Spotted in Santa Barbara
(thanks JP)
Author: Mr. Rantastic
Trump’s Emolument Exit?
Let’s assume for a moment that the improbable happens and Donald Trump loses the presidential election in November. Other than pardoning all of his cronies, what else will he do before leaving office?
Most likely it will involve money. Trump will take advantage of his one last chance to drain more money out of the US taxpayers. Look for a lot of last minute long term government contracts for Trump, Inc. and his cronies’ companies. The new administration might try to unwind them, but good luck with that. They will be sued. The swamp will win.
What Is It With Toilet Paper?
In every crisis, the first thing to disappear from the shops is TP.
(thanks GC)
Trump’s Nicknames
Donald Trump likes to ridicule opponents with nicknames. Lyin’ Ted Cruz. Mini Mike Bloomberg. Pocahontas Elizabeth Warren. He uses these nicknames because he thinks they are effective.
The reason he is convinced that they are effective is most likely personal experience. Trump went to a military academy for high school. He was either taunted there or taunted others. Probably both. He didn’t like it and when he saw how nicknames helped him bully others he got religion.
If his opponents were smart they would try to find a few people Trump grew up with. Ask them for the nicknames Trump was taunted with as a kid. Then use them against him or use them to negate his use of them.
But if they were smart enough to do that they would have done it already.
The Killer B’s
All of the main remaining Democratic candidates for president are B’s:
Biden, Bernie, Bloomberg and Buttigieg.
Coincidence?
A WWE Primary Strategy
During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump adopted a WWE strategy at one of his debates with Hillary Clinton. When Clinton had the microphone, Trump would leave his position at his podium and circle around behind Clinton, stalking her. Just like they do in World Wrestling Entertainment events. He not only stole her air time, he creeped her out.
The strategy worked well enough for Trump to try it again. Except this time it is on a higher level. The primaries this time around are about the Democrats – there is no challenge to Trump.
Nevertheless, he is swooping into the primary states just in time to steal the Democrats’ air time. His rallys are designed to unnerve them. As the Democratic field winnows, he will work harder to creep the winner(s) out. Unless the Dems start watching WrestleMania, it will probably work.
Hillary – The Gift That Keeps Giving
Like a bad penny, she keeps turning up. Hillary Clinton just won’t go away (we’ve noted this before). She has been in the news the past few weeks bashing Bernie Sanders. We get it – she is pissed at him for his lukewarm support four years ago and revenge is a dish best service cold.
While it may feel good to be back in the public eye bashing Bernie, it doesn’t reflect well on Clinton. Every time she opens her mouth she hurts her party. She gives Donald Trump the opportunity to run against her once again and remind people why they didn’t vote for the Democrats in 2016.
The not so ironic thing is that everything she is blaming Bernie for is now actually on her. Just like she was waiting for Bernie’s enthusiastic endorsement, the current pack of Democratic candidates are waiting for her to shut up and take a vacation.
They could be waiting for a long time.
Bloomberg Wins Iowa
He wasn’t campaigning there, but Michael Bloomberg won the Iowa caucus. No one scored a knock out victory. This leaves the door wide open for Bloomberg. In fact, it could not have worked out better.
Nationally, he polls just behind Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Pete Buttigieg did well in Iowa and might do well in New Hampshire, but he has no support among minorities. After Super Tuesday, it could well turn out to be a Bernie / Bloomberg Battle.
If they can keep from criticizing each other too hard, they might even be able to team up. Bernie for president, Bloomberg for VP. Wouldn’t that be interesting . . .
Witness Win For the Democrats?
The Democrats failed in their attempt to call witnesses at Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. But was it really a loss for them?
Trump was never going to be impeached no matter what witnesses or documents revealed. Everyone knew that. So how could the Democrats win?
One way is to turn it from an impeachment into a cover up. Republican senators might get some cover voting for acquittal – Trump’s actions were wrong but not wrong enough to kick him out of office. But they won’t get off so easily for squashing witnesses. That vote left them wide open to accusations of being part of Trump’s cover up.
Maneuvering Republican senators up for reelection into wading into the Trump swamp with Rudy Giuliani and Lev Parnas would not be the worst outcome for the Democrats. In fact, it could be considered a win.
Cen-sure? Un-sure
Donald Trump’s lawyers have made their case. Sure, the President did things that might have been wrong or questionable. But what he did isn’t bad enough to deserve impeachment.
Here’s the question: After Trump is acquitted, do the Democrats introduce a motion in the Senate to censure Trump?
It might be a smart political move. Of course, it would have no chance of passing, but it would put Republican senators on record saying that Trump’s behavior is not even worthy of a censure.
Or the Democrats could go even farther and introduce a resolution endorsing Trump’s behavior and saying that it was “perfect”. Would Republicans vote for that one? Would Trump be angry if they didn’t?
Rantastic 