2020 Political Chatter

[beeatnik]

Its so weird he has supporters... but then so does Tottenham Hotspurs

I almost understand this futbol reference. But then again I haven't been into Britpop since the 90s.

[randonneur]

when they get charged

I'll be pleasantly surprised if more than a tiny fraction of today's protestors are charged and convicted.

[Clean39T]

Remove Trump with something like that and watch D.C. really burn.

Don't know why you think the "greatest military in the world" would not be able to control a few hundred Gravy Seals with awful neck-beards.. the only problem today was a lack of preparation and the will to do what needed to be done.

Curfews, checkpoints, full force of local, state (on their side of the line), and federal capacities - it's not that hard.

What would be do if this were Russia (in the open) doing this?

"Oh well, boys will be boys.."

Probably not.

[rowdyhillrambler]

Who possibly could have seen this coming?

[j44ke]

Who possibly could have seen this coming?

I know, right? So surprising.

[dashDustin]

Who possibly could have seen this coming?

when i saw him saying that he was going to rally in DC on 01/06, i thought he was going to say something like "i'll be back in 2024. i'm making it official right now." or something like that. i never could have imagined this.

[rowdyhillrambler]

Not a chance anyone gets arrested for this.. BLM or ANTIFA??? Would already be locked up with shots fired-

Best thing the fella in the fucking Grand Poobah from the a Water Buffaloes headpiece on could do-go turn yourself in, plead guilty and get that Presidential Pardon quickly.

[j44ke]

Don't know why you think the "greatest military in the world" would not be able to control a few hundred Gravy Seals with awful neck-beards.. the only problem today was a lack of preparation and the will to do what needed to be done.

Curfews, checkpoints, full force of local, state (on their side of the line), and federal capacities - it's not that hard.

What would be do if this were Russia (in the open) doing this?

"Oh well, boys will be boys.."

Probably not.

DC Mayor Bowser declared a citywide curfew (no one allowed outside unless they were essential personnel) to begin at 6pm tonight (19 minutes from now) and that it would include the grounds around the Capitol.

Still a lot of people milling around the Capitol so this will be interesting.

[thollandpe]

I'll be pleasantly surprised if more than a tiny fraction of today's protestors are charged and convicted.

They sentenced Tim DeChristopher to two years for falsely bidding on gas leases of federal land. The asymmetrical application of justice, compare what he did to what the Bundys* did, is almost as appalling as the asymmetrical application of riot control techniques.

* not Ted, but Ammon, Cliven, et.al.

[Mark Walberg]

Death or incapacitation, etc. are 25th, having nut job supporters or riots isn't one of the reasons.

Remove Trump with something like that and watch D.C. really burn.

Again, calmer heads. Bring in the Nat. Guard, let the right people do their job without throwing even more fuel on the fire. In two weeks it's over.

Agreed. Although very difficult, every effort should be made to ignore all of this ridiculous behavior, as much as possible.

[Clean39T]

It appears the Sec of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs went to Pence, Pelosi, McConnell, et. Al. before activating the National Guard, not tRump... A soft envoking of the 25th? We'll see.



From Bill Kristol's twitter.. posted on Reddit.

[gregl]

If Pence leads the charge to invoke the 25th, he will change his place in history. I don't see it happening, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong. What's it gonna' be Mike, obsequious supporter of the wannabe dictator, or defender of the Constitution?

Greg

[AngryScientist]

If this is where we are today, what will inauguration day be like?

[AngryScientist]

I have to believe they need to take some action to remove him. This is nuts.

President Trump is now defending the actions of his supporters who stormed and vandalized the Capitol.

“These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away," he tweeted.

Trump concluded the tweet, rather stunningly, with “Remember this day forever!”

[Clean39T]

If this is where we are today, what will inauguration day be like?

Depends on how the next days and week go.

[j44ke]

McConnell is sending out messages to Senate members that he wants to finish the certification tonight.

Sadly the woman who was shot during the riot has died.

[vertical_doug]

Depends on how the next days and week go.

Considering the President was unable to properly call out the protestors without first telling them 'yeah, your mad because the election was stolen and we won by a landslide' oh, go home, 'and remember this day when the election was stolen that we won by a landslide', he is guaranteed to use the 14 days to scorched the earth and keep escalating.

He needs to pardon Don Jr since his morning speech to the rioters to stand up and fight, you can be a hero or a zero.... is mostly likely a liability.

Ivanka also deleted her tweet calling the rioters patriots.

[guido]

Police response to Capitol mob is in striking contrast to protests after George Floyd killing. | New York Times

"During the protests after the killing of George Floyd in May, President Trump vowed to “dominate” demonstrators, calling them “extremists” and “thugs,” while federal agents deployed tear gas and swept people into unmarked vans.

Peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square were suddenly met with flash grenades and chemical spray and rushed by police officers in riot gear to clear the way for President Trump to pose with a Bible in front of St. John’s Church.

Mr. Trump said that anyone who breached a security fence outside the White House would encounter “the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen.”

The tone, and the initial law enforcement response, were strikingly different on Wednesday as a lawless and destructive mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol and disrupted the counting of the Electoral College votes. One video appeared to show Capitol Police officers moving aside barriers and retreating as the mob flooded through.

Inside the Capitol, an officer pleaded with a man in a green backpack, saying, “You guys just need to go outside.” When asked why they weren’t expelling the protesters, the officer said, “We’ve just got to let them do their thing now.”

A flood of commentary followed, with many noting that the mob appeared to be largely white and insisting that they would have been treated far more harshly had they been Black or protesting racism.

Ivanka Trump called the rioters “American patriots” while urging them to stop the violence, in a tweet she later deleted. Her brother, Donald Trump Jr., said, “This is wrong and not who we are,” adding, “Don’t start acting like the other side.”

In a video posted hours after the attack on the Capitol began, President Trump repeated the false claim that the election had been stolen, adding “but you have to go home now.” He added, “We love you.”"

[Tom]

No kidding. BLM? Ranks and rows of law enforcement in full combat gear. Today, after seeing it coming a mile off? "Hey, maybe we put up a couple saw horses."

Many people need to be sharing a cell.

[htwoopup]

While my normal reaction would be the same as those who point out the differences between this summer and now as proving a bias (I really believe there is), I will say I think they got so slammed not just in the press but in their own look at how it went down before that the didn’t want to be “as muscular” on protesters going forward. At least that is what I have seen from the NYPD at the protest focal point that I live next to.