TRUMP IMPEACHMENT

[Duchess]

Oh shit balls. There for their. Ugh. Why do I only notice after the fact.

[Rootilda]

Reverend Al on Morning Joe today called Trump "The Bedbug King" in response to Trump's nasty remarks about Chicago and I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING.

I might have lost my mind sometime in the last (almost) three years since Trump took office, it's hard to tell.

[Maggot]

Everybody on the left lost what little minds they had left when Trump won the election and became president of the United States of America.

[Rootilda]

Well, since the conservatives were already crazy, this entire country is filled with lunatics. That'll be our legacy.

Nice try to get a ding in, Maggot.

[BigMark]

Trump Tower in Chicago was one of the best places I've ever stayed.

[Duchess]

Ewwww. Gross. You probably brought cooties home. Yuk!

[BigMark]

[Duchess]

Mark has cooties. Yikes!

[BigMark]

On my gooch.

[Rootilda]

Is that your naked reflection in the window glass?

[BigMark]

I'm not naked, that's a Kielbasa.

[Duchess]

[Rootilda]

[HairOfTheDog]

Snip:

Senate Republicans, with 22 seats up for reelection and their majority up for grabs in 2020, are in a bind over how to defend President Trump from the House impeachment push.

They realize their political fortunes and policy goals are tied to the president, but they also know their best shot at keeping control of the Senate hinges on senators preserving their independent brands.

That means they have to be careful in defending conduct they see as improper; several Senate Republicans say it would be wrong to hold up military aid to Ukraine to gain political leverage, the issue at the heart of the impeachment inquiry.

Senate Republicans on Tuesday took a decidedly cautious approach as a White House witness offered new testimony in the House critical of Trump.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell claimed victory in Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to hold a House vote Thursday on impeachment procedures but stopped short of outlining his next moves.

“Obviously they’ve responded to the pressure that we put on them to try to handle this in a more transparent way that meets basic standards of due process that every American would be entitled to,” he said.

“We’ll have to take a look at what the House produces later today and see if it passes the smell test of providing the kind of due process protections that the president and his team are certainly entitled to, just like President Nixon was and President Clinton was,” he said.

(continued)

[HairOfTheDog]

Trump and Republican leaders in the House have telegraphed a new strategy intended to move away from attacks against Democrats on process, and toward a more robust defense of the president on the merits of impeachment.

“I’d rather go into the details of the case rather than the process,” Trump said Monday before a trip to Chicago. “Process is wonderful,” he added. “But I think you ought to look at the case.”

Three Senate Republicans, Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Mitt Romney (Utah), did not support the resolution condemning the House inquiry.

A senior Republican senator predicted last week the resolution would never get a vote on the Senate floor because it would put vulnerable incumbents and GOP senators who have expressed concerns over Trump’s conduct in a tough position. McConnell on Tuesday said, “We haven’t made a decision on that yet.”

Polls of independent voters are finding more support for impeachment, a trend undoubtedly troubling to McConnell — who is focused on ensuring the GOP keeps its majority next year.

A Reuters-Ipsos poll last week found support for impeaching Trump surging among independents to 45 percent, with just 32 percent opposing it. And, a survey from Quinnipiac University Poll last week showed a 16-point swing in favor of the House impeachment investigation among self-described independents.

(continued)

[HairOfTheDog]

Republican senators are also uncomfortable defending Trump on the underlying charge, that Trump held up military aid to Ukraine to pressure its leaders to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

The attacks by Trump allies on key House witnesses who have impressive résumés and no obvious signs of partisan affiliation also make GOP senators uncomfortable.

McConnell on Tuesday said he did not want to question the patriotism of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified before the House on Tuesday about Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and other witnesses. “I’m not going to question the patriotism of any of the people who are coming forward,” he told reporters.

Vindman testified that he thought Trump’s pressure on Zelensky was improper and worried about the implications for U.S. support for Ukraine.

If the House does go forward with impeachment, the Senate will be the jury. Several GOP senators have indicated they see their role in the process as serious, and as a result do not want to go too far with their public statements.


Full piece:  https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4680...mpeachment

[Maggot]

Several democrat reps are not willing to vote for impeachment because they represent some of Trump's best supporting area's. Pelosi has told them to vote for impeachment or lose DNC funding on their elections.

[HairOfTheDog]

Several democrat reps are not willing to vote for impeachment because they represent some of Trump's best supporting area's. Pelosi has told them to vote for impeachment or lose DNC funding on their elections.

That doesn't sound like strategic Nancy Pelosi and makes no sense to me.

Why would Pelosi want to put already vulnerable Democratic congresspersons in greater danger of losing their elections, thereby greatly increasing the chances that Republicans retake the House majority in 2020.

What's the source for that claim Maggot?

[Maggot]

The bubble gum guy    It's a resolution though a vote on the "resolution"

[Maggot]

OK my work computer is going through a big Norton thing and slow as all hell today so my searches take f o r e v e r    but I did find this.

on the fence