The GOP is committing suicide to keep Trump in office for 1 more year.

[DetlefK]

Consider the deal: Who gains what from Trump's acquittal?

* Trump gets to walk away with a crime. And the GOP is forced to bind itself even closer to him. No matter what the future holds, the GOP will not be able to erase the memory of him, like they did with President George W. Bush. He will hold a stranglehold over the GOP long after he's out of office. Who do you think will rile up republican voters in 2024 and 2028? Will it be the republican candidate for President? Or will it be Trump? And how can the GOP of 2024 and 2028 possibly tell Trump to stop tweeting this shit without alienating his ex-voters?

* The Republicans tie themselves to a trial where they acquitted someone without witnesses or evidence. The Republicans go on the record arguing for more witnesses, for less witnesses, for open hearings, for closed hearings, for a slower trial, for a faster trial. The Republicans go on the record ridiculing themselves with outlandish talking-points about the US Constitution.

* The Democrats get to attack the Republicans and Trump for their cover-up in the 2020 elections. This will NOT be over with Trump's acquittal. The fallout will keep going until the election and possibly beyond.



If Trump gets acquitted, the GOP will save Trump legally for one year, while dooming itself politically for years and years to come.



If Trump would not have dementia and had planned this, this would be a machiavellian masterpiece.

[Zolorp]

1. Nope. That's not it at all.

The GOP is maneuvering to allow Trump to CHEAT with impunity in 2020, helping all of them as well.

Make no mistake, this is a blatant attempt to seize all power forever because no election will ever be valid again if Trump is acquitted.

[rampartc]

3. +1

trump's state of the union, delivered the day of his acquittal in the senate, will be just the beginning of this farce.

congressional oversight will no longer be possible, subpoenas will be optional, and any concept of divided government or checks and balances ignored.

[cyclonefence]

2. I suspect

that most of the Republican senators are receiving, directly or indirectly, money from Russia that is being funneled through organizations like the NRA, and any further investigation into Trump's ties to Russia threaten not only their cash flow just before an important election but their freedom from prosecution. We need a Woodward and Bernstein to investigate this mess. Cases of corruption in government are based on money, who's getting it and why, and where it comes from.

[duforsure]

4. Could Putin and trump be...

Bribing the republicans in Congress by funneling money to them , and assuring them media and cyber attacks to help them get re-elected in return for protecting trump by refusal to convict him? Follow the money Democrats.

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

5. President Obamas fault

Mr "one term President" McConnell can't stand the fact of a two term Democrat president vs a one term orange idiot.

[beachbumbob]

6. no chance GOP will remove trump as the outcome would be even worse as

60-70% of their voters would PUNISH GOP and not show up in Nov.

Trump was never going to be remove BUT the democrats can make political hay of it for Nov.


McConnel going least worse path

[lark]

7. Nope, they are backing him to steal permanent power for the oligarchs.

The oligarchs have been on a 40 year effort to delegitimize our representative form of government which establishes rules that prevent their treachery and lies and stops them from maximizing their profits - this is just part of it. Now with PUtin in the lead, they have major major $$ and backing and think they can load up the judiciary with constitution hating folks & pure racists & misogynists. If Russia can steal enough votes to get him and the House & Senate repug, they will kill SS, Medicare & Medicaid as well as free public education. That is the minimal harm they'd do, it could go as far as stopping elections on some stupid pretext (Anti-fa menace?) or letting Russia invade Ukraine or whichever country and praise PUtin and refuse to back NATO.

[BlueTsunami2018]

8. Or they're cementing right wing rule in perpetuity.

They let him off, they rig the election, they pack the courts, they eliminate congressional oversight, they ignore any court ruling they don’t like, we basically have a kleptocracy like Russia.

Тяцмр isn’t directing any of this stuff, he doesn’t know or care enough about policy to be doing so. He’s just a frontman. This is the “think tanks” and real power brokers molding the country. People like McConnell know better but they don’t care. He’s ostensibly the most powerful person in the country but he’s being directed by the people in the shadows, the money people.

I’ve been hearing about the GOPs demise forever. It never happens. They always come back worse and more powerful than before.

[ecstatic]

9. That's my fear as well. They're not worried because

voting machines are compromised. If that's the case, all we can do is hope that ethical hackers will side with us. Smh.

[berksdem]

10. could not have said it any better

[Johonny]

11. They're certainly setting the bar for impeachable offenses at such a level

that no president could ever abuse power enough to justify being removed from office. Luckily, this bar will likely get lowered to stained dress level again as soon as the next Democrat gets into office.

Still, you wonder what crime Trump will do next knowing no rules or laws apply to him...