Trumps Beginning of the end

[Swotty]

The republicans control the Senate and Trump is their man. This attempt at impeachment is merely the prelude to the next Presidential election race later next year.

The bar is 2/3 of the Senate, so no chance of success. This is mere mud-slinging.

See what happened to Clinton!

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Can't quite agree with that given another party promised more and was defeated and the mechanism used to win the GE was scaring prospective Labour voters with the prospect of a hung parliament with the you-know-who party (we have no idea of the targeted ads sent to them via FaceBook, Twitter, etc). The third (or is it fourth?) time this has happened.
Anyway, we shouldn't be discussing UK politics here so back to Trump (form your own parallel). If continued blue collar support is sought by Trump and that involves spending in the so called rust belt - to the detriment of tax cuts for his wealthier backers - how long before another party appears further to the right of the GOP to hoover up their votes? The GOP become the new Democrats and another party become the GOP. Possible? Possible here? Or are the votes merely on loan to be called in later (as I suspect could be the case here)?

I refer you to my original comment. In two party systems, the winning party has to pick up the majority of the votes, and that means controlling the middle.

Clowns can come along, like Perot on the Right, in the USA 1992 election, or ****** on the Left, in the UK, but unless they persuade the middle, they have no chance of winning a majority of seats.

And the suggestion that Republicans only win in the States because of a bid to the thick white rust belt is naive. Those votes are ALWAYS Republican. Elections swing because of voter turnout. Examine the Runes of the 2016 election and you'll see that The Witch lost because people who voted from Obama in 2008 and 2012 didn't turn out for The Drone Queen. She may throw mud at "The Deplorables," but the Deplorables never vote Democrat. She lost key marginal voters in key marginal states.

.

 

[Bellow]

To be clear, I did not refer to rust belt voters as ''thick''.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

The republicans control the Senate and Trump is their man. This attempt at impeachment is merely the prelude to the next Presidential election race later next year.
The bar is 2/3 of the Senate, so no chance of success. This is mere mud-slinging.
See what happened to Clinton!

Exactly !! This 24/7 News cycle nonsense isn't taking America anywhere near impeachment. The process is clear: Democrats may well have the majority in Congress, but they don't have a majority in Senate,

Senate is controlled by the Republicans, who have shown tight discipline in supporting Trump, and there's no way that Senate will produce a two thirds majority to throw the sitting Republican US President out of office.

It's all just grandstanding.

And, in the background, Democrats still don't have a viable opponent to Trump in 2020.

The Leader of the Free World is an idiot, for sure, but US voters will put him back into power in 2020, because the Economy's still strong, and, as in 2016, the Democrats don't have a viable alternative.

And, if Trump gets back in in 2020, to quote Jimmy Durante, "You ain't see nothing yet !!" A Trump that doesn't need to be re-elected will do some genuinely crazy stuff between 2020 and 2024.

.

 

[grober]

IMPEACHED ON BOTH COUNTS.
Predictable PTP *[post truth politics] defence from the Republican side during the debate which will now only grow in volume.

*Post-truth politics (also called post-factual politics and post-reality politics) is a political culture in which debate is framed largely by appeals to emotion disconnected from the details of policy, and by the repeated assertion of talking points to which factual rebuttals are ignored. Post-truth differs from traditional contesting and falsifying of facts by relegating facts and expert opinions to be of secondary importance relative to appeal to emotion. While this has been described as a contemporary problem, some observers have described it as a long-standing part of political life that was less notable before the advent of the Internet and related social changes.[Social Media]

 

[st13phil]

The Leader of the Free World is an idiot, for sure, but US voters will put him back into power in 2020, because the Economy's still strong, and, as in 2016, the Democrats don't have a viable alternative.

^ This. All of it.

My experience is that, with exceptions, Europeans in general fail to understand the dynamics of the American political system. Trump is an easy target to take potshots at from this side of the Atlantic, but the reality is that without the Democrats being in disarray and with no viable candidate, he wouldn't be POTUS.

And, if Trump gets back in in 2020, to quote Jimmy Durante, "You ain't see nothing yet !!" A Trump that doesn't need to be re-elected will do some genuinely crazy stuff between 2020 and 2024.

Not an edifying thought, frankly, but very probably true.

 

[HB]

Trump is coated in Teflon by the Republicans, he’s going nowhere.

Adam Schiff would be a strong candidate now I believe. Too late for 2020 but him and swalwell would make a good ticket for 2024 if Trump doesn’t rewrite the constitution to give himself limitless terms in office.

 

[rockits]

I don't get the point of this impeachment. The process is a complete waste of time and money surely. It has achieved and will achieve nothing. Mr Teflon will continue to bungle through as ever. The Senate Trial will be another waste of time and money as we all know what the result will be.

 

[grober]

Schiff: House to assess Senate trial fairness before next steps

 

[markjay]

I don't get the point of this impeachment. The process is a complete waste of time and money surely. It has achieved and will achieve nothing. Mr Teflon will continue to bungle through as ever. The Senate Trial will be another waste of time and money as we all know what the result will be.

I respectfully disagree. It is not "a complete waste of time and money" as you put it. What it will do, is it will bolster Trump's image (among some) as the people's guy being persecuted by the liberal establishment who consider themselves to be the rightful ruling elite.

(Side-note: only in America, can a Billionaire be seen - by some - as the 'people's guy')

 

[rockits]

I am not sure Trump's image could be any worse but most don't seem to care for what reason I don't know or cannot understand. We all know who he is and what he is about. It is a case of whether enough key people care and/or prepared to do anything about it. I am not a Trump fan btw. Some people think they are above the law and he seems to think similar. At the moment and to date he has been.

This made me laugh and kinds of sums it all up:
Trump couldn't be prosecuted if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue, lawyer claims

 

[noogieman]

His days in the White house are probably numbered?
Being corrupted, tossed in jail would be a preferred punishment although he might get away with it as he's very slick and devious.

 

[fabes]

"And, in the background, Democrats still don't have a viable opponent to Trump in 2020."

This ^, still!
Its amazing. They have had, what, 3 years to line someone / anyone up and still cannot do that!

I fear that this will only endear him to his supporters who don't care about "the Ukraine or whatever"
I saw a good piece of political and economic commentary that essentially said "5 years" for the dust to settle and change to come

That's how long it will take for Trump to go, Brexit to be bedded down and potentially, Putin be gone (did we forget about him?)
No shockers there, but brings some of the short term thinking that presides into focus.
Some would ask do 'we' have 5 years though?

 

[grober]

Here's a summary of former White House director of communications Anthony Scaramuccci's assessment of Donald Trump's impeachment. It's lifted directly from his interview today on the BBC's TODAY Program on RADIO4. Remember this is from a man who has caught a glimpse of the real man behind the mask.
Anthony Scaramucci calls Trump a lawless criminal: 'If he is removed it would be like Fourth of July'

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I respectfully disagree. It is not "a complete waste of time and money" as you put it. What it will do, is it will bolster Trump's image (among some) as the people's guy being persecuted by the liberal establishment who consider themselves to be the rightful ruling elite.
(Side-note: only in America, can a Billionaire be seen - by some - as the 'people's guy')

The EU has its own "billionaire people's guy." A long-term success in Italy, both as President, and currently as an MEP in the EU Parliament

But the real popular "billionaire people's guy," has to be the self-proclaimed "scourge of the oligarchs,"

with a $200 billion net worth - seventy times that of Mr Trump.

 

[MrRight]

Here's a summary of former White House director of communications Anthony Scaramuccci's assessment of Donald Trump's impeachment. It's lifted directly from his interview today on the BBC's TODAY Program on RADIO4. Remember this is from a man who has caught a glimpse of the real man behind the mask.
Anthony Scaramucci calls Trump a lawless criminal: 'If he is removed it would be like Fourth of July'

Scaramucky sounds like a bond villain. I wouldn't take him too seriously

 

[markjay]

Iran's Soleimani and Iraq's Muhandis killed in U.S. air strike: militia spokesman

BNO News on Twitter

If confirmed... the **** will hit the fan

He was a very senior figure in the Iranian military and very much admired by the Shiites in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. He was irresponsible for Iran's 'meddling' in these countries... this won't go quiet.

Qasem Soleimani - Wikipedia

 

[grober]

Presumably in response to the latest Iranian militia inspired attack on the US embassy.
US Embassy attack in Iraq shows Trump's quandary in US-Iran escalation
It was rumoured that the latest Iranian inspired embassy attack was designed in part to shift focus from Iran's own internal civil unrest problems [ Initially started in response to US sanctions but almost certainly runs deeper]
With Brutal Crackdown, Iran Is Convulsed by Worst Unrest in 40 Years
Wouldn't be the first time a unpopular regime attacked another foreign power in order to shift domestic political focus from their own shortcomings. We can be thankful that any American foreign policy shenanigans are not mediated by such blatant self interest. Its not that the US president is any trouble domestically at present is it. Nothing like a bit of sabre rattling for rallying the troops? Unfortunately its also how wars start

 

[Steveml63]

Presumably in response to the latest Iranian militia inspired attack on the US embassy.
US Embassy attack in Iraq shows Trump's quandary in US-Iran escalation
It was rumoured that the latest Iranian inspired embassy attack was designed in part to shift focus from Iran's own internal civil unrest problems [ Initially started in response to US sanctions but almost certainly runs deeper]
With Brutal Crackdown, Iran Is Convulsed by Worst Unrest in 40 Years
Wouldn't be the first time a unpopular regime attacked another foreign power in order to shift domestic political focus from their own shortcomings. We can be thankful that any American foreign policy shenanigans are not mediated by such blatant self interest. Its not that the US president is any trouble domestically at present is it. Nothing like a bit of sabre rattling for rallying the troops? Unfortunately its also how wars start

Agreed - the cynic in me really wonders about the timing of this attack on a senior Iranian figure.
The worried in me wonders how it might affect the country that I am currently living in!

 

[Dryce]

Agreed - the cynic in me really wonders about the timing of this attack on a senior Iranian figure.
The worried in me wonders how it might affect the country that I am currently living in!

It has been coming for a while. The drone strike against the Saudi refinery and the brazen attacks on tankers meant that a threshold was reached months ago where it was only a matter of time.

I think there is something really significant in terms of the escalation here. In the past drone strikes have been used against non-state actors - even though some will have been state sponsored. This strike was quite specifically against a uniformed state actor. So the drone strike we have just seen is a great big nasty 'screw you' by a US which is exasperated with Iran on a number of levels.

And the ripples? Well if there's trouble in the ME then things globally have evolved and it's probably China not the US that is most vulnerable economically to disruption in energy supplies.