losthighway wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 10:41 am

jfv wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 10:22 am Trump indicted. It actually happened.

An indictment from the state of Georgia would be more noteworthy.

That might be forthcoming.

I'm curious/nervous to see what kind of mayhem will ensue. Some of the pundits have speculated this could be a boost for him. I'm skeptical. He might be too busy in jail to run, or in the likelier outcome of a wrist slap or worse he wriggles out, I don't think independents want anything to do with his shit show anymore.

Would the state of New York be under any obligation to provide Trump with broadcasting tech, allow staff in to assist with communication to his followers, or to arrange his schedule as an inmate in order to accommodate his "attendance" at rallies and such?

iembalm wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 10:43 am

losthighway wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 10:41 am

jfv wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 10:22 am Trump indicted. It actually happened.

An indictment from the state of Georgia would be more noteworthy.

That might be forthcoming.

I'm curious/nervous to see what kind of mayhem will ensue. Some of the pundits have speculated this could be a boost for him. I'm skeptical. He might be too busy in jail to run, or in the likelier outcome of a wrist slap or worse he wriggles out, I don't think independents want anything to do with his shit show anymore.

Would the state of New York be under any obligation to provide Trump with broadcasting tech, allow staff in to assist with communication to his followers, or to arrange his schedule as an inmate in order to accommodate his "attendance" at rallies and such?

Oh my God, it's surreal enough an image to suit our times.

jfv wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 10:22 am An indictment from the state of Georgia would be more noteworthy.

I agree. I'm frustrated by the order of these things: most people were over the Stormy Daniels affair years ago, and in a lot of peoples' eyes does little more than put him in the company of other sleazebag politicians. But we'll take whatever we can get for now!

That such a tireless public servant--a paragon of virtuousness, forbearance, and sacrifice--is being persecuted like this . . . I have only one word:



Sad.

It's frustrating that this is seen as primarily concerning a sordid affair with a porn star, as if that was the crime (and even evangelical so-called Christians won't pretend they care about that at all, just like they don't care about accusations of rape or admissions of molestation).

Since the case is actually about corruption related to the 2016 presidential election.

Would bet a moderate sum of money—like, fifty to a hundred dollars—that Trump will win the GOP nomination anyway. Others have said as much. The basic idea is simple enough: Clown Car Republicanism is here to stay; until he’s on his last legs, he’ll be its racehorse.

Rather than all of this being an aberration, it’s becoming the norm. (E.g. Marjorie Taylor Green, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Josh Hawley, George Santos, Ted Cruz, Ron DeSantis, Sarah Palin, Greg Abbott, Kari Lake, their backers, the many awful pundits who’ve emboldened them, and on and on and on.)

A return to some sort of quasi-“socially restrained” or “even-handed”/“reasonable person’s” conservatism en masse doesn’t appear to be in the cards. Instead, exasperating, trashy-ass idiocy, intertwined with increasingly destructive right-wing policies, will be the norm. All the while loads of money will line these people’s pockets and those of their cronies in the private sector and nothing will be done about climate change, mass shootings, health care, and the housing crisis.

If things have already moved uncomfortably to the right and more moderate conservatives have more or less “won” on many fronts, the chief way for GOP politicians to keep firing up their base is to fill the world with more of their outlandish, regressive and deeply hateful/xenophobic bullshit, which will arouse a certain tribalism among the white, not very bright, and insecure.

Not all conservatives (like the aforementioned evangelicals) will agree with the more base aspects of the messaging itself—the exact form it takes—or the personal character of people like Trump, but they’ll be willing to plug their noses and see beyond it if various initiatives are passed (outlawing abortion, banning books, etc.) and progressive or even moderately liberal reforms are stonewalled.

In a nutshell, the full ramifications of Reagan-era policies (and some that followed) are just now being felt by the average American. Rather than trying to correct course, the GOP wants to continue to undermine the average person’s quality of life, their social and economic well being, their freedoms as well as safety. This is all by design and they’ll gladly get behind Trump if enough right-wing voters will too. They have no moral high ground.

Modern American conservatives do have one moral, though, and everything they do should be evaluated through its frame:

It's inherently right to take as much power as you can and hold it for as long as possible; any other consideration is minor.

Will getting convicted of misusing campaign funds affect his ability to win? Bragging about sexual assault didn't. Seems unlikely.

brephophagist wrote: Mon Apr 03, 2023 5:47 pm Modern American conservatives do have one moral, though, and everything they do should be evaluated through its frame:

It's inherently right to take as much power as you can and hold it for as long as possible; any other consideration is minor.

Sure, and in more than a few cases, you could also add to this some variation of: "We've got God on Line One" or "[Our regionally-based ethno-religious denomination] are the chosen ones, and We Know What's Right For Everybody." And predictably enough, calamity often ensues.

DaveA wrote:

brephophagist wrote: Mon Apr 03, 2023 5:47 pm Modern American conservatives do have one moral, though, and everything they do should be evaluated through its frame:

It's inherently right to take as much power as you can and hold it for as long as possible; any other consideration is minor.

Sure, and in more than a few cases, you could also add to this some variation of: "We've got God on Line One" or "[Our regionally-based ethno-religious denomination] are the chosen ones, and We Know What's Right For Everybody." And predictably enough, calamity often ensues.

While we are mostly in agreement here, I want to emphasize: I really did mean that any other consideration is minor, no exceptions, including religion.

Interesting article, that coincides at certain points with the above. Yeah, I believe it. Politics as a numbers game. Principles and "faith" taking a backseat to hegemony. No surprise, really.