Part of the trouble with the human brain is that we tend to make emotional decisions and then use our rational side to justify our position. This means that Trump supporters can scream: “Lock her up!” about Hillary Clinton before she’s been charged with a crime but turn around and complain that the case against Trump is some sort of political witch-hunt, while failing to see the contradiction. And, even if it were pointed out to them, they’d be able to mount a case to explain that there was a real difference. Hillary, for example, was involved in Pizzagate, while Trump has is the second son of Mary…
So I’d like to put Donald to one side for a moment… Actually, I’d like to put him to one side permanently, but that’s my emotional side coming out and the points I want to make have nothing to do with whether he’s actually committed any of the hundreds of crimes he’s been charged with, or whether it really is a giant conspiracy. The basic point is that what some people are saying makes no sense if you take away the emotion of the moment.
Except that it does show something about certain politicians’ value systems but I’ll get to that later.
Let’s consider a totally fictional example:
After years of investigation, the FBI have gathered enough evidence to charge Tiny Supremo# with racketeering, extortion, murder, drug importation and an overdue library book. They are interviewing him but his lawyer interrupts and tells them: “You can’t charge my client!”
“Why not?” they ask.
“My client has just announced his candidacy for President, and it’s a well established principle that we don’t jail our political opponents in this country.”
“Democrat or Republican?”
“Neither. He’ll be standing as an independent candidate, but the protection remains…”
“Damn. You’ve got us. Ok, well, you’re free to go, but don’t think you’ve got my vote.”
#(I was going to call him Tony Soprano but I was worried that I’d be sued for defamation. Yes, I know that he’s fictional but so is Donald Trump and I have to watch what I say about him…)
Yes, that sounds far-fetched and ridiculous, but isn’t that exactly what the people who suggest that prosecuting one’s political opponents would turn the USA into one of those banana republic countries which use the courts against their opposition? Aren’t they saying that your rival should be free to do what he or she likes and under no circumstances should the justice system be involved…
At this point I think that it might be helpful to consider that little thing which we call the separation of powers. In simple terms, the people making the laws aren’t responsible for enforcing the laws, so if the Whitehouse was involved in the prosecution of Trump, we’d have a breakdown of that concept and there would be a real problem. However, at no has there been a link shown between the people who have decided to charge Trump and the Biden administration. Such a link is just asserted, assumed or hinted at. In reality, if there were such a link, there would be a significant breakdown in the way justice is meant to work.
But let’s come back to what I said about what politicians value. A number of Coalition MPs and ex-MPs have said that it’s a bad idea to charge Trump with anything because that resembles some of those countries where they organise coups and then jail the opposition… Ok, they may have missed the whole attempted coup on January 6th which sort of negates their case that it’s the ones who opposed that and argued that we should accept the results of the election who are doing the wrong thing.
When I suggest that their values need examining, I’m talking more about the inferences I can draw from what they’re saying.
First, when they suggest that Trump shouldn’t be prosecuted they’re suggesting that there is no separation of power and that when they are in government, they are quite happy to decide who gets prosecuted and who doesn’t.
Second, when they say that political opponents shouldn’t be prosecuted what they’re saying is that political opponents are really people like us and that people like us shouldn’t be charged with criminal offences because rules are for other people.
Third, they seem to have forgotten the Royal Commissions that Abbott called in order to find some criminal misconduct in the Labor Party.
Perhaps one could draw a further inference that it’s only one side of politics that shouldn’t be held to account. Certainly that seems to be the view of the Murdoch Merde.
Yes, all political parties have their faults and they all should be held to account for their actions. However, there doesn’t seem to be enough balance in the media with how this works. For example, there was the recent moaning about the millions spent on jets to ferry around Federal ministers, but when it was pointed out that it was the Liberals who’d ordered them, the story sort of died.
According to some sections of the media, when Labor are in power they are responsible for every bad thing that happens. But, of course, there is a consistency because when the Coalition is returned to power, Labor are still responsible for every bad thing that happens!
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ha ha ho ho
ha ha tee hee
behold our silliness
nailed by rossleigh! 🙂
So pleased you said a bit about separation of powers.
Trump is going tio prosecute political opponents if he manages to secure enough collegiate votes later this year and be dictator on day 1.
Even though he was president I really don’t think he understands what that means.
Hmmm difficult to inform voters via legacy media when it’s mostly right wing and/or anodyne, running protection for suboptimal ‘conservative’ ‘leaders’ who are used for dark forces to push through their own agenda e.g. US Koch Network’s Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 and permanence for white Christian nationalist corporate authoritarianism.
Although many of the right criticise the same ‘leaders’, they do not wish the centre to prevail and are desperate to gain and maintain power while electoral demographics allow (and other ‘gaming’), before the ‘great replacement’ arrives precluding their present ideological influence on (US) democracy.
Not only Trump meeting with fossil fuels heads, but US and UK media have a slightly disturbing story about a recent meeting hosted by Elon Musk and David Sacks, with invitees including Peter Thiel, Rupert Murdoch et al.; they want Trump to win over Biden and Dems, while banging on about ‘free speech’ and ‘immigration’, that contradict their own public views from the past e.g. following climate science.
The Independent 2 May 2024: ‘Elon Musk hosted an ‘anti-Biden’ dinner party. Here’s who attended. Elite dinner co-hosted by entrepreneur David Sacks at his home in the Hollywood Hills…The guest list reportedly included Peter Thiel, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Milken, and Travis Kalanick.’
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/elon-musk-murdoch-biden-dinner-b2538718.html
Fireside chat on abc lively with various guest commentary post conviction.
Also:
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/05/leonard-leo-ignoring-senate-subpoena.html?sid=651118659de38fc222022021&email=7e5b03c42e8ce19c7675801c17859620a7c0d07ceb2615c00cb72534501bbb78&email2=87722d954ac42a7fc0de2ab021ec9611&email3=01f47ca0f79766651176d268258d5fe708322659&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=traffic&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=TheSlatest
Trump has perfected the art of ‘now’. Regardless of what he said previously what he says now is, to his supporters, a sincere opinion. His memory could be up there with the proverbial goldfish and Biden should have a plan to use this weakness in the debates with topics like greenhouse gas, health for the poor immigration nato china north korea there must be a myriad of topics???????? ps Who would be a juror?? Currently trump abuses the judge with bullshit but soon he will blame the jurors who found him guilty. His supporters were willing to lynch his VP so shooting ordinary people would be simple. It would be ironic if the judge order 3 months community service???
pps
the shame of our last quarter was ameliorated by poor old crows
POTUS Trump – even as a convicted felon – is the logical outcome of the entire US system
Thank you, Rossleigh, succinctly put.
I see Trump is going to appeal this unjust conviction, delivered by a corrupt judge and a crooked jury in defiance of the rule of law. He neglects to note that an appellate court would be most reluctant to overturn the unanimous decision of a jury who found him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on all thirty four charges in accordance with the evidence provided.
It will be interesting to see on what grounds the appeal is based.
After the Appellate Court, can Trump invoke the Republican-stacked Supreme Court if his appeal is rejected? Just a thought.
@Bert. You nailed it with that comment. I doubt he truly knows what it means to be the president either but on the other hand I don’t think he cares as long as he can use the position to further his own interests and do and get away with what ever he wants to and America’s population is just his gullible plaything to be used and abused. THAT is his opinion of the high office he seeks again. Mr wannabe dictator is envious of the power that Putin wields and wants to be the same, able to trample his opponents and detractors/haters underfoot and lock them in Guantanamo Bay as ‘traitors to him’ (ironic!) and throw away the keys. I fear for the future of all of us if there are enough stupid Americans again this time around…
Trump, the mega rich dickheads of tech, even Seinfeld are in the news, boring shit, and so is USA maggoty media muck. The worst of USA attitude is exaggerated in these defectives, for so many fine people are quietly getting on and about, in the USA as everywhere I’ve seen. The mad muck about masculinity, wokeness, schemes, conspiracies, all degraded egofixation, vanity, selfishness, is to do with the manifestions of frankurtfrisking fools, substandard bragging bullshitters, frightful frauds. Trump may be top, but many little pygmyish punks and pathetics are also around. Add guns, drugs, Merde Dog malicious misinformation and genuine ignorance of vital issues, and we have a threatening, imperious, intrusive, coercive, declining nation that pollutes, corrupts, offends. World affairs need better attitudes from leading nations. Instead, we get horrible old fading candidates, gutless and branless leadership. A world Bidened, Trumped, Sunaked, Johnsoned, Morrisoned, Putined, Netanyahud, is simply SICK; our future is with ashes and dust…
Oh dear, I miss my regular dose of Rossleigh Logic!!
I see the besser brick with hair, Coalavan, is whining about what happened to Donald:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/may/31/anthony-albanese-donald-trump-hush-money-trial-guilty-verdict-no-comment
And Brainless Babbling Babet is spouting off as well.
Bert,
Merchan, Bragg and the twelve jurors are on thin ice and if the orange madman gets in, well…
Top opening comments from Ross Leigh
But agree with Phil Pryor.- is there a decent human being among the lot of them?
Max Gross, I find them all tacky including Biden after recent months,
Oh that the brainless sellout dickheads of the mass media, aim at blowing the tiny minds of the populace of ignoramus dickheads, so they swing the vote to political dickheads, who will sell out to greedy feckless corporations of dickheads, who will then engage the brainless sellout dickheads of the mass media. And so it goes, market forces via a circularity of dickheads.
It’s difficult to ascertain which mob of dickheads came first. Suffice it to say, although it’s touch and go, many would rather avoid their ejaculations. But the malignancy of dickheads have a compulsion to blow up everything within sight come what may.
To them in their global conquests, as they spread STDs, neither the separation of powers nor the perineum are understood.