2024 US Presidential Elections Megathread

[grumbler]

I meant that more to the politicians who failed to convict him in the impeachment.

But anyway, 45% or so of the country couldn't care less about all the horrible things this dude has done. That is the bigger problem.

Sorry, I had misunderstood your point.  Agree 100%.

[grumbler]

Jack Smith wasn't even appointed until late 2022.  This whole thing shouldn't take 4 years.  The reports I've read say that Garland waited a whole year before he actually started any investigation of Trump.

Well, Garland will likely pay for it.  If Trump wins he will probably have someone prosecute Garland.

Jack Smith wasn't appointed until Trump announced his candidacy, because a special prosecutor wasn't needed until then.  Garland started his investigation immediately, as he had promised in his confirmation hearings.

[The Minsky Moment]

DOJ started immediately. The criticism which I think is legit is that DOJ made the strategic error of treating it like a traditional org crime investigation where you painstakingly start at the bottom and flip witnesses in a chain to get to the higher levels.  But despite certain similarities, Trump is not an organized crime boss, he is a disorganized crime boss.  He does not seek to insulate himself with "buffers" Godfather II style.  He commits his crimes openly, often declaring them as he does it. His "defense" is to create hermeneutical doubt about what he "really" meant and epistemological doubt about the reality we all saw and experienced. Starting with low level Proud Boys to try to get to Trump was never going to work; they needed to go straight to the Trump inner circle.  That's what the J6 committee did to great effect and I think that caused a bit of a shock to DOJ.

Is that failure Garland's fault? Obviously yes in a command responsibility sense. However, in a normally run DOJ (i.e. not involving Bill Barr), the AG isn't personally involved in running specific criminal investigations, even really important ones.  This didn't play out the way it did because Garland called a bad play, it happened because the DOJ ran their normal play book only to realize too late they weren't playing the right game.

[The Brain]

Is the US better prepared to handle this winter's coup than it was in 2021? Lessons learned?

[The Minsky Moment]

Definitely in worse position.  Elections are handled at the state level.  Most of the GOP institutionalists in state governments that acted as a firebreak to MAGA in 2021 have either been hounded from office or had power stripped from them. Any close state with either a GOP controlled legislature or Secretary of State is going to be a shit show.

[Valmy]

Definitely in worse position.  Elections are handled at the state level.  Most of the GOP institutionalists in state governments that acted as a firebreak to MAGA in 2021 have either been hounded from office or had power stripped from them. Any close state with either a GOP controlled legislature or Secretary of State is going to be a shit show.

Democrats are governors in many of those states. Does that count for anything?

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Definitely in worse position.  Elections are handled at the state level.  Most of the GOP institutionalists in state governments that acted as a firebreak to MAGA in 2021 have either been hounded from office or had power stripped from them. Any close state with either a GOP controlled legislature or Secretary of State is going to be a shit show.

Democrats are governors in many of those states. Does that count for anything?

extra targets for the Russians... er magatards

[The Minsky Moment]

Democrats are governors in many of those states. Does that count for anything?

It counts for something because of amended Electoral Count Act.
But all sorts of mischief can be caused at the local and county level and by state legislatures.

[Oexmelin]

it happened because the DOJ ran their normal play book only to realize too late they weren't playing the right game.

That, in itself, is quite damning.

[HisMajestyBOB]

Is the US better prepared to handle this winter's coup than it was in 2021? Lessons learned?

Definitely in worse position.  Elections are handled at the state level.  Most of the GOP institutionalists in state governments that acted as a firebreak to MAGA in 2021 have either been hounded from office or had power stripped from them. Any close state with either a GOP controlled legislature or Secretary of State is going to be a shit show.

Democrats are governors in many of those states. Does that count for anything?

No, not when Trump gets more votes.

[viper37]

Can't get pass the paywall right now.  I'll try later.  Or try yourselves with the Spaywall extension, or any other legitimate means at your disposal.
But basically, Trump secretly sent Covid tests to Putin while the US was in shortage, and he's still in contact with Putin since he's out of office, according to Bob Woodward's new book.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/08/bob-woodward-new-book-war-trump-putin-biden/

[Valmy]

Is the US better prepared to handle this winter's coup than it was in 2021? Lessons learned?

Definitely in worse position.  Elections are handled at the state level.  Most of the GOP institutionalists in state governments that acted as a firebreak to MAGA in 2021 have either been hounded from office or had power stripped from them. Any close state with either a GOP controlled legislature or Secretary of State is going to be a shit show.

Democrats are governors in many of those states. Does that count for anything?

No, not when Trump gets more votes.

Yes, obviously not then.

[grumbler]

Can't get pass the paywall right now.  I'll try later.  Or try yourselves with the Spaywall extension, or any other legitimate means at your disposal.
But basically, Trump secretly sent Covid tests to Putin while the US was in shortage, and he's still in contact with Putin since he's out of office, according to Bob Woodward's new book.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/08/bob-woodward-new-book-war-trump-putin-biden/

Neither revelation is particularly surprising.  I've read the piece.  More interesting is that Biden concluded early in the Gaza war that Netanyahu was a liar surrounded by liars and believed little that Israel said.

[HisMajestyBOB]

Can't get pass the paywall right now.  I'll try later.  Or try yourselves with the Spaywall extension, or any other legitimate means at your disposal.
But basically, Trump secretly sent Covid tests to Putin while the US was in shortage, and he's still in contact with Putin since he's out of office, according to Bob Woodward's new book.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/08/bob-woodward-new-book-war-trump-putin-biden/

Must have accidentally fallen into one of the boxes of top secret documents.

[crazy canuck]

Here is the Times story of Woodward's book, gifted link, which mentions giving Putin the COVID tests.  But the more interesting point is Trump has spoken with Putin at least seven times since Trump left office.

Will this penetrate into MAGA world?

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/08/us/politics/trump-putin-woodward-book.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Q04.N20d.GWOoQZIyMPHW&smid=url-share