Impeachment Megathread Part 3

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

And you notice none of Atlas blue (OSR and Penn accepted of course) will actually engage on the details of this case

Seems pretty cut and dry to me.  I was admittedly on the fence about this whole notion of "impeachable offenses".  But I think it was necessary, if for nothing else, to send the message that the President isn't free to do whatever he or she wants.

India is my birth nation, but America is my home.  And my loyalty is to this country, not the President -- Democrat or Republican.  

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Are you twelve years old?  And that's coming from someone who looks like she's twelve years old.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ABC/status/1214630003817750528

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ABC/status/1214630003817750528

The cover up begins

McConnell has the Votes to Start Impeachment Proceedings on his Terms meaning we'll likely get Opening Statements and deal with witnesses later.
Mitt Romney backed his Proposal as did Senators Collins and Murkowski.

Let history remember that Romney, Collins and Murkowski decided, the day after a star witness offered to testify for the first time, that a trial for the most powerful man in the world should not have any witnesses.

For Susan Collins, let voters in 2020 also remember.

If someone hurt you or your family, Collins would say "yes, let's have a show trial, witnesses are unnecessary."  Party of law and order, folks.

To be fair (at an official capacity, anyway), they are basically punting the question of whether or not to have witnesses, not dismissing it altogether (even though that's likely where this is headed). 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ABC/status/1214630003817750528

The cover up begins

McConnell has the Votes to Start Impeachment Proceedings on his Terms meaning we'll likely get Opening Statements and deal with witnesses later.
Mitt Romney backed his Proposal as did Senators Collins and Murkowski.

Let history remember that Romney, Collins and Murkowski decided, the day after a star witness offered to testify for the first time, that a trial for the most powerful man in the world should not have any witnesses.

For Susan Collins, let voters in 2020 also remember.

If someone hurt you or your family, Collins would say "yes, let's have a show trial, witnesses are unnecessary."  Party of law and order, folks.

What do you want? The President removed from Office. That is just not going happen and you know it. There ain't 67 Votes to remove Trump. Pelosi knows it as well.
The longer she holds onto these Articles the more likely it is Impeachment will turn against the DEMS.

Trump-backing Republicans have been crowing that impeachment will backfire against the Dems ever since Pelosi made the official announcement.  Short of a few shifts here and there, that backlash hasn't materialized.  The same could be said for those that have insisted that impeachment will see a surge in popularity.

Neither has happened to a significant degree.  

While I'm wary of Pelosi's strategy here -- she, IMO, has much weaker ground upon which to stand as McConnell can do exactly what he did here: put his foot down and refuse to budge -- the numbers and data indicate that people have pretty much painted themselves into their respective corners.  

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Speaker Pelosi just released a statement indicating that she will direct Nadler to pull together House managers and send the articles of impeachment to the Senate sometime next week.  

I know my friends on the left will be disappointed that she didn't hold out longer, but IMO: it's time.  Is it fair? No.  Will it be an uber patisan trial? Almost certainly.  Is this the right attitude to have? Probably not.  

But we all know how this is gonna turn out.  Let's get this over with.  

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Speaker Pelosi just released a statement indicating that she will direct Nadler to pull together House managers and send the articles of impeachment to the Senate sometime next week.  

I know my friends on the left will be disappointed that she didn't hold out longer, but IMO: it's time.  Is it fair? No.  Will it be an uber patisan trial? Almost certainly.  Is this the right attitude to have? Probably not.  

But we all know how this is gonna turn out.  Let's get this over with.  

Indeed, as I said withholding the articles was a win-win. With the latter win achieved it is time for the  articles to be sent over and Senators to be put on the record for voters in 2020 and for history.

I don't know about a win-win, but it's just time to move along.  That being said, I don't mean to diminish the significance of this trial or the process: it's still a historic blip on America's timeline. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Let me correct myself: the statement from Pelosi doesn't specify that she is necessarily sending the articles to the Senate next week, but that she may send them AS SOON AS next week.  

Per nbcnews:

The letter also suggested that the House could name its managers, who will act as the prosecutors of President Donald Trump for the Senate trial, and transmit the two articles of impeachment against the president as soon as next week. But Pelosi gave no specific indication of exactly when she intends to send the articles to the Senate, a step that is necessary for the trial to begin.

Sorry, guys! That was a screw-up on my part!

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/aabramson/status/1215699841780719619

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/business/status/1215727239477768193

Very cool, folks.  Very cool, no collusion, no obstruction.  All a big hoax. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/CBSEveningNews/status/1216830524385386498

Those four include Romney, Collins, Murkowski, possibly Gardner and Alexander. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/CBSEveningNews/status/1216830524385386498

Those four include Romney, Collins, Murkowski, possibly Gardner and Alexander. 

Quoting myself here, but for those who want to just cast this off as GOP Senators feigning impartiality:

If (IF) this truly came from White House officials, then it's a pretty significant statement.  It's certain that the administration has been keeping tabs on the pulse of the GOP wing and if they're expecting enough "defections" (even though I don't like the usage of that word) to allow witnesses in the trial, IMO that strongly indicates that Susan Collins' claim to be working with a small group of Senators to allow witnesses actually has some weight to it. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/latimes/status/1217098086679556098

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

This sums it up, just so I don't have to post a series of tweets of each point:

https://mobile.twitter.com/ChrisMegerian/status/1217209490862419969

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Lev Parnas might have blown this thing WIDE OPEN!.

Yeah, Republicans will still most likely NOT convict but this is still HUGE NEWS!

Lol pathetic, you've learned nothing

You're right. We continue to get our hopes up. There is not a shred of morality in the entire Republican Party.

I mean Trump's approval ratings and head to heads have improved over the past two months despite all these "bombshells". Normal people don't care about this and much of the left is having a hard time coping with it

You're not wrong.  The average American really doesn't care about these things that whip our forums into a frenzy.  

That's not because these items are insignificant or that it means the public is on Trump's side.  It's just indicative of the general political apathy that's pretty rampant in our nation.

"All of those Washington fat-cats are the same."

"Is that impeachment thing still happening? I thought he was impeached already."

"Who cares? Trump is going to win in 2020 anyway no matter what he does."

"Oh, I really don't follow politics."

"I heard about that, but I don't really have an opinion."

"I'm an independent" -- but has always voted Republican since 1968.  

"Name one of my state's Senators? Uhh....[Governor that lost re-election in 2004]? Is he/she still in the Senate?"

I'm sure we all know people that fall into one of these categories.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Ridiculous! Mike Pence isn't unelectable!

Now now, let's everybody settle down.

Pence isn't unelectable, but if things get to the point where Trump is forced from office on account of 20+ GOP senators voting for removal, then that likely means there has been something so damaging that these Senators feel comfortable enough with their bases to vote that way.  

That wouldn't bode well for Pence, especially without an ample amount of time to restore public faith in the administration before the election.  

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

You are grasping at straws here if you think Democrats can find 20+ Republican Senators to side with them and remove Trump and so do other Atlas Democrats.

Given that Republicans control the Senate this Impeachment thingy was always going to be at the DEAD END once it arrived at the Senate.

Folks like Lindsey Graham, John Barrasso, Tom Cotton, Jon Boozeman among others won't vote to remove Trump.

Not sure if you were talking to me, but I never implied that was even a remote possibility.  I was speaking purely in hypotheticals. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

I was actually hoping Justin Amash would be named an impeachment manager. The guy has been in favor of impeachment early on and is an attorney. Would have been nice to have the sole right-winger voting for impeachment on the team.

From what I've been reading, it appears that Pelosi wanted the all-star legal team here and Amash doesn't have nearly as much legal experience as the House members she selected.  

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

This could be interesting:

https://twitter.com/JoshNBCNews/status/1217520653701648386

Rachel Maddow...that says it all, doesn't it? Democratic Talking Points! That Woman should be expelled from any News or Talk Show anchoring these Days.

Do you just get so excited about posting the first thing that comes to your mind that you can't even be bothered to format your thoughts correctly?

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://twitter.com/MSNNews/status/1217515734613413888

Also I had no idea that MSN was even still a thing...

And per thehill:

The organizing resolution for President Trump’s impeachment trial will require that senators debate and vote on a motion to subpoena additional witnesses but not on a motion to dismiss articles of impeachment, say GOP senators who have viewed the resolution.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

CT's GOP Chairman just tweeted requesting that Rob Hyde end his bid for Connecticut's 5th Congressional District:

https://twitter.com/CTGOPChair/status/1217515023595118600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7C...

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1217567839680450560
Once again proof that Atlas blue will shrug off

I can always assume that I'm outside of the firing zone when you slam Atlas blue, right?

Seriously though, I was skeptical (and, tbh, still kinda am) of Parnas' motives.  But it really does seem as though he's willing to tell his story. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Per Newsweek:

Hyde insists that he was "just playing" in texts between himself and Parnas regarding Yovanovitch

Pressed again for a response to suggestions he surveilled Yovanovitch, the congressional candidate said: "I mean those are pretty heavy accusations. It was just colorful, we were playing. I thought we were playing. I didn't know he was so serious."

After a long pause, Bolling asked Hyde if he "had eyes on Marie Yovanovitch," referring to texts where he spoke of surveilling the ex-U.S. ambassador.

"Absolutely not, are you kidding me?" Hyde said. "I'm a little landscaper from f****** Connecticut. Come on."

He went on to argue that "the left" was more offended by his text messages than "supporting the Iranian protesters" or caring about the opioid crisis.

"I barely know the guy [Parnas]... I was told a long time ago who Lev was by a lot of people down in communities throughout this country, [who] would pull me aside, have meetings with me and tell me to stay away from the guy," Hyde said. "I was never a close associate of Lev Parnas."

The congressional candidate went on to say he liked the businessman's character and say they had "a lot of laughs," but suggested he had tried to "throw me under a bus somehow for joking around on WhatsApp."

After handing the documents over to House lawmakers, Parnas told Rachel Maddow on Wednesday night that he didn't take the texts "seriously," and thought Hyde was "trying to make himself bigger than he was."

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1217783392378544129

So we finally get an investigation from Ukraine after all...but probably not the one Trump wanted.

An initial investigation into illegal (by U.S. law) surveillance of a then-U.S. ambassador by U.S. entities is being conducted by Ukraine .  

A bit of an oversimplification, but let that sink in.  

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

McSally is already having meltdowns over this

https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1217822020848771074

Quite the big talk from someone who was seated in the Senate as a figurative participation trophy.