When Trump knowingly accepted Russian help and obstructed the doj investigation and lied to the American people about who attacked our elections or extorting Ukraine the republicans didn't provide a valid counter argument

they asked "who unmasked?" or leaked or whistleblew

when Trump gave his acting officials and son-in-law and cabinet members security clearances that they didn't get cleared for Republicans look the other way

When he sided with Putin in Helsinki Republicans were in Moscow in secret meetings they voted not to release the transcript

When handed election security bills the Republicans voted against all but one of them which would strengthen funding for the machines that McConnell uses in his state

They helped Trump rail against the special counsel investigation into interference in our election

When a federal judge said Bill Barr had misrepresented that report they ignored it

When their own senate Intel report came out and said that Trump Associates were actively working to disseminate Russian misinformation into our public discourse during the election

And Ratcliffe said he wouldn't breathe the Intel committee on the interference

GOP ignored it.

THREAD: I went down a rabbit hole with a Trump supporter this morning to try to get an idea of why they think the way they do. I didn’t really learn anything, but you might find it interesting. She’s a 60-year old grandmother who seems very nice, by the way. @atrupar

2/ (it started when she jumped into a convo I was having with a crazy Trumper named Tank)

3/

4/

5/

If Trump sat in a SCIF and watched them steal the election, release the tape.

THREAD: To cap off the Trump era, I interviewed a politically diverse group of constitutional scholars, presidential historians and experts on democracy to put together a definitive list of Trump's ten most egregious abuses of power. Here's what we found.

1) SUBVERTING THE 2020 ELECTION. There is broad agreement that Trump's worst abuse was his relentless effort to undermine the vote and overturn the legitimate results. No POTUS ever tried a political coup like this. It's simply un-American, experts said.

2) INCITING AN INSURRECTION. We all saw what happened on January 6. Trump incited a rally supporters in DC to attack the US Capitol while electoral votes were being counted. He got impeached for it. A permanent scar on his legacy, experts said.

3) ABUSING THE BULLY PULPIT. Different than other abuses because it's speech, not actions. But still, experts said this was a very big deal. His nonstop lying, attacks, racist rhetoric, and fanning of flames was deeply corrosive to our political culture.

4) POLITICIZING THE DOJ. Trump repeatedly crossed lines and violated norms that have been in place since Watergate to create independence between the WH and federal law enforcement. Wielded DOJ as a weapon against enemies and shield for himself and allies.

Second Thread: The incurable SPD

Looking at the coming split of the GOP, next up is the era right up to Trump announcing his run in 2015. What happened in the decades right up to that moment. We get SPD, Sarah Palin's Disease. Alas, there is no cure

I like to joke that the GOP got infected by SPD Sarah Palin's Disease but many have pointed out that no, the GOP became sick well before Sarah. And the root cause is Newt Gingrich.

The first corruption of GOP as a politically viable party came via Newt

When the GOP came off its immense power era (2 terms of Reagan, record-national support, leading to rare 3rd term by one-term Daddy Bush) - then came suddenly the populist Bill Clinton - who stole the Republican thunder and stole the MIDDLE GROUND of politics

Newt Gingrich poisoned the GOP political minds that instead of contesting for the middle of the nation - the GOP should instead fight for the base. Poison the middle, enrage the base, and win that way.

Since Bill Clinton won in 1992, GOP has only once won 50% of the election

That once exception was 2004 - when W Bush got the benefit of the 9/11 terrorist attack good will. He was NOT a popular President. It was a sympathy vote. Apart from that, GOP has not gotten over 50% of popular vote once, since Newt Gingrich's mad political 'strategy'

The media spent years pretending Trump could magically pardon his co-conspirators, consequence-free, at any time, even though nothing works that way. Now the media is pretending the GOP can magically filibuster, consequence-free, at any time. Nothing works that way. It gets old.

Every media pundit understands that there are always consequences to every move in politics. Yet they always frame the Republicans as being able to magically do anything they want, with no consequences, to try to scare/enrage you into staying tuned in.

"But the Republicans are indeed getting away with it all..." No they're not. They lost the Senate, the House, and the presidency. Their top leaders in the House are at each others' throats. They're out of power, adrift, losing donors. These are the consequences for their antics.

The catch is, it's just not the consequences you want. Because even as TV pundits convinced you that republicans were magically winning, liberal Twitter pundits convinced you that republicans could be defeated by imaginary simplistic magic wand solutions.

So now the pundits have spun you around to where you don't even realize your side won the election, you don't realize the Democrats are going be able to pass everything they want to pass, and you're pissed at Democratic leaders for imaginary reasons.

Donald Trump is leaving the White House within the hour. Re-reading his inaugural speech from four years ago, it’s clear the two words he wanted to define his presidency were “America first.” But the two words that ultimately did were “American carnage.” /1

Even the opening lines are a reminder of what his presidency cost us: “Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power.” That tradition ended on Jan. 6. /2

(He also thanks President and First Lady Obama “for their gracious aid throughout this transition,” which suggests he can recognize grace, but not actually offer it.) /3

The speech was packed with familiar promises about rebuilding the military, bringing back jobs, boosting the economy, building the wall. Trump loved talking about infrastructure even then, though “Infrastructure Week” ended up as a punchline, not a program. /4

The promises were almost all broken. The unemployment rate is 2 points higher than when he took office, the stock market is up but the economy is weak, international alliances are frayed and America’s reputation is in tatters. /5

1) As the moves unfold, Trump's avenue of approach is becoming more apparent.

As always, he's holding the ace in his back pocket. He's seen intelligence only he and a select few have seen.

Those select few, seem to have the same attitude about what happened in the election.

Ten doctors at Walter Reed discussing Trump’s health. Dr. Conley says they are “extremely happy” with the president’s profess.

Trump is going to stay on a five-day remdesivir treatment.

Trump’s not on oxygen. They say he hasn’t been in it at all today. Reporter doesn’t follow up if he was on it last night. Dr. Conley says he doesn’t anticipate Trump needing to go on oxygen this week. Won’t disclose “specific numbers” about Trump’s fever.

Has he ever been on supplemental oxygen? Not today or yesterday, Conley says. Avoids discussing whether Trump has been on it prior.

Conley won’t disclose or discuss when Trump was infected with the coronavirus.

One thing you see a lot on here is people pointing out the contradictions in the putative views of Trump’s GOP. COVID is a Chinese plot but also a hoax. The insurrection was antifa but also a tour of patriots.

What people need to understand is that these contradictions aren’t a SYMPTOM of Trumpism.

They point to its very core - its emotional, psychological appeal to millions of America. The ability to sustain these contradictions is why Trump was elected, how his movement exists.

Ultimately what Trump offers - what fascism offers - is a philosophy of total emotional and psychological indulgence. Believe whatever makes you feel best. Live your politics examined.

Don’t want to take credit for the insurrection, but want to claim its dead as your martyrs? Go ahead! Say it! The Capitol was attacked by antifa but Ashlii Babbit was a hero patriot.

Hate China, but annoyed by the scolding liberals and their masks? Call the coronavirus a Democratic hoax - and at the same time, a deadly foreign bioweapon.

Thread: THIS IS THE SILENCING MOMENT BETWEEN THE
LIGHTNING.....AND THE THUNDER!
The Left is trying to silence & isolate Trump & his key supporters in a massive purge on Big Tech Platforms.
Americans are justifiably outraged as unelected Silicon Valley Oligarchs DECLARE DOMINION.

**THREAD** A recap on the current circumstances ✍️🇺🇸 I’ve been seeing this summary floating around 8kun and Natural News, among others, but in small font sizes, so I thought it’d be beneficial to post in a more legible format.

NEW: Before he left office, Trump filed his final financial disclosures with @OfficeGovEthics. I’ve had a read through them. The income he is claiming in respect of his Scottish resorts is entirely divorced from the reality set out in black in white in his UK accounts. Thread 👇

Firstly, Trump lists his income from ‘golf related revenue’ at Turnberry as $9.8m. Which is interesting, given the latest UK accounts for Turnberry's parent company registered losses of £2.3m ($3.1m) for the 12 months to 31 Dec 2019.

Even the turnover in the UK accounts - listed as £19.6m ($26.8m) is a country mile off that income figure listed in Trump's OGE filings. Comparing like for like, even accounting for that weird 'golf related revenue' descriptor, it's not even close.

If you drill down in more detail, and subtract the administrative expenses at Turnberry's parent firm from its turnover in order to get closer to whatever that 'income' figure entails, the number is still £12.5m ($17.2m).

And if you go deeper, and account for the gains the company made in foreign exchanges, and deduct depreciation and amortisation costs, the figure is £9.9m ($13.6m). Still a way off the OGE number.

Some sanity:

In the last 120 days I've noted several places within the constitutional process of a change in power where Trump could have properly, appropriately, and without resistance progressed towards seizing power Hitler-style.

All passed without incident.

I've also noted, which is supported by folks far more learned that myself, that the legal shenanigans were just theater.

There is no real path to seizing power at this point and having any excuse to do so.

But... there could be something behind how the 6th is being sold.

Trump could be ... maybe ... a slim chance ... cleaning up his own mess to some degree and we're about to witness state security forces cracking down on far right activists while they are all gathered in one place.

Other than that possibility, it's just more performance.

Without physically seizing and holding the places where power resides in DC, which is improbable at best, there is absolutely no chance at this time for anything other than Biden being sworn in at the end of the month.

The panic is purely for clicks and ratings.

Seriously think about it.

What are the chances of the Proud Boys invading and then holding Longworth in order to prevent elected officials from conducting the business of government?

If you've ever actually been there you know how ludicrous the suggestion is.

Trump was a very specific kind of disaster: a chaos agent, who lacked the wit, patience and executive function to recruit the powerful institutions of the US military-industrial complex to fight his corner.

1/

The kind of guy who demands the impossible and then fires and publicly humiliates any allies who fail to deliver - or dare to contradict him - is not the kind of guy who can build new, enduring, evil institutions.

2/

The best he can hope for is to get some trumpalike goblins into positions of power (where they will replicate his chaos, but without the broad impunity of the presidential office, resulting in a series of resignations and prosecutions), back by executive orders.

3/

The last months of the Trump admin were an orgy of executive branch rulemakings that dismantled public safety, health, labor, anticorruption and (especially) environmental protections.

4/

Trump is a debt kingpin. His MO is running across a river on the backs of alligators, hoping to move so fast that none of them takes a leg: borrow, refinance, restructure, borrow, blow town, borrow, restructure, bribe, blow town.

5/

.@benjaminwittes' tiny cannons were bigger than Trump's pitiful 21 gun salute. Meanwhile the (lack of) crowd at Andrews is completely the #TrumpCrimeFamily and assorted griters. Trump looks defeated and I've never seen Melania look so animated. #ByeFelicia #GTFO 🖕🖕🖕

THE...SPACE FORCE!

"Our vets are happy, our people are happy..the military is thrilled." (Spoiler: no, no they're not)
#GTFO

The job numbers have been absolutely incredible (Narrator: yes, they have. The lowest since the Depression). #GTFO

Remember us when you see these things happening. (Narrator: The Turd Reich administration has the blood of 400,000 dead Americans on its hands). #GTFO

I would like to see Democrats produce even one shred of evidence or just one example of President Donald Trump calling for violence. Just one. That's all.

Meanwhile, they can enjoy their own words calling for violence repeated back to them ...

“There will be blood in the streets” — USAG Loretta Lynch (D)

“Show me where it says that protests must be polite and peaceful.” — CNN's Chris Cuomo

“There needs to be unrest in the streets” — US Rep Ayanna Pressley (D)

“Protesters should not let up” — Sen. Kamala Harris (D)

“I just don't know why there aren't uprisings all over this country. Maybe there should be.” — US House Spkr Nancy Pelosi (D)

“You get out and you create a crowd, and you push back on them, and you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere!” — US Rep Maxine Waters (D)

“I will go and take Trump out tonight.” — US Rep Maxine Waters (D)

“When they go low, we kick 'em. That’s what this new Democratic Party is about.” — USAG Eric Holder (D)

“How do you resist the temptation to run up and wring her neck?” — MSNBC's Nicole Wallace on WH Press Sec. Sarah Sanders

“I'd like to punch him in the face.” — Robert De Niro on President Trump