MichiganCardinal

Jimmy Carter only served one term. Still eligible.

I would love this. A lot of people thought when Sewell was drafted it meant the end of Decker in Detroit. Holmes being like "lol why though we need two starting tackles" is probably one of his smartest moves.

Ultimately the Secret Service reports to the Department of Homeland Security, who reports to the President. The findings of any investigation, including the cause of any injury to Trump (glass or bullet) are not Trump's decision whether to release. His medical records probably are. There are also congressional investigations that have been launched that are going to be public.

How do they even do polling nowadays? I know it used to be they'd call landline phones. I've never owned a landline since moving into my own apartment, and I've never once gotten a call on my cell phone asking me to do polling. And I would probably assume it was a scam and hang up if I did. It feels like any method that relies on the honor system couldn't be all that reliable. What stops someone who wants Kamala Harris to lead the ticket (or Buttigieg, or Newsome, or Whitmer, or our favorite "Younger Democrat") from just saying Trump, hoping that bad polling will push Biden off the ticket? I mean it's a way of demonstrating dissatisfaction, at the expense of accuracy (if the person would actually ultimately vote for Biden).

The truth is always somewhere in the middle, but I am skeptical of a Trump +7 poll. I have a hard time seeing Trump picking up significant ground like that. He won the state by 0.3% in 2016. He lost by 2.8% in 2020. Am I to believe that he can do better than winning the state by 0.3% eight years, a pandemic, and several felonies later? The most likely result is probably somewhere in between -0.3 and +2.8.... -7 feels outlandish.

I played a game with the RNC. Drink every time you see a minority. I stayed sober for the RNC, which was a bummer.

You should accept the Google Calendar invite if you want a heads up.

The 25th Amendment exists for a reason. I have no doubt a Democratic Cabinet would exercise it if it was needed (e.g., a stroke and won't give up control), unlike the sycophants DJT surrounds himself with.

Pitchers and catchers Rookies have reported!

I totally agree. There is a reason he performed atrociously in South Carolina and dropped out shortly thereafter. He's not ready right now. Especially not to be in a position to jettison Kamala. IF Biden is replaced, and IF he wants the job (he might not based on his comments about Vance above), he'd be a good VP pick to pair with Kamala though.

I can't figure out what's censored, but I can read between the lines lol I think a lot of people would have said similar things about Obama in 2004 regarding race. That race would be an issue a while longer (obviously very true) but that the time isn't now (obviously wasn't true). Becoming President as a Democrat is about turnout as much as anything else. A young, incredibly intelligent Midwest Mayor would be a breath of fresh air that hasn't been seen in a presidential race in a long time. And since Obergefell, and really since the Clinton administration, public opinion of gay marriage and homosexuality have flipped on its head. In 1996, polls were 68% opposed to same-sex marriage and 27% in favor. In 2022, it was 71% in favor and 28% against. I don't think any Democrat would pick up that 28%, and I generally don't think people care all that much anymore. The cat is certainly out of the bag on the Evangelical vote that standards for moral turpitude was just a ruse and they've moved on to bullying trans kids now anyway.

"I hate Candidate X, but it's irresponsible to vote for Candidate Y, because if he dies we might get Candidate Z! So Candidate Y should step aside so I can vote for Candidate Z instead." "Undecided voters are the biggest idiots on the planet." - Brian Griffin

I'm on your side RE Biden. That doesn't mean that the ideal Presidential candidate moving forward should be five years older than the US life expectancy.

I think Buttigieg is a future Presidential candidate. Hopefully when he's still in his 40s or 50s and not when he's in his 80s.

I think Biden bows out by Monday and the newest fracture turns to whether Kamala or the field should take his place. Because unity is just antonymous to the 2024 Democratic Party.

I wonder if there are MAGAs who draw the line at ear bandages how I drew the line at Honolulu Blue ski masks. I hope they work equally as well in practice.

In this alternate timeline, I don't think Vance is on the ticket.

Kamala will wipe the floor with him if they debate.

I wonder if Sheila will return to the field with him and get the applause she deserves. Last time she made a truly public appearance was at halftime with Calvin in 2021 and she was mercilessly (and unfairly) booed. And I can only assume ESPN will give the Lions and Calvin the same treatment they gave Jimmy Johnson and eschew all halftime advertisements in order to nationally televise it. RIGHT?

Depending on the evidence that was being used, they would have needed to litigate who was going to say what. When a number of the government's witnesses were probably people close to him during his administration (e.g., Nauta), there are arguments to be made that those statements are official acts. Likewise, if an element of any of the charges is that he have personally delivered the documents to their improper location, he can argue that when the documents were delivered (when he was President) they were official acts, so the government can't prove that element. It's the same reason the sentencing on the Stormy Daniels case is delayed. If any of the evidence used was evidence of official acts that SCOTUS now says shouldn't have been used against him, he may get a new trial, without that evidence being introduced.

Footnote 61 from the opinion is telling as to Jack Smith's thoughts about this:

This case wasn't going to be heard before the election anyway though, that's the weird thing to me. The easy way to kick the can was already lined up by the Supreme Court. Prosecuting a former President will now take months, if not years, of evidentiary hearings to suss out the line between official acts and unofficial acts. That wasn't going to happen before November.

The Appointments Clause?!? Are you kidding me?!? I figured it would have been on the grounds of the recent Supreme Court case. But it's on.... the Appointments Clause?! I think they could theoretically just re-file without Jack Smith. I haven't read the full opinion, but I can't imagine how this ruling would get around basically claiming that all Special Prosecutors ever appointed by the DOJ are unconstitutional, because they weren't confirmed by the Senate. It's a joke.

That's what shocks me about this whole thing. If the entire story was "nutjob at Trump rally apprehended with assault rifle; possible assassination attempt thwarted by Secret Service" - that's a one or two-day nothing burger of a story in 2024's America, and honestly happens to every President. Remember when the 20yo crazy dude drove a box truck onto the White House lawn last year trying to attack Biden and overthrow the government? Assassination attempts were thwarted pretty much every year when Obama was in office. With the availability of guns in America and the prevalence of untreated schizophrenia, there is a reason Secret Service exists. But I've seen motorcades and Secret Service protection. They're insanely comprehensive. As I said before, for every agent you see there are 20 you don't. And they're good at what they do, using technology we don't even know exists to assess threats. All of DC was in chaos last week for NATO. There were entire roads blocked, residents' commutes tripled, and police and agents were on literally every street corner in downtown, for foreign leaders that the vast majority of Americans couldn't pick out of a lineup. How does this attempt come so close to killing to the leader of a major political party? Maybe it's different for former Presidents, especially ones who love to hear themselves speak in public on a regular basis. But for this dude to be able to get onto a rooftop within firing range of a protected person is just insane to me.

I agree. I think he was caught off guard by the one question that came through but his response was perfect.