can - he does have an impeachment vote coming up along w/a prohibition to ever hold federal office again & right now he wants to be back as president in 2025. She reportedly was w/him for hours culling pardons that he just couldn't do w/o angering those he needs, made a scripted video, waved a lot, and left early - not a snub to the Bidens as much as his inability to hold his temper long enough to spend hours w/them.
Impeachment aside (I'm just not sure how useable/valuable this would even be) - can he be CHARGED for his atrocities that include inciting an angry mob to storm and overthrow the government? I mean - the same way that any other citizen would/could be? In America, we've seen Mayors (especially African-American ones) go to prison. Any reason that President couldn't be locked away?
Impeachment muddles things. Double jeopardy prevents anyone from being tried for the same charge twice so the short answer is no.
This is all constitutional legal scholar once-in-300-years stuff that I don't pretend to know. Clinton is the best example of multiple cases w/different charges. Clinton's impeachment arose from a civil suit by Paula Jones where he lied in a deposition (remember when LYING was reason for impeachment?). He wasn't tried twice for the same crime.
The impeachment charge is Incitement of Insurrection - pretty broad but McConnell seems to want to convict so Trump can never run again & will probably round up enough Republicans to convict. If there is some other crime that isn't included in the impeachment article, Trump could be charged w/that.
He's probably going to be busy w/other federal & state charges beyond impeachment. At this point, I think humiliation & an end to his political career is the point of impeachment for the GOP. At the time of the impeachment, the dems wanted him out of office - away from the nuclear codes, pardon power, & further rousing his thugs. Now, they probably want to ensure he's never going to be in office again, too.
I think it was John Dean who handled some of the pardons during the Nixon Administration. He said that a pardon doesn't have to be announced publicly. Trump could've pardoned himself or members of his family like as a "pocket pardon" that is on record but not announced and we would only know about it if or when a certain charge were to be levied against him. That was interesting if it is true that is possible. It was also said that in the Trump White House keeping that a secret and not having it leak out is hard to fathom.
Meanwhile, on his way out the door...
A president opting to extend Secret Service protection isn’t unheard of, but Trump’s reported decision to cover 13 family members goes far beyond what has been done before. Trump’s three predecessors—Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton—extended protection for their daughters after leaving office.
In addition to the numerous trips the Trumps take (12 times that of the Obamas during the first three years of Trump’s term, according to a 2020 watchdog report), other out of the ordinary expenses for the Secret Service have come while protecting the Trumps. According to The Washington Post, the Secret Service rented a studio for $3,000 a month near Ivanka Trump and Kushner’s Washington home to give agents access to a bathroom, given they were not allowed to relieve themselves in any of the home’s half-dozen bathrooms.
Meanwhile, on his way out the door...
A president opting to extend Secret Service protection isn’t unheard of, but Trump’s reported decision to cover 13 family members goes far beyond what has been done before. Trump’s three predecessors—Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton—extended protection for their daughters after leaving office.
In addition to the numerous trips the Trumps take (12 times that of the Obamas during the first three years of Trump’s term, according to a 2020 watchdog report), other out of the ordinary expenses for the Secret Service have come while protecting the Trumps. According to The Washington Post, the Secret Service rented a studio for $3,000 a month near Ivanka Trump and Kushner’s Washington home to give agents access to a bathroom, given they were not allowed to relieve themselves in any of the home’s half-dozen bathrooms.
Considering the enormous sums of money Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have made post-presidency, I would think they can afford some of their own security detail. Although...in Trump's case, I'm not seeing to many speaking engagements or book tours.
Maybe he'll have some MAGA rallies for his new Patriot Party ..... but he'd have to charge, because he never pays the bills for them - he might have been able to get away with that as president, but.....
People might have to sell their flags and hats to be able to get in .... 🤣
I think it was John Dean who handled some of the pardons during the Nixon Administration. He said that a pardon doesn't have to be announced publicly. Trump could've pardoned himself or members of his family like as a "pocket pardon" that is on record but not announced and we would only know about it if or when a certain charge were to be levied against him. That was interesting if it is true that is possible. It was also said that in the Trump White House keeping that a secret and not having it leak out is hard to fathom.
There's nothing that requires a pardon to be public, but the only secret one that's ever been revealed was at the state level. It's quite possible that Trump & Ivanka cut the DOJ Pardon Office out of their machinations behind closed doors on his final day in office. I doubt he'd do it for anyone other than himself & his family.
Just can't make this stuff up.
Nor this
After 1 day in office, ”articles of impeachment filed against Biden”
it’s obviously an empty ploy by some brain-dead politician grandstanding for publicity
seems to me the only impeaching should be against BS like this - but it wouldn’t be politics as usual otherwise
——————
Forget Trump, He Was Voted Out Of Office, That’s His Impeachment & Why Not Leave It At That
Biden himself has said so - that he felt Trump was “unfit” to be president, but doesn’t see the necessity of kicking him when he’s down
But some feel he’s (akin to) a treasonous war criminal & will continue to call for his scalp for the racist fascist they insist he is-&-was the last 4 years
But they’re the minority now, most want unity instead
Kicking him when he's down?
I've pointed out before that Charles Manson never personally killed anybody. He inspired some real ovine-types to carry out some evil deeds. For that, he was rewarded with a life-time membership at Corcoran State Prison. Trump (and Giuliani's - et al) actions spurred an absolute and honest insurrection that led to human carnage. Do you think we oughta cut him some slack?
Those calling for his scalp figuratively are his former radical followers who now see the emperor really has no clothes. They feel betrayed. Too bad. Had they done their homework, they would've known even if he wanted to be an autocrat, the constitution prevented it. I don't understand how so many people know so little about government.
There's debate about whether the Senate HAS to try Trump when the HR sends over the Article of Impeachment, but it seems to be pretty much a given. He'll be tried & convicted just to keep him out of federal office again - neither party wants that. McConnell did all of us a disservice by not bringing the Senate back for a trial on one charge before he left office. It's seeped into Biden's term when no one really wants to hear the name Trump again. I agree that most want unity to move forward, but there's unfinished business thanks to McConnell.
Robertdee,
You seem to be a fan of the internet since you’re posting on a website...The internet is a product of DARPA, which is funded by citizens of this country since it’s a department of the Pentagon....That’s right, socialism is at the core of the very mechanism you’re using to rail against socialism....
And the electricity that’s fueling the computer you’re using to post on this site comes from the electric grid. A massive national system funded, controlled, and for the most part, maintained by, you guessed it, multiple layers of government and regulators paid for by the citizenship.
And I hate to break it to you but the federal, state, and local governments all across the nation already control, fund, monitor, and deliver, about 80% of healthcare. For good or bad, it’s been that way for decades..
There are a lot of words that are tossed about that have lost their original meaning - patriot and socialism being two of them. The US is a democracy and in order to function, pooling of resources is required. I'd add public transportation to the list of shared resources you mentioned as necessary to keep capitalism humming.
In the scheme of things, an internal threat to democracy & the installation of an autocratic emperor is far scarier than who pays for healthcare.
I absolutely agree......I mentioned in another thread a few days a word now being usurped by the right wing that they're twisting to their advantage and misusing. That being the word "disenfranchised."
It's now coming from the mouths of white voters and others who claim they're disenfranchised because their candidate didn't win the election. Talk about ignorance spoon fed by the right wing media machine to their ever clueless viewers.
It's no wonder these people believed Trump was their white knight in shining armor come from heaven to right the wrongs brought upon them by the elite liberals. Or that socialism and communism are one in the same and interchangeable.
If Lou Dobbs or Shawn Hannity or Rush or the thin plastic white witch Laura Ingraham spews it repeatedly then it must be true.
I absolutely agree......I mentioned in another thread a few days a word now being usurped by the right wing that they're twisting to their advantage and misusing. That being the word "disenfranchised."
It's now coming from the mouths of white voters and others who claim they're disenfranchised because their candidate didn't win the election. Talk about ignorance spoon fed by the right wing media machine to their ever clueless viewers.
Yes, disenfranchised when they mean lost. There are two choices - win or lose; Trump lost. The very fact that someone voted means they weren't disenfranchised. Felons are disenfranchised not voters for the losing candidate.
Too bad broadcasters aren't fact-checked w/screen crawlers that say "disproven." I have to think by 2024, instagram & tiktok influencers will have more impact on voters than tv/radio personalities.
Exactly right cyclone. A disenfranchised voter is someone in a county with a population of 2 million people with one polling location and has to wait in line 12 hours to vote. And when she gets to the voting machine it closes as the deadline to vote has been reached. NOT someone who voted a mile from their house and waited 20 minutes to vote and who's candidate lost the election.
Sadly, a great deal of uninformed citizens don't even comprehend what real disenfranchisement means...Again, if Lou Dobbs says to the adoring flock over and over every night on Fox News that they're disenfranchised then it must true.
While we are on words that get thrown about without actual thought of their meaning...socialism, communism, disenfranchise. There is another that bothers the hell out of me - nazis. Might be something up brerrabbits alley if he were around, but for as much as I hear this word, nazi...everyone they are calling nazi isn't nazi! Kind of like how neocon used to be used, not all Republicans or conservatives who were being labeled as such were neocons.
We just like using sensational labels, doesn't matter if it actually applies or not, sounds good saying it.
@nebish I strongly agree, here. That word gets used too often in too many situations. It MEANS something. To call someone a "Nazi" over ... just about anything that does not involve systematic genocide ... stripping people of their very dignities - confiscating properties and ultimately, placing them in chambers of death - that's beyond reason. I'm nowhere near a fan of Trump, but I'd stop well short of labeling him a "Nazi".
Adding to - not amending - my post: Whenever I see a bunch of morons and assclowns marching around with Nazi and/or confederate flags I cringe in anger. These are purely symbols of hate and intolerance. I grew up and have lived in the deep south my entire life. There was a time when I bought into or accepted the idea that the confederate/rebel flag was really just a nod of appreciation to the land that I was from. Hell, the Allman Brothers (and other bands) even featured it as part of THEIR image or a while. It's not just a matter of context - these are symbols of supremacy. Maybe Trump's not a "Nazi" - I don't know if his flag-waving supporters are or not. But it's something that they should all search their souls over.
Peace!
R
While we are on words that get thrown about without actual thought of their meaning...socialism, communism, disenfranchise. There is another that bothers the hell out of me - nazis. Might be something up brerrabbits alley if he were around, but for as much as I hear this word, nazi...everyone they are calling nazi isn't nazi! Kind of like how neocon used to be used, not all Republicans or conservatives who were being labeled as such were neocons.
We just like using sensational labels, doesn't matter if it actually applies or not, sounds good saying it.
I agree that nazi is misused in pop culture - he's a food nazi, weight nazi, wine nazi - when they mean someone is a snob or critic. I don't even like hearing someone called police - she's the fashion police. It's not cool or cute or whatever it's meant.
There is an international resurgence of organized Neo-Nazis that does mean something in a political context and essentially is white supremacy coupled w/an intent to replace the government w/fascism. Using the term in casual context dilutes its meaning.
BTW, I miss Brer Rabbit & Big V.
These hate groups got a free pass the last 4 years. I'm no fan of Susan Rice, but assuming a hate group crackdown is part of her scope as domestic policy director, to that I say "go get 'em Susan".
They not only got a free pass, they were emboldened. Now, w/some of their leaders arrested and their primary means of communication (SM) heavily monitored, they're in some disarray. I didn't know this is something Ms. Rice would oversee.
They not only got a free pass, they were emboldened. Now, w/some of their leaders arrested and their primary means of communication (SM) heavily monitored, they're in some disarray. I didn't know this is something Ms. Rice would oversee.
Her position and responsibility was a little vague to me at first. Her promoting more racial equality should undercut the hate groups emboldened state.
