Trump

[Digby]

He's gone big on a number of liberating tweets today, but as he so sagely noted 'what have you got to lose?'

[Sandydragon]

Is he actually inciting armed nutters to violence there?

[Digby]

Sure, unless anything bad happens which he needs to deny

[morepork]

Is he actually inciting armed nutters to violence there?

Not consciously but in effect yes. As the NRA does with every tragedy, all logical context is abandoned in favour of the second cunting amendment being front and centre in all dialogue, no matter how irrelevant. Re-election is is primary importance and the sage one feels that hijacking the scientific ignorance of an armed minority an appropriate response to a viral pandemic. They do have some time on their hands I suppose.

[Sandydragon]

Is he actually inciting armed nutters to violence there?

Not consciously but in effect yes. As the NRA does with every tragedy, all logical context is abandoned in favour of the second cunting amendment being front and centre in all dialogue, no matter how irrelevant. Re-election is is primary importance and the sage one feels that hijacking the scientific ignorance of an armed minority an appropriate response to a viral pandemic. They do have some time on their hands I suppose.

I wonder how much his stupidity will be a defence if one of those gun toting lunatics decides that the President his giving him
Free license to shoot those denying him his constitutional rights.

[morepork]

It would be no defense whatsoever but a retrospective analysis of such an outcome could hardly fail to recognize the increased possibility of such with an ill-considered tweet. I have little faith in this line of logic prevailing.

Fuck me.

[morepork]

This is not good. I’m extremely uncomfortable with this.

[Digby]

Just buy more lube, and you never know things might be fine, unless serologic turns out in this instance to have zero logic behind wider policy

[Sandydragon]

This is not good. I’m extremely uncomfortable with this.

Election delay?

But wouldn’t Trump cease to be president regardless in January? Some delay might work for Biden who can’t campaign to his best advantage at the moment and is relying on Trumps mistakes to stay credible.

[Digby]

Unless an election goes ahead in November which Trump wins he can only serve his 4 year term, his term is specifically limited in the constitution

[Sandydragon]

Unless an election goes ahead in November which Trump wins he can only serve his 4 year term, his term is specifically limited in the constitution

Which means that we end up in succession game which according to the BBC leaves some Republican senator in charge, at least until an election take place I suppose.

[Digby]

Unless an election goes ahead in November which Trump wins he can only serve his 4 year term, his term is specifically limited in the constitution

Which means that we end up in succession game which according to the BBC leaves some Republican senator in charge, at least until an election take place I suppose.

Chuck Grassley I assume, only I doubt it would because (a) it's not clear the Republicans would still be nominating the Senate Pro Tem and (b) if his role actually meant being the President they'd set aside convention and install someone else in the role

[Sandydragon]

I wonder what the rule is on the subsequent election if that happens?

[Digby]

I've got a feeling the constitution mentions the election being in November so maybe they live with it for a year and then just reset when the 4 year term runs from and to. But tbh it would seem much more sensible to progress plans for postal voting right now, pretty much being ignored by Republicans right now, and to reduce limitations on people getting absentee ballots, being blocked by too many Republicans right now

A year is a long time, but if they need to alter the constitution that seems like an even longer fight would break out between the two major parties. I suppose there's the hope with the addition of another year both contenders would be dead and we'd have some sensible choices

[morepork]

Please make him stop. Please?

[Digby]

Only he's not doing that badly, China has more cases and they're only not telling you that to make Donald look bad, and if it wasn't for Donald many more people would be dead, and you'd be at (more) war(s), and when he left office Obama didn't leave any staplers for team orange to use or any covid-19 tests, so show some love for the big fella!

[Sandydragon]

Blaming China is a good strategy for him. It’s easier to blame your problems on someone else and there is a grain of truth in the accusations towards China’s openness throughout this.

[Digby]

It might be a good strategy for appeasing his base, but I don't know if that's remotely enough for him. If it isn't and things are as bad as they look it could take the Republicans a long time to recover from Trump

[Sandydragon]

It might be a good strategy for appeasing his base, but I don't know if that's remotely enough for him. If it isn't and things are as bad as they look it could take the Republicans a long time to recover from Trump

Quite possibly. Both political parties seem to have a problem with definition. The Democrats have a sizeable minority who want to move the party to the left something akin to a European style government. The Republicans have Tea Party.

The Republican base seems to be fairly consistent. The Democrats support can ebb and flow depending on how energised they are. I think the Democrats need to discover their purpose in life and find a candidate which can actually give people some vision.

[morepork]

These idiots breed. We must be on our second generation of FaceBook academics know? This virus will just sweep across the country in oscillating waves for years. These mutants will make sure I am unable to travel internationally for years.

[Stom]

These idiots breed. We must be on our second generation of FaceBook academics know? This virus will just sweep across the country in oscillating waves for years. These mutants will make sure I am unable to travel internationally for years.

It’s so weird how the far right and far left join together like some weird small handed mutant.

[Sandydragon]

These idiots breed. We must be on our second generation of FaceBook academics know? This virus will just sweep across the country in oscillating waves for years. These mutants will make sure I am unable to travel internationally for years.

It’s so weird how the far right and far left join together like some weird small handed mutant.

You would think it really odd, but there are xamples of the far left and far right changing sides.

[morepork]

Anecdote is endemic to our species. I was talking to my niece in Italy yesterday and there is a social media whine in her immediate orbit that postulates recent influenza vaccines being contaminated with this species of Coronavirus, hitherto unknown to medical science, as the reason for young people requiring intubation when they fell acutely ill. Somehow a species of a genus endemic to bats found its way into an attenuated recombinant form of an antigen for a different species of virus in a composition that is fully virulent and functional. Because obviously ground up bat is a fundamental component of influenza vaccines.

I mean, for the love of fuck, not even a cartoon villain could successfully engineer the logistics of this laughable context. Yet people entertain it, cos, you know, social media. Chinese whispers...hang on...

On a more positive note, my mother in law who came down with the real virus has made essentially a full recovery. The immortal witch will be haunting me with her beady eyes and bad food long into my old age. I am both cursed, and blessed ?

[Stom]

These idiots breed. We must be on our second generation of FaceBook academics know? This virus will just sweep across the country in oscillating waves for years. These mutants will make sure I am unable to travel internationally for years.

It’s so weird how the far right and far left join together like some weird small handed mutant.

You would think it really odd, but there are xamples of the far left and far right changing sides.

Well yeah. My old politics teacher all those years ago used to explain it as a horseshoe.

[morepork]

It’s so weird how the far right and far left join together like some weird small handed mutant.

You would think it really odd, but there are xamples of the far left and far right changing sides.

Well yeah. My old politics teacher all those years ago used to explain it as a horseshoe.

More like a magnet.