This is a big reversal for me. But after the recent Inspector General's report I am concerned about Hillary's viability in the General Election. This may be over-reacting, but I have decided I would like to see her withdraw from the race if the FBI final report hasn't been released by the Convention. I think her proceeding under that cloud of uncertainty would really compromise Democrat chances to win the election. I have not been a huge fan of Bernie's, but I would sure rather have him president than Trump. Since most polls show Bernie performing better against Trump than Hillary, I am now starting to feel the Bern.
Wow, that's quite a reversal. Although if you're expecting her to step aside gracefully — particularly with a significant lead — I think you'll be waiting until hell freezes over. I agree that she's poison for the democrats, but it appears they have picked theirs. I'm fairly convinced we'll be seeing a Trump administration unless she's actually forced aside (perhaps by allegations she simply can't ignore). Even then, I'm not entirely convinced that Bernie will do much better. He's made himself very easy to attack. I sure do hope I'm wrong. Not that any democrat would be able to do much with a hostile congress, but any right winger in the white house now is a nightmare for the future SCOTUS. Frankly, I think Trump would probably do slightly better than most republicans on that front, but maybe that's just wishful thinking. Depending on the makeup of the Senate, he'll probably just pick whoever his advisors claim will garner the most votes, without much of a care one way or the other. What a mess.
Look, I'm honest enough to say that this is a black mark against her. She shouldn't have done this. But I think it was the action of a control-freak, not anything more sinister than that. And I'm also realistic enough (I think) to say that if the FBI probe says the same thing - basically, "rules were broken, but no laws," then this simply becomes a partisan Rorschach test. Republicans will say it's super-serious and disqualifying; Democrats will say it was unwise but no big deal in the scheme of things, and those in the middle will (I hope) say that it's certainly a black mark, but compared to all of the black marks against Trump it kinda pales in comparison. Speaking of which, Trump's lawyers have successfully delayed his trials for fraud (in connection with "Trump University") past November. But talk about a cloud hanging over one's head. Unlike (probably) the email thing, fraud actually is against the law. In fact, it's a high crime/misdemeanor that could even lead to impeachment, if proven.
Irrelevant. Either it's a Republican controlled congress which will overlook, well...everything. Or it's a Democratic congress, in which case they'll overlook everything (see George W. for further reference). Either way, impeachment is off the table, no matter what. On the flip side, Hillary against a Republican congress means she'll be impeached on day one. They're already seething over the fact that President Obama never gave them so much as a shred to hang him with. They'll be out for blood with her for sure, and with plenty of ammunition to work with too.
I'm not so sure impeachment would be off the table for Trump. Consider: half (maybe more) of the sitting members of Congress never much liked the guy to begin with. He got close to zero endorsements before he clinched, which is unprecedented for someone leading in the primary polls. He's not down with a lot of Republican orthodoxy, which most of them are. Deep down they know he's not qualified, and deep down most of them know he's a loose cannon who's always one ego tantrum away from doing something really stupid and/or downright dangerous. And if he's convicted of fraud by one of the state AG's, remember that his Veep will also be a Republican. Probably a former senator or congressman (Trump has said he wants someone with government experience as his Veep) that they know, like much more, and will be far more predictable in his adherence to GOP orthodoxy. And safer. Let's just say it's Bob Corker (a name that has been bandied about). And let's say Trump is convicted of fraud. The public outcry will be pretty big, one imagines, if he is. Then the Congress is faced with a choice: 1). keep this guy we don't like and look ridiculously partisan as a result (and very possibly face voter retribution for standing behind a convicted crook), or 2). fake outrage (they're good at that), take the "moral high ground," say "we never liked this guy" and get a President Corker instead. Kind of a win/win for them. Trump (God forbid, but in this scenario) wins the White House for the party, and then they can get rid of him.
This is my only real hope for him, that he relies mostly on the experience of those around him, since he's completely clueless about how the government really works. In the past he's seemed to do a decent job of delegating work, so I would hope that he would defer to the "experts" for most things. Then again, he's such an ego case and loose cannon that I have absolutely no idea what he would do (and I doubt he does either) Sounds like something straight out of House of Cards. It's crazy enough that it might just work...
Re: the OP: IG report on Clinton email concludes with...nothing new "In other words, this is pretty much all the stuff we already knew. The Department of State apparently has epically bad email systems. Nonetheless, Hillary Clinton should have consulted with State's IT staff about her personal email account. She didn't. She should have turned over her work emails sooner. She didn't. Ditto for her staff. And that's about it. Hillary screwed up. The IG report doesn't present any evidence that her system was ever hacked. Nor does it suggest that Hillary was deliberately trying to prevent work-related emails from being retained. Nor was she the only one conducting official business on a personal account. Colin Powell did it too, as well as dozens of other State employees. Nonetheless, Hillary exercised poor judgment here. That's been clear for a long time. Beyond that, though, there's not much more to say." That's kind of where I am. I don't know if this has "legs" beyond partisan Republicans. If it's still the lead story 2 weeks (hell, even 1 week) from now, then maybe. But I kinda doubt it will be.
As long as the FBI doesn't find a basis for criminal charges. I just wish one way or the other they would release their final report before the convention.
Don't forget... she wouldn't be the first Clinton to outsmart Congress. Come to think of it, it really isn't all that difficult to be smarter then Congress. It depends what the definition of is, is!
You mean, almost get impeached in it's complete form. But, alas... outsmarted again. My memory seems to think that the whole thing didn't even amount to a paper match in a hurricane. When you talk to people of my age, almost every single one will tell you that considering the history of the Presidency and Congress, the entire thing was hippocrisy at its finest.
So, it amounted to a fart in a whirlwind. Just a lot of posturing to see who had the biggest. It is now a big part of pretty much forgotten history.
Oh, absolutely. Funny thing is (and I've no idea if it's true or not), many left wingers claim the whole thing was out of revenge for the treatment of Richard Nixon. Given how silly the entire affair (no pun) was, that makes some sense to me.
There are so many legal skeletons in Trump's closet, it would be easy for the GOP Establishment to cut him a deal and eliminate him as POTUS: drop all charges, erase all tax debts, expunge his record in exchange for him stepping down voluntarily. Then the GOP Establishment gets one of their own as POTUS when the Veep takes the top slot, someone they can put on a short leash and control. Kind of the Republican version of HBO's Veep. Which I absolutely love!
Holy crap! Is Donald Trump actually smart enough to connect all the dots and recognize this as a viable strategy for getting out of his legal and financial difficulties? And that's why he ran for President in the first place?
It might have been partially that, but, they had Jimmy Carter to kick around for that, and, in my mind did with how the hostage situation ended. However, with Bill, they just hated him because no matter what they tried to hit him with, it just didn't stick, he outsmarted them at every turn.
No. He's not remotely that clever, first off. And secondly, there are far easier ways for billionaires to sweep their problems under the rug whenever they wish. He wants to be prez. Not the responsibilities, of course. Just the glory. He's wanted it ever since President Obama insulted his ass royally at the press dinner several years ago. I'm convinced that that was the moment he decided to do it (and he's doing a damned good job of it so far...frightening though the notion may be).
Today, I don't feel like Trump will win. Ask me again tomorrow, or an hour from now, and I will think his candidacy seems inevitable. But at this moment, I have a hard time seeing how a nation that elected someone as even keeled as President Obama when things were indeed quite bleak, and then reelected him, and oh by the way, he's a black guy, would pivot to electing a carnival sideshow like Trump who is openly, proudly racist and open, proudly, uninformed on even the basics of the job for which he is running. Opinion above has a "Use By" date of about 60 minutes from now, however, when I might think we are so screwed.
