Fernand Amandi: 'Ask Merrick Garland About The Wisdom Of Waiting For An Election'

[babylonsister]

https://crooksandliars.com/2019/05/fernand-amandi-ask-merrick-garland-about

5/18/19 9:55am
Read time: 3 minutes
Fernand Amandi: 'Ask Merrick Garland About The Wisdom Of Waiting For An Election'
On AM Joy this morning, Armandi urged Congressional leadership not to wait for 2020 to settle anything Trump-related.
By Aliza Worthington
Video at link~


Fernand Amandi joined Joy Reid's panel on Saturday right after Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin spoke to Reid. Rep. Rasking discussed the increasing number of Dems in Congress coming around to the side of being in favor of impeachment hearings for Trump. Amandi, like many, MANY other Democrats, asked, "What the hell are we waiting for?"

In a forceful assessment of Democratic leadership, Amandi respectfully pointed out that the cognitive dissonance of Congressional leadership is hurting Americans here, and that the world is watching. He made the on-point prediction that if we're waiting for the election to settle things, the premise is faulty because the 2020 election is NOT going to be a normal election. We already KNOW there are ongoing attempts to mess with the electoral systems and no moves effectively to combat it on a national level. He predicted Trump wouldn't even APPEAR in the debates.

Furthermore, one of our staunchest allies seems to be no longer steadfast. Angela Merkel has listed the UNITED STATES as a country against whom Europe needs to unite. She put us in the same category as Russia and China. Let that sink in.

JOY REID: When you look at public opinion in general, do people tend to to move toward strong leadership that is exhibiting that kind of strength, or toward rapprochement, people who are more conciliatory? Because Democrats seem to believe that being the most conciliatory they can be, that is how they secure 2020. Do you as a numbers guy believe that?

FERNAND AMANDI: Absolutely I believe the American people respond to strength, the American people respond to reasonable leadership that reacts to the moment, and when, what's obvious is, with all due respect to Congressman Rankin, he seems to be suffering from what the Congressional Democratic leadership seems to be suffering from which is this delayed cognitive dissonance, and dissonance story from recognizing this idea that, unprecedented, admittedly in the American experience, that the United States of America is under attack by the sitting president of the United States. That is very difficult, I think, for them to understand and believe but they need to face the facts that after two years where we are seeing nothing but evidence in our faces — now confirmed by the Mueller report — that speaks to illegal obstruction, that they are either bordering on a dangerous dereliction of duty at worst, or dangerous naiveté at best, and this idea of punting to the 2020 election and letting it resolve also under the very naive idea that the 2020 election is gonna be normal. Let me share a dirty little secret with the American people. Donald Trump is not going to act like a normal president in the seeking re-election in the campaign. He is probably not going to participate in a single debate. For people who say, "Oh, wait until the nominee gets him to debate." That's probably not gonna happen. He has already weaponized the Department of Justice to intimidate, threaten and perhaps even jail his political opponents.

The answer to this is to use the powers that the Founders gifted us through the generations in the Constitution, which is impeachment. A couple of other very quick points. The world is also watching, Joy. This week, a chilling thing happened. Angela Merkel made a statement that Europe and Germany need to unite against global rivals China, Russia and the United States. What may be prompting that thinking from Angela Merkel is the lack of action, real action, use of real power by Congressional Democrats to oppose the administration. If you don't believe me, I think you'll maybe need to ask Supreme Court Justice Merrick Garland about what the wisdom is of waiting for an election to decide what should be done for the American people.

[doc03]

1. The Republicans ran countless Benghazi hearings and investigations against Hillary

for 2 years. What happened? The Republicans bragged about driving her numbers down and now we have
Trump. Now Democrats are afraid to do their constitutional duty because it may hurt their chances in 2020. I think chances are
he will be re-elected anyway as long as the Obama economy props him up. Then what?

[watoos]

3. The stock market should be booming,

Trump artificially propped it up by giving corporations 1.5 trillion dollars which they used to buy back stock. Trump gave the rich and corporations massive tax cuts that never expire. He did all of this by merely increasing the debt which is now over 22 trillion dollars. Trump's deficit is projected to be at least 1 trillion dollars a year.

I also don't believe the numbers that working class wages are increasing significantly. I'm on Social Security and this is the first year in a while that I got a 3.8% increase because the cost of living went up 3.8%. So if working class people didn't get at least a 3.8% wage increase they lost money.

[at140]

26. +10000000000000000

[watoos]

2. Not giving Garland a hearing was a violation of the Constitution,

Last edited Sun May 19, 2019, 09:14 AM - Edit history (1)

and Democrats let it slide assuming that Hillary would win anyway, sound familiar?

Hopefully Democrats turn out in massive numbers to overcome the crooked voting machines. Democratically controlled states need to all go to paper ballots and do it as soon as possible.

We need to win back state Houses in 2020 because it is a census year and we need to undo the unjust gerrymandering that Republicans did in 2010. It isn't very democratic when Democrats get way more votes in a state election yet Republicans win more seats.

[Scarsdale]

6. Hillary DID win.

Unfortunately, McConnell proved that the fix was already in for tRump to ascend to his throne, thanks to Russia and the gop. McConnell knew ahead of time, since he said "The next president will choose the SC judge" How did he KNOW that would be Orange Anus? If we get a democratic president who tries even half the dirty tricks the gop mistake has done, the gop will scream bloody murder. Time to expose the entire corrupt group.

[Farmer-Rick]

7. And Comey sure torpedoed Hillary's chances with that ridiculous letter

Why didn't he do a letter on Trump too????????????????????? F*cking RepubliCONS are all crooks.

[calimary]

23. And the only way they win, anymore, is when THEY cheat...

and WE wimp out and stay home and don’t vote.

[pdsimdars]

4. But I guess things aren't alarming enough to fight back like you're fighting and not discussing

I hear lots of TALK about how bad and disgusting and etc things are. I hear lots of TALK about fines and jail and Democrats controlling the House. But when is someone going to break the glass and DO IT?

[StarfishSaver]

5. The problem wasn't that people thought the election would fix the problem

It was that too many people didn't think Merrick Garland, in particular, and the courts, in general, were important enough to get over themselves and their selfish personal purity obsessions to go out and vote for Hillary.

Elections DO make a difference - but only WHEN WE ACTUALLY VOTE IN THEM!

[watoos]

8. I agree but

Republicans threw so much mud at Hillary the SC pick became hidden in the slime. She fell and has brain damage, she has a hole in her tongue, she only has 6 months to live, she ran a pedophile ring out of a pizza shop basement that doesn't even have a basement, she had Seth Rich murdered.

With all of that said, Democrats should have forced a hearing for Garland.

You are right again about why Trump won, his base voted and our base didn't vote for president. Much of that has to do with Russia's and the right wing's interference. Hopefully in 2020 we won't get fooled again. Trump is definitely going to lose a lot of the suburban women vote that he got in 2016. If we turn out we win, Trump's base is not going to grow any.

[StarfishSaver]

9. How do you propose the Democrats could have "forced a hearing on Garland"?

What exact Senate rule or procedural mechanism could they have used to force Mitch McConnell and Chuck Grassley to hold a hearing?

And while we love to insist that we are so much smarter than Trump's base, they at least are smart enough to know how to vote for the candidate most likely to beat the candidate they hate so the candidate they hate doesn't win and the candidate they voted for, even if they're not crazy about them, will get the power to do some of the stuff they like, like appoint right wing judges to lifetime appointments on the federal courts

We don't seem to have caught up with them on this yet.

[Pepsidog]

12. The answer is, what would Republicans have done if they were in that situation.

Rs would not have accepted waiting for an election had it been their SC candidate.

[StarfishSaver]

16. That's not an answer.

[EffieBlack]

19. Ever notice how people are really quick to criticize Dems for not doing certain things

but when you politely ask what exactly should they do and how they should do it - in the real world, not in Fantasyland - and you get nothin’ but “hummuna hummuna”?

Yeah. Me, too.

[StarfishSaver]

21. You noticed that, too?

[Pepsidog]

24. No criticism here. We all thought the election was locked up so we were content to wait until.

when Hillary was elected and Dems would have their pic on the court. It didn’t work out that way. But now we know how far Republicans will go to win and need to be prepared for everything and take nothing for granted. If you consider learning from the past as criticism that’s your prerogative. I consider it history that we dare not repeat. Chill people we are all on the same side. Don’t look for criticism where it doesn’t exist.

[StarfishSaver]

28. But I was responding to someone saying the Democrats should have "forced a hearing" on Garland

I simply asked how they could have done that. I've yet to get an answer.

[EffieBlack]

18. Not an answer. Not even close

[Roy Rolling]

10. Okay, I'm Pissed

I'm pissed how propaganda works. It makes bullshit seem plausible enough to spread to others.

If I hear the "Democratic base" slammed one more time I'm gonna scream. And here it is:

STOP BLAMING DEMOCRATS FOR TRUMP'S ELECTORAL COLLEGE VICTORY

Fuck that. Why blame DEMOCRATS? Stop it!!! We did all we could, even DU was hacked on Election Day. Even hinting that Democrats didn't do enough and are to blame for the Trump victory is chickenshit.

That's right, chickenshit. Not YOU, but whoever thought they were so fuckin' smart that blaming Democrats for not voting enough is a genius concept worth writing about two years later. This bullshit speculation about the legendary more-motivated Trump voters and hippie, pot-smoking lazy less-motivated Democratic voters is pure propaganda, meant to obscure the real reasons Trump won.

STOP IT

[Cosmocat]

13. Yeah - the purity thing is on the margins

1/3 of the country voted for a meglomaniac, corrupt on every possible level, russian stooge.

That is the story ...

[Roy Rolling]

32. It's a tiny reason

It's dumb.

Every election is lost when the losing side doesn't get enough voters to the polls.

It's the laziest excuse in the book and chickenshit. It avoids the complicated issues.

[Fiendish Thingy]

11. The Constitution can't wait until 2020 nt

[pangaia]

14. This guy NAILS IT.

Something many of 'us' have known for years.

For me personally, I even did not think it would get this far this fast.

WAKE UP ! it is almost a done deal.

20 some odd Dems running for 'president.' I AM truly impressed by that and how great so many of them are but...jesus, people !!!!!!!!!


There ain't gonna be no election.. at least not as we know it.

So if you don;t have a chance why the fuck waste your's and everybody else's time?. Get out there and FIGHT for our democracy !

At least.. AT LEAST, of you are a senator or rep who is not at the top... don;t give up your seat.. JUST IN CASE we manage to pull off SOME honest races !!!

Or....maybe that is even a waste of time.
........................
Don't jump on me for being a 'negative Nellie,' or whatever it is...
That is how I see it.

[Brogrizzly]

15. I can not for the life of me, understand why impeachment hasn't happened?

What in the hell is it going to take? At some point morality must prevail, waiting for an election signals this behavior is ok. Losing heart fast.

[StarfishSaver]

20. Suppose the Judiciary Committee voted out Articles of Impeachment by June 30. Then what?

Please explain your vision of how this will all play out over the next year and a half if that were to happen.

Thanks

[Brogrizzly]

25. Apart from it being the morally right thing to do?

Idk 1700 new kids separated from parents being disclosed today kinda makes my argument for me, no? Justify to them how it’s not in the best interest or service politically speaking, look all the others in the eye hurt by this administration and talk bullet points. We are cowards if we do nothing. It’s how I feel, you may disagree which is fine, but I can’t wake up and feel ok with waiting until 2020.

[StarfishSaver]

27. That doesn't answer my question

How will an impeachment next month play out moving forward - and how will it affect or alleviate the very real concerns you express?

[Brogrizzly]

30. Sure

Look, if you need me to spell out in line item detail how it would play out? How the hell am I supposed to know that? But some things are for certain, one, it’s essential to have a reasonable impeachment inquiry, two, it’s also essential to put these people to record by voting. Morally and politically it is the right thing to do, more importantly.

Look, with Nixon it wasn’t until The House Judiciary Committee voted for impeachment that most Americans got on board with it.

I get where you are going with how does it help now argument, well specifically it would allow fast tracking dockets in federal courts with regards to issues to the inquiry itself as it relates to the inquiry. So you want to talk about alleviation of problems, holding their feet to the fire, sure would seem a better course than, I don’t know...allowing democracy to die in the hands of a kleptocrat.

[StarfishSaver]

31. "How the hell am I supposed to know that?"

Exactly.

[wryter2000]

17. What would impeaching him change?

We're not going to get him out of office until 2021. We must work to defeat him in 2020.

[StarfishSaver]

29. We work both tracks.

Continue the investigations that will likely lead to an impeachment AND work like hell to defeat him next November.

[Hotler]

22. "the cognitive dissonance of Congressional leadership is hurting Americans here"

Congressional leadership, isn't that Madam Speaker?