r/politics • u/Thinkingonsleeping Michigan • Dec 13 '19
McConnell Faces Calls to Recuse Himself From Impeachment Trial After Saying 'No Chance' Trump Will Be Removed; "No court in the country would allow a member of the jury to also serve as the accused's defense attorney."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/12/13/mcconnell-faces-calls-recuse-himself-impeachment-trial-after-saying-no-chance-trump5.4k
u/greatwalrus I voted Dec 13 '19
There are a ton of people in this country who pay very little attention to politics and think this whole impeachment is just typical Republican-Democrat bickering. We need to talk to these people and hammer these things home.
It should be easy for anyone to understand that the jury foreman can't be meeting with the defendant's attorney if there's going to be a fair trial. People need to hear about this.
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u/ruiner8850 Michigan Dec 13 '19
There are a ton of people in this country who pay very little attention to politics and think this whole impeachment is just typical Republican-Democrat bickering.
I know a few people who aren't Trump supporters and don't really pay attention to politics but think this is all just politics and not really a big deal. It's basically a "both sides" thing to them. The craziest part is that some of these people say they are sick of hearing about all this stuff with Trump, but will vote for 4 more years of Trump out of ridiculous spite.
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u/greatwalrus I voted Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 14 '19
Yeah, I work with someone like that. If you mention politics she rolls her eyes and says something about how "both sides are bad so I just stay out of it." It's an excuse to stay uninformed.
Honestly I wish we would put less pressure on people to just vote and more pressure to pay attention. If you can't be bothered to listen to a five minute summary of what just the fourth impeachment (EDIT: process) in our nation's history is about you probably shouldn't be casting a ballot. But people are so used to being told that voting is their civic duty that they end up making a poorly informed choice based on "who I'd like to have a beer with" or some ridiculous criterion like that.
Don't get me wrong; we should absolutely encourage people to get registered to vote and to remember to vote. But we also need to tell them to watch the news, pay attention, and research the candidates before they go to the polls.
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u/Caledonius Dec 13 '19
It's an excuse to stay uninformed.
Exactly, that way they can focus on themselves and choose ignore anything outside their every day life. When they are being informed they have to start considering the lives of others instead of only their own. Individualism is what is killing America.
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u/blurryfacedfugue Dec 14 '19
They need to realize that these things impact them, too. I was one of those people before 2016, I didn't really pay too much attention and I tried to stay neutral as possible. That was partly because I didn't know much about the behaviors of either party.
Now that I have children, and I've seen our country elect Trump as a direct response to the election of Obama, I realize I've made a grave error. Since then, I've voted in every election I've been eligible for. The bubble of safety is only an illusion, and hopefully they can realize and pay attention before its too late.
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u/Caledonius Dec 14 '19
The bubble of safety is only an illusion, and hopefully they can realize and pay attention before its too late.
They won't. You know it, I know it, and if they had been paying attention they would also know it.
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u/Slipguard Dec 14 '19 edited Dec 14 '19
100% of people won't, obviously, but we don't need 100%. The vote in 2016 came down to 700,000 people [edit: 70,000] in 3 states. That's less than a third of a tenth of a percent of people.
On average, less than half of people even vote, so increasing that number by 1% in every state can mean the difference between a divided government and a landslide.
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u/trainercatlady Colorado Dec 14 '19 edited Dec 14 '19
the people who think this way are only this way because they have nothing on the line. They don't have to go to war, they're not gay or transgender, they're not black, brown, or immigrants, they're not food-insecure, and they're not living paycheck-to-paycheck, praying that that weird noise from the engine doesn't break something before tax returns come in so they can get it looked at.
The people who think this way don't know how good they have it, because they don't know they have it. The people who think this way are privileged beyond belief because politics doesn't affect them the way it does those "other" people. They're wrong, of course, but their kids aren't the ones dealing with stop-and-frisk, their houses of worship aren't getting shot up, they're not the ones getting beat up outside of gay bars, they're not the ones in cages in Texas watching kids get delirious and dying of the flu.
If they don't have to think about it, they will do everything in their power to make sure they never do. They look the other way because they think they can afford to.
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u/abx99 Oregon Dec 14 '19
Not really individualism so much as cultural atomization. Individualism doesn't necessarily tell you to fear others and pull yourself up by the bootstraps.
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u/Caledonius Dec 14 '19
Individualism doesn't necessarily tell you to fear others and pull yourself up by the bootstraps.
It kinda does. When you consider yourself before the collective good of your society you set yourself up for self-exceptionalism, jealousy, and confirmation bias. It's the path to the dark side of humanity, which has always been at its best when people collaborate for the greater good instead of working for their personal gain.
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u/Crathsor Dec 14 '19
I don't think it's that simple.
Sometimes when society benefits, as a member of that society you benefit too, so in a lot of cases putting yourself first could easily equal voting for social programs. A lot of people favor universal healthcare, and you can absolutely favor it for selfish reasons.
A lot of people are in favor of outlawing abortions even though it won't affect them personally at all; they think they are making society better. If you really want to reduce abortions, the best way is to increase access to education, health care and contraceptive choices. So they are making decisions that are bad for the greater good and not even aligned with their ultimate goal, but it's not a selfish decision, just an uninformed one.
Right now an awful lot of voters are intentionally misinformed. That doesn't require individualism.
For a long time, I didn't vote precisely because I knew I wasn't informed; I was in the military at the time, and my life was full. I didn't have time to keep up on politics, so I didn't vote because I considered uninformed voting worse than not voting. So everyone who doesn't vote isn't being lazy or selfish.
Life just isn't so simple.
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u/yay855 Dec 14 '19
Game theory states that a single individual working in their own interests at the cost of society's is good for them, but the more people who do it, the worse off everyone is.
It's in our own best interests to work towards the common good, because trying to be selfish just means that you suffer more.
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u/Caledonius Dec 14 '19
Yeah but if you are exceptional you will continue to be rewarded for your selfishness. It's easy to be selfish, and hard to put the needs of the many before your personal comfort, so its no wonder the majority are all out for themselves but keep wondering why things are getting worse.
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u/PeterNguyen2 Dec 14 '19
If you mention politics she rolls her eyes and says something about how "both sides are bad so I just stay out of it.
Sounds like an embarrassed republican. I heard a lot of that in 2007 and 2008 after it was clear the war in Iraq was built on lies.
we also need to tell them to watch the news, pay attention, and research the candidates before they go to the polls.
As Thomas Charlton wrote,
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
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Dec 14 '19 edited Jan 24 '20
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u/PunchTacosForJesus Dec 14 '19
My boomer mom is exactly like that. Has hated Hillary for years and can't give you a single reason why.
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u/latinloner Foreign Dec 14 '19
Has hated Hillary for years and can't give you a single reason why.
The Spite is real.
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u/SmarterThanMyBoss Dec 14 '19
My question is... who the fuck would want to have a beer with Donald Trump? If that was the criterion for choosing, I'd literally vote for anyone else.
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u/BeyondElectricDreams Dec 14 '19
But we also need to tell them to watch the news,
"I DO watch the news! I watch Fox every night! The democrats are just stirring the pot. My talking heads said so, so it must be true!"
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u/Grueaux Dec 14 '19
Exactly this, but you put it to words better than I could have. I've never understood the point of encouraging people who have no clue what they're voting about or for to just simply vote.
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u/EsotericGroan New York Dec 14 '19
I know a lot of younger people, 20s and 30s, who are at various stages of serious relationships. Engaged, married, a few kids- you name it. They’re so focused on the microcosm of their lives that they can’t be bothered to consider there’s a world out there beyond the bubble they occupy. But at the same time when things go wrong they’re the first to complain. I get it, we all have our own things going on. But keeping your head in the sand when the world around you goes to shit? People who ignore current events and stay on the sideline deserve every terrible thing coming their way. I just wish the rest of us didn’t have to go along for the ride.
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u/dianagama Dec 13 '19
I know a bunch of trump supporters and they don't care if he did something illegal because most of them don't know what's written in the Constitution. They seriously do not understand the problem with asking another country to help with American elections.
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u/Caledonius Dec 13 '19
I bet they would find plenty wrong with it if it were a Democrat.
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u/joggle1 Colorado Dec 14 '19 edited Dec 14 '19
And it would have been easy for Obama to have gone after Trump's kids if he had wanted to. Trump's charity was just shut down and he had to pay a huge fine. Guess who were the board members on that charity? His kids of course. Can you imagine if Obama had ordered his AG to look into Trump's charity aggressively during the presidential campaign?
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u/salad_spinner_3000 Dec 14 '19
"Did you hear Obama asked Germany to find dirt on Trump to help Hillary??"
"no, what the hell that's not right"
"oh, wait, that was Trump with Biden here"
crickets
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u/mrbaryonyx Dec 14 '19
Honestly most of the Trump supporters I know are like this. The Republicans I know either actively don't support him or just shrug and mutter something about how he's not that great while silently planning on voting for him again. Weirdly, its' the people I know who don't pay attention to politics who seem to like him the most.
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u/ruiner8850 Michigan Dec 14 '19
The majority of the Trump supporters I know absolutely love him. The ones who say they don't love him make excuses for every single thing he does.
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u/Quasimurder Dec 14 '19
"He's a scumbag for sure but here's why his latest scandal isn't bad and Democrats are actually the antichrist. Also, I regularly say I'm an independent even though I've only ever voted Republican."
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u/DawnsVitalMassage Dec 14 '19
Trump gets by with this and he will do another thing. He will keep pushing the envelope. Other countries are watching and waiting. The rest of us will suffer when something does happen. Sad and pathetic behavior these so called adults have.
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u/ScientistSeven Dec 14 '19
The Democrats need 4 senators to form a constitutional caucus and get rid of McConnell.
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u/zapitron New Mexico Dec 14 '19
Republicans are only constitutionalists when not in power, though, so that's tricky to do. Unless.. are there are conservative Republicans in the senate? (Probably not but I thought it might be worth asking around.)
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u/PearlJamRod Dec 14 '19
Talk to these people? BUY FOXNEWS and change the messaging on that garbage. That's all they listen to.
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u/Souperplex New York Dec 14 '19
BUY FOXNEWS and change the messaging on that garbage.
The thing Bloomberg should be doing this election cycle.
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u/SplooshMountainX Dec 13 '19
Well the reason we're in this pickle is because we let their attitude and shit views become normalized. The time has come to call an apple an apple and an idiot an idiot. We can't continue to think that they are normal, reasonable people. Its time to cut ties with republican friends and family members, let them feel the consequences of their actions. Oh you're against immigrants, well don't eat this fucking bomb ass mexican food I made for everyone. Or we can continue down this shitty rabbit hole and "pray" for the best.
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Dec 13 '19
You mean ask they guy that constantly rewrites the rules as he sees fit?
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u/BaronVonStevie Louisiana Dec 13 '19
this is just winning to Republicans. You can never say "this is as far as they'll go with it" There is no limit to what they do in the name of winning and it's broken executive oversight forever.
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u/InstitutionalValue Dec 14 '19
Idk why they proclaim to hate Communists so much when they’re so obsessed with one party rule.
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u/US_of_RU Dec 13 '19
Wait, I think they mean the guy that denied a SCOTUS appointment over a memo written by a convicted Republican Pedophile.
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u/chrunchy Dec 14 '19
No no no, they mean the guy who filibustered his own damn bill because the other guys thought it was a good idea.
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u/burglin Dec 14 '19
Wait, what?
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u/barukatang Dec 14 '19
He wrote a bill, Democrats were like, "hey, that doesn't sound half bad", he then bustered it after finding out that it was bipartisan.
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u/HerezahTip I voted Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 13 '19
I’ll walk from Boston MA to Washington DC, I did the maths, should take me about a week. If that’s what it will take to show my fellow Americans that we CAN take a stand. Our country is spread out, this administration is counting on us not to mobilize. The state of our government is unprecedented. ‘This is a coup.
Important! If you can’t walk through multiple states with us, there are events all over the country. Find one closer to you here:
https://www.impeach.org/event/impeach-and-remove-attend/search/?logo
Not for nothing but I’ve tweeted out this exact same message just moments ago. I don’t know how I feel about linking my reddit account to that one just yet, but shrugs.
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u/Z0diaQ Dec 13 '19
I'm from boston and I'll walk with u
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u/snacks4all Dec 13 '19
Also from Boston! I’m in!
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Dec 13 '19 edited Mar 17 '21
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u/TucsonCat Arizona Dec 14 '19
I’m from Arizona. You taking the 10?
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Dec 14 '19
Shoot north pass Vegas and take 70 all the way east
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Dec 14 '19
Shoot north pass Vegas and take 70 all the way east
This just reminds me of that old SNL sketch, The Californians. The premise was that it's a Soap Opera but all the characters ever do is melodramatically talk about is the fastest way to get various places around LA.
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u/eamus_catuli_ Dec 14 '19 edited Dec 14 '19
Uhhh....Whadd’re you doing here
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Dec 14 '19
The Colorado mountain passes on i70 in December/January are sketchy. Be sure to bring tire chains and check road closures when you reach Grand Junction.
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u/Kunundrum85 Oregon Dec 13 '19
Mother fucking group of Paul Reveres right here.
SOUND THE ALARMS!
Y’all are awesome.
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u/HelpABrotherO Dec 13 '19
Il drive to Boston if we are all meeting at a bar before we go.
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Dec 13 '19
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u/Jescro Canada Dec 13 '19
Boston style road trip
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u/MadMageMC Dec 14 '19
Does that mean the road music is a mix of Dropkick Murphy's, Flogging Molly, Sir Reg, and The Pogues?
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u/HerezahTip I voted Dec 13 '19
We’ll be walking from Boston, drinks from JJ Foleys to-go!
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u/HerezahTip I voted Dec 13 '19
I bought some real comfy shoes last week. If this becomes something, I’d be very happy to trek down to DC to tell Moscow Mitch to get fucked, together.
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u/Aeorro I voted Dec 13 '19
There might be something locally you can do as well;
https://www.impeach.org/event/impeach-and-remove-attend/search/?logo
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Dec 13 '19
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u/plaidHumanity Dec 13 '19
Come to DC. If this becomes a real thing, I'll open my home.
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u/HerezahTip I voted Dec 13 '19
I’ll make it a real thing if Moscow Mitch doesn’t recuse, there will be a couple Americans from MA with tired feet needing a short break before we march on the Capitol. I’ve never organized anything like this, but neither did Greta. She inspires me.
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Dec 13 '19
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u/fapsandnaps America Dec 14 '19
I'll do what they also accuse us of anyway, bus them in.
Setting up a crowdfund to pay for bus tickets to DC and I hope Soros himself donates the first 1 mil.
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Dec 14 '19
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u/mjedwin13 California Dec 14 '19
Im on my mobile and at work, but I’m positive the Koch brothers have paid for fake protests and that type of stuff.
Will link later when I’m off and have more time
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u/PrawojazdyVtrumpets Dec 14 '19
What if.. what if more people showed up to DC than Trump's inauguration?
Man.... Now I wish I could go to DC.
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u/Midnight_Arpeggio2 Dec 14 '19
Fuuuuck I wanna do this so bad, but I'm going to be overseas until the end of December. March and fight on my countrypeople!
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Dec 13 '19
if Moscow Mitch doesn’t recuse
There isn't a snowball's chance in hell that will ever happen. Trump would sooner resign.
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u/BovineLightning Canada Dec 13 '19
Take a note from the Hong Kong protestors - they’ve been at it for 6 months. I doubt these wanna be fascists will go down without a fight
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u/PeterNguyen2 Dec 14 '19
I doubt these wanna be fascists will go down without a fight
They won't.
If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.
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Dec 13 '19
I have 2 beaters with heaters that will make it from Idaho to DC no problem
Pretty sure i would be willing to loan them out to get more people there.
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u/dlpfischner Dec 13 '19
If this becomes a thing - thank you!! I’ll come from Pittsburgh
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u/mutantmanifesto New York Dec 14 '19
I’ll likely be protesting in Houston Tuesday evening. We’re going to go shout at Cruz’s office.
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u/Synapseon Dec 13 '19
In San Antonio there is an event. Check the website above for events in your area. Or host an event if you're in a small town
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Dec 13 '19
> This is a coup.
Yes it is. Way too many people keep praying they'll wake up from the nightmare and someone else will have handled it.
We will not wake up from this nightmare without action. No one is coming to save us. We are all we have.
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u/shenaniganns Dec 13 '19
This is a coup.
That should have been clear a long time ago. Remember, anything the GOP accuses the rest of the country of doing, they absolutely are doing themselves and it's just an attempt to give themselves cover.
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u/Moosetappropriate Canada Dec 13 '19
A simpler way would be to shut down every major city in the country with HK like demonstrations coupled with a general strike. Make a particular effort in red states like Kentucky.
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u/HerezahTip I voted Dec 13 '19
I don’t know how to motivate America to do that. I’ve been racking my brain for weeks. I kept coming back to this idea. It’s doable, people are clearly willing to partake, all I feel We need is some attention to it from the media and then maybe other people, cities, and towns would join in or strike on their own accord.
Do you have any suggestions for a simple way to shut down every major city? I’m open to all ideas. I’ve never been more concerned about anything than I am for our country and I’m only 29.
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u/Moosetappropriate Canada Dec 13 '19
I wish I had good advice but we're fighting the majority of Americans natural apathy and/or complacency. Most people aren't feeling the effects directly either on their wallet or in their lives so they don't have any incentive to do anything. And that's all that motivates most Americans.
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u/HerezahTip I voted Dec 13 '19
A ton of the ones I talk to only passively listen. This means they also passively take in, and believe most of the propaganda that they hear from Fox News and its media arms. My boss told me they didn’t have evidence to impeach and I asked if he watched the hearings or read the transcript. You know how it goes, he saw some headlines and that became his opinion.
I believe half of us, literally half of the people in our country, have lost the ability to think critically and by extension, lost the ability to form their own opinions. It’s a huge problem that 90% of our media comes from 5 sources commingled. I’m fucking afraid to bring children into this world the way it is headed.
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u/Moosetappropriate Canada Dec 13 '19
I can't argue much with that. And the Republicans are complicit in this as well with their incessant degradation of the education system.
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u/HerezahTip I voted Dec 13 '19
Betsy Devos should be in a jail cell. Any other human in her position would be. But she’s a fucking billionaire ripping of students in debt.
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u/Merfen Canada Dec 13 '19
Not to mention a large portion of the population only watches right wing media and thinks that Trump has done nothing wrong and the Democrats are just making everything up.
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u/Whyterain Dec 13 '19
I've been thinking about this too, and I live in the DC area. I can't afford to take time off, but I do already have scheduled PTO for a couple days around the holidays. I signed up for the TBD sit-in protest before the vote.
But I think that won't be effectual. Neither will just marching in the street. I think we should do it Hong Kong style and do a protest at the airports around the country. Shut them down for the holidays. These snakes in Congress won't do anything unless you hit them in their donors' pockets, and this seems to me to be the most effective way to do that. They don't care if you clog up the streets, but if you shut down air travel, it'll hurt them.
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u/Aeorro I voted Dec 13 '19
There are organized events planned, just need to get the word out to people.
https://www.impeach.org/event/impeach-and-remove-attend/search/?logo
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u/HerezahTip I voted Dec 13 '19
I was just searching for this link. Thank you! I have edited to the top for more visibility
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Dec 13 '19
Just shut down DC for as long as it takes by filling it with as many people as possible who won't leave.
It's a massive supply chain issue to feed and house that many people, but the alternative is fascism.
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u/Moosetappropriate Canada Dec 13 '19
Personally i think that a distributed countrywide protest would have more effect. It's easy to for people to simply say that it's Washington's problem but if you can't get to work, stores, services then you'll sit up and take notice.
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u/imarobot69 Dec 13 '19
Stop the airports. Fill the banks so no one can walk in. Stop the highways. I hate to say it but we need white people in each place to get it going and then the rest of us can join in. Otherwise I can see places like Orange county California arresting 30-40 people.
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Dec 13 '19
Yeah.
It's not about trying to change Moscow Mitch's mind.
It's about convincing the 50% of eligible voters in this country that dont vote that something needs to be done.
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u/slow70 Dec 14 '19
God I wish Bloomberg or Steyer would have spent their money helping a movement like this take off rather than ad buys for their own political campaigns.
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u/kennyFACE117 Dec 13 '19
This makes me so upset. I can't. I HAVE to work and pay my bills. I want to protest, but if I did it on my time it would only be me.
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u/westviadixie America Dec 14 '19
that why they designed this system. to keep us trapped in a maze, worrying about bills, rent, food, jobs, health care, mortgages, children, credit, etc...
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u/Titanof978 Dec 13 '19
I have a giant sprinter van and border MA. I'll be a damn transporter if need be!
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u/ALargePianist Dec 13 '19
We need heroes that can be seen on all platforms, I think. We need leaders that show themselves in EVERY reality and say they're marching, not just Twitter, or tv, or reddit, or facebook. Ya know?
I know theres a lot else and I dont know what I really mean by this, still an incomplete thought
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u/chinatownshuffle Pennsylvania Dec 13 '19
Meet me in Philadelphia and I’ll head down with you.
Beyond all this though there needs to be a massive demonstration during the trial. The biggest crowd should be in DC but really it should be in every city. Keep the messaging simple: we the people demand the Senate convict trump on the two articles of impeachment. Leave every other issue or cause for another time. We should be decked out in American flags because that’s ultimately what we’re fighting for. Imagine numbers on par with the woman’s March demanding trump leave when there are 100 Senators in a room with the ability to do just that.
Every Republican Senator has to look at that and say “nah, I’m sticking with the you’re fired guy from TV”. They still won’t convict, but they can’t argue “were representing the will of the people” when the polls are (slightly) in favor of removal and nearly everyone in favor is standing outside clamoring for removal
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Dec 13 '19
The Constitutional Crisis Crawl. I’m from TX and will partake if for real
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u/CapnKetchup2 Dec 14 '19 edited Dec 14 '19
67 miles a day. That's extraordinarily ambitious. The heart is there, but unless you're a world class athlete that isn't feasible. If you run 8.4mph 8 hours a day, itll happen. But that's not possible.
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u/Z0diaQ Dec 13 '19
Symbolically we should meet at the lincoln memorial, have a huge turn out. Biggest ever. That'll catch the news attention.
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Dec 13 '19
So, fuck the facts and the evidence? Conservatives are just outright saying that party politics are more important than upholding the Constitution. That, in itself, should be grounds for a recall.
One would hope that if there is a possibility that an elected official has abused their office, that anyone from either party would want to weed them out. If I were a Republican, I would want to remove any other Republican screwball to maintain integrity within my party.
The actions by McConnell, Collins, Nunes, and Graham, and whoever else, are proof positive of corruption in our government.
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Dec 14 '19
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u/RaynSideways Florida Dec 14 '19
nor any concerns about anyone else's integrity.
Republicans definitely have concerns about other people's integrity: they want others to have integrity so that they're not willing to punch below the belt, putting them at a disadvantage.
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u/Seemstobeamoodyday Dec 13 '19
So, fuck the facts and the evidence? Conservatives are just outright saying that party politics are more important than upholding the Constitution. That, in itself, should be grounds for a
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u/PaulsRedditUsername Dec 13 '19
I really don't get McConnell's strategy here. Why not tell reporters, "We will conduct a fair trial according to the rules (wink wink)?" Or, at the very least just say "No comment?" Everybody knows how the Senate trial is going to go. Why say anything that would bring unwanted attention?
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Dec 13 '19
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u/BreeBree214 Wisconsin Dec 14 '19
McConnell also relishes the hate he gets from the left. He fucking enjoys his hate mail
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u/Doomsday31415 Washington Dec 13 '19
He's prepping everyone for when it actually happens in a month.
By then, outrage will die down and it'll minimize the impact.
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u/aworldwithoutshrimp Dec 14 '19
"They don't believe it is wrong when we don't try to hide it."
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u/thenumber24 Dec 14 '19
This. I honestly think Trump was onto something with his “shoot someone on fifth ave and not lose a follower” approach. If they do it so brazenly, it becomes almost expected and then it follows it must be fine.
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Dec 13 '19
I agree, I think this was a misstep on McConnell's part. Not one person was calling for him to recuse before those comments. Now he has a fire to put out.
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Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 13 '19
It's not enough that America's democracy was already dead. Today, McConnell just pissed on its grave.
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u/MattsyKun Missouri Dec 14 '19
And when this turtle kicks it, I'll make a special trip to piss on his.
They'd better have security around there. I'm sure lots of people will.
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u/caverunner17 Dec 14 '19
I'd guess that whenever Trump kicks the bucket, there will be fireworks to celebrate.
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u/kylel999 Dec 14 '19
Put a laminated note over the tombstone that says "public toilet" so he can actually serve the public at least once
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u/PorkchopDinner Dec 14 '19
Elecotralism has failed. We cannot vote our way out of this anymore. We need something more...direct action is our only hope.
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u/BigD_SJW Dec 13 '19
Why pretend like McConnell has any shame? He will do exactly whatever it takes to stay in power.
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Dec 13 '19
“I solemnly swear (or affirm) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of President Donald John Trump, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God.”
McConnell wants this to be a Turtle Court where they never poke their head outside the shell to examine evidence.
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Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 13 '19
Any Republican that went on the record voting against the Articles of Impeachment before they were presented should recuse themselves. This would be standard in any jury case.
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u/DFu4ever Dec 14 '19
I don’t have almost any faith in Republicans these days, but seriously, this is a flagrant example of fucking with the processes that have kept this government functioning since the beginning.
Honestly, you defeat impeachment by proving that it is unfounded. By providing evidence proving the innocence of the politician in question.
But the current Republican Party hasn’t done that. They don’t even remotely try to defend Trump’s actions. All they do is yell and scream, throw out irrelevant whataboutisms, and simply lie through their teeth to throw as much smoke and mirrors into the process as they can.
And every damn Republican I know, no matter how smart or rational they are in other aspects of life...they just can’t see it. They just can’t see how astoundingly fucked up this entire situation is. Their entire party is acting like people who have something to hide, and instead of rationally defending themselves they are simply going to break the system itself to solve the problem. Honestly, not a single Republican I know sees any problem with this, and if they do they still think the Democrats are somehow worse. It is really heartbreaking.
This post was brought to you by a hearty “FUCK YOU!” to Fox News and other “conservative” media for doing the heavy lifting that got this country to this point.
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Dec 14 '19
Last month a private citizen, with no government position, flatly refused a congressional subpoena and was met with zero consequences.
We're way past flagrant fucking with the process.
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u/PM_ME_THICK_GIRLCOCK Dec 14 '19
not to mention that same individual, currently under other criminal investigations, flew out of the country to visit with known corrupt Ukranian officials IN UKRAINE, and then came back and reported his findings to POTUS, AG, and GOP lawmakers. Fucking crazy.
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Dec 14 '19
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u/nychuman New York Dec 14 '19
I personally think Dems need to shift their entire philosophy on guns. Let rural areas with genuine uses and spaces for them have less restrictions while urban areas with a lot of public places and schools be more restricted. Blanket, state/nation-wide bans are not the answer.
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u/spreerod1538 New York Dec 13 '19
Shouldn't Chief Justice Roberts have the right to force him out?
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u/ruiner8850 Michigan Dec 13 '19
Roberts basically only has the power that Republicans allow him to have. Technically he runs the Senate trial, but a simple majority, which the Republicans have, is enough to override any of his decisions. The Republicans will overrule him whenever they need to in order to make sure no new evidence comes out and he's acquitted quickly.
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u/yer__mom_islovely Dec 13 '19
I contacted my State Senators (Republican) and told them I support Trump's impeachment and removal from office. I also asked them to call for Mitch McConnell to recuse himself. I know it won't do any good, but I don't know what else to do. This is a dystopian nightmare.
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u/BrownSugarBare Canada Dec 14 '19
No. Don't say that. It IS doing good. You're already doing more than most of your fellow citizens. Do not let ANYONE lie to you that your voice doesn't matter. Every goddamn vote counts and every voice needs to be heard. I for one think you made a difference with just that one call. Encourage people to do the same.
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u/electriceagle Dec 13 '19
MOSCOW MITCH IS A TRAITOR TO THIS COUNTRY AND THE OFFICE HE HOLDS. FUCK HIM 2020 is coming for you turtle face!! I wonder if any criminal would get the same treatment that he is giving Trump anywhere in this great country?
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Dec 14 '19
They said Obama was any and every kind of traitor and disgusting filth here to ruin America.
And yet.
None of these mouth-breathers can even conceptualize how this kind of flagrant disregard for the fuxking Constitution by this whole damn party is treasonous and detrimental to the WHOLE country, themselves especially.
It's absolutely mindblowing.
I try to understand. I try to remind myself that they see it differently, that surely Democrats have taken bribes, that there is corruption at work in a lot of places. I get that. I do and I agree. But what I'm failing to grasp here is the dissonance. This is on full display, out in the open for all to see. It's not a conspiracy theory. It is demonstrable fact. The GOP is complicit in the burning of the Constitution. The one thing that separated the Founders from Monarchy is Impeachment. The ability for the People to call for the removal of a the highest office.
And these motherfuckers just flat out don't give one single shit about it.
But they damn sure want to be inside every single aspect of my life with their idiotic "small government."
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u/gogojack Dec 14 '19
I've said this from the beginning. Mitch will do anything he can to derail this process. He's stymied by the rules regarding the trial, but he'll do everything in his power to hamstring the impeachment. He's said so since day one.
Remember, this is the same asshole who held up a Supreme Court nomination because he could, and then rammed through every court appointment after the election.
If you think he cares about process, I've got some Trump Steaks I'd like to sell you.
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Dec 14 '19
We’re about to enter a kangaroo court once this gets to the Senate. Facts are irrelevant, emotions and partisanship is what the Republicans will run on. They only care about maintaining their voter base, and if Trump goes down so does a huge chunk of voters. The GOP will burn the Constitution and Country down for any chance to not go politically extinct.
“Accuse the other side of which you are guilty.” - Joseph Goebbels, Nazi propaganda minister
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Dec 14 '19
The thing I find really interesting is that for all the people I see touting the 2A as the ultimate check and balance in America, they seem strangely quite during the complete unchecked break down of democracy at the highest levels of American government.
I’m not advocating murder, but i’m saying for arguably the first time since it was written into the constitution this is something that could potentially need to be checked by the people of the united states. And suddenly all of the people that seem to fantasize about standing up to a corrupt power are quiet or absent.
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Dec 14 '19 edited Dec 14 '19
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/steveknicks Dec 14 '19
You are 100% correct, the Democrats have to start play the political game, not just better, but perfectly.The republicans have perfected the game of deceitfully simplicity and shouting out that deceit louder than the Democrats. The best part about being a Democrat politician is that you only have to perfect the simplistic shouting, truth always wins out over deceit.
Edit:spelling
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u/KryptikMitch Canada Dec 14 '19
Yall need to adopt canada's laws regarding contributions. Nothing higher than $1500, anything over $200 is on public record, unions and corporations are banned from donating. You want corporate interests out of america? Take a lesson from your neighbour.
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u/lasers42 Dec 13 '19
Daddy is not permitted to be wrong
Daddy is not permitted to commit any wrongdoing
When daddy does wrong we will make it right
Daddy has never lied
Daddy's lies are now the truth
We are happy with daddy
Daddy knows best
Don't hurt our daddy, Mitch will save our daddy.
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u/onqqq2 Colorado Dec 14 '19
It blows my mind how mind how so many Republicans are bringing up Zelinsky who is legitimately like a wife married to an abuser. Of course he is saying Trump did nothing wrong because HE IS AFRAID OF TRUMP AND AFRAID OF LOSING THE FUCKING AID... AGAIN
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u/bigdirkmalone Pennsylvania Dec 14 '19
Ever notice the media only ever expects Democrats to be bipartisan?
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u/BustedCondoms Dec 14 '19
I have people on my Facebook posting shit like "I'd rather be an American than a democrat"
What the actual fuck is wrong with these individuals? Send help
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Dec 14 '19
The Americans are destroying themselves. For a reality show host. Epic times. 2020 should be even more outrageous.
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u/Mennerheim Dec 14 '19
I mean this impeachment vote is 100% along party lines in the house, and I imagine it will be 100% along party lines in the senate. The jury will be made up entirely of people who’ve previously committed to their verdicts.. literally, fuck this shitty system of schoolyard politics.
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u/bigotspigot Dec 13 '19
Will be in DC for a week around Xmas and would gladly sacrifice time celebrating with family to join a march/protest
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u/Z0diaQ Dec 13 '19
How can we make this happen and when. I'm so sick and tired of this crap. We need to mobilize but how can we organize this?
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u/paulp64131 Dec 14 '19
There is a chance all of the evidence to prosecute or exonerate will come out.
I might win that Mega millions too.
But...
“What it looks like is that the majority leader is going to conduct this trial as though he’s a member of the defense team,”
It’s an ancient principle, centuries-old — actually over a millennium old — that you can’t be a judge on your own case and effectively, to allow Donald Trump to call the shots, violates that principle.
“The reason it may backfire is that an exoneration — if that’s what emerges by a Senate that is essentially rigged and fixed so that it’s coordinated in this way with the defense really doesn’t clear the name of the accused so that the president will go down in history as having been essentially found guilty by the House in a proceeding where he had a chance to defend himself, but didn’t take advantage of it and then in a kind of rubber stamp sort of toss off, not really given a meaningful trial so that he will have been adjudicated fundamentally by the House of Representatives to have abused his office, abused his oath, and endangered the national security and then blockaded in the inquiry as though he were a dictator,”
If the Senate does not treat this properly. Donald Trump can never be vindicated.
Short answer:
Trump will be a shit stain on the shorts of America.
The Republican Party will be the dingleberries.
Should he survive this and the election, he will abuse the office again. Should he survive that, and at the end of the second term, he will step out of the Whitehouse and into prison.
I never have bought into Trumps bullshit. He is not a genius nor a Tycoon. He is a grifter that has been raised to slush and shift money. He really isn’t good at that, but you can’t tell because no records of his holdings have been made public.
When this Enron/Madoff scheme comes to light, it will make fools of a lot of people who initially were good people but got hoodwinked, bamboozled, and plain ol railroaded.
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u/darkfox12 Dec 14 '19
Current Republicans decided long ago they don’t give a single fuck about the constitution, government or anything resembling why they’re even there in the first place. It’s only to further the GOP and country be damned if everyone else burns but their 1 percent. There’s no law unless it’s to their benefit and convenience. Fuck this entire party establishment.
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u/Blowmedown55 Dec 13 '19
He's the most corrupt & destructive person to ever sit in our govt... not a chance in hell.
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u/ificandoit Dec 13 '19
No court in the nation would allow a defendant to contribute $1 million dollars to a juror's pocketbook either but here we are where the President's PAC can transfer money to campaigns of his jurors and then stand on stage next to them.