One bad jury doesn't spoil the whole jury system.

[gulliver]

I was worried that by pursuing impeachment, the Dems would end up hurting the Constitution. The Republicans in the Senate would acquit, and the "precedent" would be established that the Congress was simply powerless to impeach a rogue president under any circumstances. Trump, for example, could claim exoneration and then ask Barr to do a thorough investigation of every Democratic political leader to dig up dirt for the RNC for 2020.

Nope. That's not going to happen. If Trump were to do the exact same thing he did in that "perfect call" again, he would be convicted. There's no precedent. All we have is a bad jury in the Republican Senate letting Trump get away with a one off.

The real lesson learned here with this Republican "jury nullification" is that Republicans must be voted out of every office in every election. One of the qualifications for service in the Congress is faithful execution of Congressional duties. Republicans have shown they don't have those qualifications.

Future Senate impeachment juries don't have to follow precedent any more than the Republicans did this time. Each jury gets to be a good jury or a bad jury. The Republicans in the Senate were a bad jury this time. That's now a proven fact. They are therefore not qualified for any office.

[RandySF]

1. Apples and oranges.

The Senate operates nothing like a real jury.

[gulliver]

3. Yes, yes...it's a court.

Has no bearing on my point. For the same reason the Republicans were able to ignore the Constitution this time, future Senates will be able to ignore that ignoring.

[Hoyt]

2. I bet GOPers have been warning trump they can't cover him again. Maybe, not.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Your voice is the voice of reason, and I thank you for it.

You're absolutely right.

We will use what they did to drive them out of the Congress this fall.

I hope we can generate a larger blue wave than we did when we re-took the House.

[crickets]

5. +1

[backtoblue]

8. Absolutely!

[2ndGeneration]

6. Try as I might

I have no idea what Pelosi was doing with the rushed House vote. Anyone with a pulse could foresee the debacle that has taken place in the Senate. Why not stall? Why not run through a few more witnesses and allow more time for investigation? Fruitful or not, push this thing into spring with an eye on the early summer months. Batter Trump on the campaign trail with the constant pressure of a seemingly endless investigation, and continue to build a stronger case while allowing more time for more information to surface.

In this game of poker, Pelosi and Schiff were dealt a mediocre hand. And they played that hand like it was pocket aces. The problem is that everyone knew what they were holding. What we’re left with is one of the most bizarre bluffs in political history. Or maybe I have a fundamental misunderstanding of poker, and this was the plan all along. In which case, I’m glad we avoided whatever hell on earth would have taken place had things not gone according to plan.

[mcar]

9. You are blaming Democrats for Republican perfidy?

[gulliver]

10. Nope, Dems won. It was a forgone conclusion, and I think we maximized the win for the country.

[UniteFightBack]

11. All blame is to be placed on the RussiapublCON Senate. Your first post is blaming Dems? Yeah OK.

[ehrnst]

12. So, why do you think that Pelosi did exactly what she did?

[Cartaphelius]

7. Wow. The "greatest" deliberative

body in our nation, by a majority, criminality our courts would not, you want us to travel back with to the mythical Lilliputions.

Genius.. Why didn't I drop acid last night too?

[tandem5]

13. But it's not a fluke -- it's not one bad jury. The majority population has a minority

representation due to gerrymandering, voter suppression, manipulation of the census, corruption of our court system, and the hard-wired design of state level designations regardless of population density (aka the Senate and the electoral college). The corruption of our court system is mostly due in part to the fact that the power to confirm is given to the Senate and not to, at least on paper, the congressional body that is supposed to reflect the populace, the House.

The bottom line is the population is at a disadvantage when trying to exercise their displeasure at a representative body that failed them. Yes, we can protest in mass and perhaps bring the economy to a halt if people become aware and alarmed enough, but if that doesn't happen and the Republicans hold the Senate for all the reasons described above, over the backdrop of all the overt corruption that has so far taken place, then that will thoroughly demonstrate to them that they can operate with absolute impunity and that's the only precedent that will matter.

[EndlessWire]

14. Oh, Good Gawd!

The Republican Senate just handed Trump unlimited power. As in, DICTATOR. On Wednesday, they will acquit him.This is Trump's "enabling act."

"Nope. That's not going to happen. If Trump were to do the exact same thing he did in that "perfect call" again, he would be convicted. There's no precedent. All we have is a bad jury in the Republican Senate letting Trump get away with a one off."

I respect your opinion, really I do. Citizens everywhere are trying to understand, and I am no less shocked. But, can't you see what they have done?? Those Repubs have been bought, intimidated, and fooled by those protecting Trump and themselves. They just trashed the Constitution. They just put on the record that Trump can do ANYTHING he wants as long as he says he's doing it for the National security. ARE YOU KIDDING???

You're going to hear a lot about GOTV. YES. We should. But it only works if we are allowed to vote and are not interfered with at every level. You just watched the US SENATE fuck with us at the highest level.