Impeaching Donald Trump

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Is the final impeachment vote (in the Senate, is it?) a secret ballot?

It isn't but it can be. That's a not-so-secret hope of Democrats.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/11/12/path-to-removing-donald-trump-from-office-229911

It would take just three Republican senators to turn the impeachment vote into a secret ballot. It’s not hard to imagine what would happen then.

[LesPalenik]

The following news item has nothing to do with Trump's impeachment, unless someone could be impeached for gross exaggerations.

In speaking about the initiative on Tuesday, Trump told the crowd that hundreds of private sector employers were providing “over 14 million skills and career training opportunities for U.S. workers.” He then called himself “very proud” of Ivanka’s role.
“She wants to make these people have great lives,” Trump said. “When she started this two and a half years ago, her goal was 500,000 jobs.”
Linking her efforts to private sector job creation, Trump added that “she’s now created 14 million jobs. And they are being trained by these companies. The greatest companies in the world. Because the government can’t train them,” he added.
The White House’s website states that 5.3 million jobs were created between Trump’s election and his second State of the Union address, a figure consistent with official jobs data.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-credits-ivanka-for-role-in-creating-14-million-jobs-via-worker-pledge-194213144.html

[LesPalenik]

Buttigieg on the roll. Winning in Iowa polls with 22% support.

Pete Buttigieg has pulled to the top of the pack of Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa for the first time after drawing increased support from nearly every demographic group, according to a Monmouth University poll released on Tuesday.

Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, leapfrogged past former Vice President Joe Biden since Monmouth’s Iowa poll in August to lead in the state that will in February host the first nominating contest. Buttigieg gained 14 percentage points during that time and now has support from about 22% of likely Democratic caucusgoers. During the same time period, Biden dropped 7 points to 19% support; U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts dropped 2 points to 18% support; and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont gained 5 points, with 13% support, according to the poll.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-iowa/buttigieg-rises-in-iowa-to-lead-democratic-white-house-pack-poll-idUSKBN1XM2GZ

[Robert Roaldi]

It isn't but it can be. That's a not-so-secret hope of Democrats.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/11/12/path-to-removing-donald-trump-from-office-229911

Might be an interesting civics lesson to have two votes, one secret and one not, see if they were different.

I remember an episode in Toronto about 15-20 years ago where a union local was fighting a proposal that some employees had put forward to have a secret vote on some issue. It might have been a strike vote, I've forgotten all the details. The union was dead against a secret ballot. Seems to me that the reason that they were against a secret ballot is exactly the reason why we have them.

It's a quandary in a public body like Senate or Congress. You want votes to be public so that the public can know what their representatives did on their behalf, otoh it can lead to intimidation of their members by the political parties. It's also a good way for contributors to know if they got their money's worth.

[Chris Kern]

. . . unless someone could be impeached for gross exaggerations.

Alas, no.  Rumor has it that the delegates to the 1787 constitutional convention briefly considered making incompetence, mendacity, and repetitive infantile ranting grounds for impeachment, however instead they settled on treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

[JoeKitchen]

Buttigieg on the roll. Winning in Iowa polls with 22% support.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-iowa/buttigieg-rises-in-iowa-to-lead-democratic-white-house-pack-poll-idUSKBN1XM2GZ

Annnnnnnnnnnd ... anywhere else? 

Get back to us when he is actually in the top three nationally. 

Although Buttigieg may be doing well in the small state of Iowa, he has no support amongst blacks, who make up larger voting blocks in the Southern states.  And part of Buttigieg's straggly to fix this is by first telling blacks you dont like me because you are anti-gay, and this is the time for you to redeem yourself by voting for me.  Not a winning message. 

The really telling poll is the one that shows Biden is 7 points ahead in NH, a state that borders both Bernie's and Warren's home states.  If Biden wins in NH, he wins the nomination. 

As much as I really want Warren to win, since that pretty much ensures a republican victory, I think she blew it with the release of her medicare for all plan and not to mention she is a loathsome off-putting person who happens to be a big liar. 

[D Fuller]

As much as I really want Warren to win, since that pretty much ensures a republican victory, I think she blew it with the release of her medicare for all plan and not to mention she is a loathsome off-putting person who happens to be a big liar.

Annnnnnnnnnnd...... yet, you vote for Trump.

[marvpelkey]

D Fuller,

Although I read these forums quite regularly, I don't post much anymore, but I just had to come back to say, your most recent post/response is about the funniest thing I have read in awhile. Just about spit out a mouth full of water I happened to be drinking. Priceless.

And on a more somber note, a bit disappointed I was not taken to a bunch of photos of airstream trailers when I clicked your link......

Marv

[JoeKitchen]

Annnnnnnnnnnd...... yet, you vote for Trump.

LOL

Lets see, given the option between a liar not in the government who is pro free markets vs. a liar who is in government that is progressive, yes, as a libertarian, I voted for the former. 

And given the option between a liar who is a capitalist vs. a liar who is a socialist, and lies about it, I'd still vote for the former.  You better hope Biden wins the ticket, otherwise everyone in the swing states will be looking at 2020 in the manner which I just described. 

BTW, all three people being talked about here are pretty off putting.  I dont think you could say either Trump or Clinton or Warren happen to be more nasty then the other two. 

[D Fuller]

D Fuller,

Although I read these forums quite regularly, I don't post much anymore, but I just had to come back to say, your most recent post/response is about the funniest thing I have read in awhile. Just about spit out a mouth full of water I happened to be drinking. Priceless.

And on a more somber note, a bit disappointed I was not taken to a bunch of photos of airstream trailers when I clicked your link......

Marv

As it happened, the name of my company pre-dated my interest in the trailers. It was a (hopefully) clever way to combine over-the-air tv with streaming video. But we do own one now. The pictures you were hoping for can be found here: https://airstreampictures.typepad.com/pictures_from_the_road/2008/10/on-the-road-again.html

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Back to photography:

[LesPalenik]

Maybe he was shooting editorial images for a microstock agency.
What is the burst rate for that camera?

[JoeKitchen]

Back to photography:

That's great; he could not have dressed more to the part as well.  His jacket just matches that camera to a T. 

[JoeKitchen]

Getting back to the subject this topic is about ...

[Robert Roaldi]

If you want to take your mind off the daily impeachment news cycle and all the endless details that you'll forget by next Tuesday, here's an interesting read for you: The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis. It's largely about the transition in governance during Trump's first year in the various US government departments. It's clarifying to take your mind away from the Twitter nonsense and all the pseudo-legal political mumbo-jumbo going on at the moment and instead focus on actual real-world problems.

[Alan Klein]

If you want to take your mind off the daily impeachment news cycle and all the endless details that you'll forget by next Tuesday, here's an interesting read for you: The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis. It's largely about the transition in governance during Trump's first year in the various US government departments. It's clarifying to take your mind away from the Twitter nonsense and all the pseudo-legal political mumbo-jumbo going on at the moment and instead focus on actual real-world problems.

Let me guess.  It's anti-Trump.

[Alan Klein]

One day I'm going to write a pro-Trump book and tell of the time he once helped an old lady cross the street.  It'll be rather short.  I wonder if anyone will believe me?

[Robert Roaldi]

Let me guess.  It's anti-Trump.

Well, why don't you read it and find out. Are you worried that you might find something out you don't like or don't want to know?

In all seriousness, I don't care if you read it or not. This is public discussion forum and I came across something that I thought people might find a lot more interesting than day-to-day political minutia. The post was not directed at you. I gather from your tone that you've already made your mind up about it anyway, without knowing its contents, as per usual, and I'd hate to ruin your worldview.

So no Alan, don't read it. Please don't read it. Don't get a free copy from the library and don't read any reviews. Stay away from it, please. 

[Robert Roaldi]

One day I'm going to write a pro-Trump book and tell of the time he once helped an old lady cross the street.  It'll be rather short.  I wonder if anyone will believe me?

I don't think anyone ever said that he wasn't nice to old ladies. People are mostly concerned that he's incompetent at his job. I'm sure he's good at something.

[Alan Klein]

Well, why don't you read it and find out. Are you worried that you might find something out you don't like or don't want to know?

In all seriousness, I don't care if you read it or not. This is public discussion forum and I came across something that I thought people might find a lot more interesting than day-to-day political minutia. The post was not directed at you. I gather from your tone that you've already made your mind up about it anyway, without knowing its contents, as per usual, and I'd hate to ruin your worldview.

So no Alan, don't read it. Please don't read it. Don't get a free copy from the library and don't read any reviews. Stay away from it, please. 

I already read segments and the reviews.  It's totally anti-Trump.  It's bad enough people here want me to read short anti-Trump articles.  Now you want me to read a whole book.  I'd rather blow my brains out than waste time like that.      (Can't wait for the people who are on the moderator's "take a time out break" list come back and have something to say about my comment.)