The Presidential Debate, "Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" Megathread

[CountDeMoney]

Trump has mastered, if that is the right word, the trick of putting so much ridiculous bullshit into a sentence that you cannot even begin to unpack it all.

An anti-police judge? It is such a ridiculously stupid thing to say, but he doesn't even get called on it because it is like the 4th most stupid thing in the entire paragraph of babbling.

That's what's so maddeningly frustrating to debate or interview him:  his shit is so far out there, and coming out so fast, the idea of actually pouncing on it doesn't happen fast enough in a rational person's mind.  There's no time to do a double-take and attack a comment as incredibly stupid and wide-open as "that makes me smart," because he's already moved on to the next magnificent headscratcher.

[celedhring]

Trump reminds me of the town hall scene in Blazzing Saddles, when that frontiersman comes up to spout frontier macho gibberish and everybody in the room hails him as a great American thinker.

[The Minsky Moment]

The stop and frisk constitutionality exchange was revealing.

Holt (not surprisingly) was right - the policy was challenged in court, and was held unconstitutional. 

However, it was one ruling bt one district court - covering Manhattan and Westchester County.  It was appealed and there were unusual circumstances.  Basically the district judge had gotten an early case on the subject, and then subsequently steered every other stop and frisk case to herself under what's called the "related case rule".  That rule usually permits consolidation of cases involving the same set of events but not episodes that raise the same legal question but involve dissimilar other circumstances. 

On appeal the appeals court:
1) stayed the district court's order
2) took the case away from that judge finding improper use of the related case rule BUT rejected the state's motion to vacate her opinion
3) set a briefing schedule to decide the appeal

The appeal itself was never heard b/c deBlasio was elected and decided to ditch it.

Someone must have told Trump this history (Rudy?) and of course he got it completely garbled up.

It's still true that the only court to ever consider the issue directly found the practice unconstitutional.  And it's true that despite the finding of misuse of the related case rule, she is and was a well-respected judge on the court who wrote a logical opinion.  However, it's also true that the precedential force of that decision is somewhat limited and could be challenged.

If Trump had said - that was one lower court's view but it is by no means settled and many smart people think it is OK he would be have essentially right.
Instead of course he went for the immediate ad hom against the judge.

[CountDeMoney]

As an aside, it never ceases to amaze me the sheer amount of utter bullshit two former US Attorneys, Giuliani and Christie, can vomit out on a regular basis.  Former federal prosecutors.  Presidential appointees.  For all the shit Clinton gets for being a lawyer, at least she fucking acts like one.

[The Minsky Moment]

Christie was a lobbyist, he was never a real lawyer.  His appointment as a US Attorney was a bit of a scandal.

[Barrister]

They share a similar policy on nukes, I guess.

Trump's exchange on nukes was.. well it was something.

It was obviously inserted as a "gotcha" question to see if Trump knew what the nuclear first strike policy is.  He obviously doesn't.  But then after emandering around for a minute he goes from "well you shouldn't use nukes first" to "every option has to be on the table".

[The Minsky Moment]

Rudy was a real lawyer though.  Don't know WTF happened there.

[Syt]

Did I hear correctly that Trump is bringing cybering back?

[CountDeMoney]

No, just "the Cyber."

[derspiess]

For all the shit Clinton gets for being a lawyer, at least she fucking acts like one.

That's actually true.

[Martinus]

As an aside, it never ceases to amaze me the sheer amount of utter bullshit two former US Attorneys, Giuliani and Christie, can vomit out on a regular basis.  Former federal prosecutors.  Presidential appointees.  For all the shit Clinton gets for being a lawyer, at least she fucking acts like one.

In my experience state prosecutors are usually full of shit. It's the resentment of not being good enough to get into big law firms.

[CountDeMoney]

In my experience state prosecutors are usually full of shit. It's the resentment of not being good enough to get into big law firms.

Talk a lot of shit considering how, on your side of the planet, they were the ones best positioned to have homosexuals summarily executed.  Would that have been your final statement at your show trial, "lolz couldn't cut it at Michigan, huh?"

[Martinus]

In my experience state prosecutors are usually full of shit. It's the resentment of not being good enough to get into big law firms.

Talk a lot of shit considering how, on your side of the planet, they were the ones best positioned to have homosexuals summarily executed.  Would that have been your final statement at your show trial, "lolz couldn't cut it at Michigan, huh?"

Poland decriminalised homosexuality in 1932.

[CountDeMoney]

I think Commie-Style Poland would've made an exception for you.

[LaCroix]

marti, in the US, federal prosecution is somewhat like the biglaw of the public sector, in terms of prestige and competition