"The facts are that he broke campaign finance laws and that he lied to cover it up," Fox News' Sean Hannity said. Hannity was not talking about former President Donald Trump, who was indicted last week for funneling $130,000 to his alleged mistress, Stormy Daniels
Rules for thee and not for me seems to be the order of the day and it's getting worse with the addition of more performative imbeciles from the RW Party of Criminals. Santos comes to mind among the new class of miscreants.
Earlier it was said that "The penalties should be doubled, not ignored."
On the point of not wanting to prosecute Trump for fear of making him a martyr, I don't know that there's a way around it. The "white victim" mentality is a hell of a drug.
Like the Energizer Bunny, they just keep on going no matter how many times their lies and hypocrisy are called out. As shameless as their Dear Leader. We can only hope the Dominion case does them in.
The Edward's case was federally prosecuted (unlike in this case) and a much clearer argument could be made that it was politically motivated. He was found not guilty on one count, deadlocked jury on the others, and I won't be surprised to see this guy slip by as well, but any reasonable person would conclude that in both cases, campaign finance laws were broken and the cover-up was done before the election because the respective politician's believed it would damage their campaigns.
Some other interesting items when comparing and contrasting the two cases:
- Edwards case was brought during the Bush 43 administration, the ticket that beat he and John Kerry during a heated race for the White House. I don't remember calls from Dems that GWB's 'partisan' DOJ was ruining the country out of partisan spite.
- John Edwards was indicted and brought to trial without any interference, threats or bellyaching from Democrats. None of them defended him or made him the victim, when he paid hush money to cover up his affair while his wife was dying of cancer. If any of them did, please send links from reputable reporting services and I'll retract the claim.
- Republicans are fundraising, threatening, cajoling and rousing extremists to defend The Cheeto's hush payments to cover up an affair he had, while his wife recovered from giving birth to their son.
- The jury was deadlocked on Edwards' charges, so the prosecution dropped it. No trickery or interference from anyone influenced the outcome.
Republicans, like law and order? Then let your guy face the music in court, and answer his charges without your party acting hysterically.
I believe the punishments for elected officials should exceed those for private citizens. Perhaps this could be done in a bipartisan manner. For instance, for fraud - double the penalties. If it involves taxpayer dollars or campaign contributions - immediate disqualification from running for office.
This country can’t get its collective head around the games sociopaths play. It’s especially difficult now, after 40 years of Republican euphemisms, lies, propaganda and otherwise “twisting the narrative”. A third of the country is dedicated to the model of “poor pitiful me, I am so down-trodden, and it’s all the fault of . . . “...”Libs” and “democrats” or WHO EVER they wish to demonize. It makes it easy for Repugs to justify their cheating, bullying and criminal behavior. Don’t forget: Fox exists because Charles KKKoch and Carl Rove made a pact with Rupert Murdoch to develop an outlet for propaganda and incendiary, seditious narratives. Whenever a Repug points a finger, he has 4 + Exponential fingers pointing back at him.
Our Republican friends DO believe in the "rule of law," it's just that they operate by a different law than the ones the founders wrote into the Constitution or those passed by our nation's Legislative bodies. The "conservative" GQP law is quite simple - "Whatever it takes for OUR side to win." Lie, cheat, steal, work the refs, change (or twist) the rules, stack the deck (or the courts with judges who worship at the Federalist Society's evil altar), proof text from your scriptures (picking a verse here or there while ignoring the context and meaning of that verse in its own day and time)... nothing is out of line as long as it promises to bring victory. (Of course they have about as much idea of what to do if they really win as Homer Simpson had about how to build a car.) They desperately like to think they're strong, but really, they're the weakest among us. So much of a healthy human personality has been beaten out of them, verbally or physically, by the families, communities, and communities of faith that raised them, that there's not much left of the person God (or the universe, if you prefer) designed and created them to be. They are completely emotionally dependent on strong man leaders (religious, political, athletic), guns, throwing the US military around, etc., to help them feel strong and confident in the same way normal people feel without those things every day. When healthy people lose, they pick up the pieces, evaluate what happened and go on to fight another day. When "conservatives" or "GQPers" lose, they are totally knocked flat. They feel weak, powerless, worthless, useless, and deflated, as if that loss makes them less a person than they were before (which, psychologically, it does because it takes away the power of the crutches they use just to feel normal and OK every day). The worst, most deplorable of them will do almost anything to avoid that experience which is WHY they're willing to lie, cheat, steal, work the refs, change (or twist) the rules, stack the deck (or the courts judges who worship at the Federalist Society altar), proof text from their scriptures (picking a verse here or there while ignoring the context and meaning of that verse in its own day and time). Beneath it all, they are terrified! There's so little of their original human personality left that they don't have the strength to stand the psychological pain that losing threatens to visit upon them. They try to put up a brave front, but they are among our society's weakest, most emotionally/psychologically disabled members. They are also the planet's easiest marks for any con man (or cable news or religious network) that catches their attention, exacerbates their dysfunctions, addicts them to insecurity coupled with outrage (i.e. victimhood), then offers continuous doses of reinforcing/enabling programming.
Fox and friends will continue to lie as long as they are getting away with it. Dominions suit must prevail and hit them hard in the pocket book. The ability of them to lie and spew continuous disinformation must end.
And THIS is why Nixon should have been prosecuted for ALL of his crimes.
It is chilling how many people seem to think the powerful shouldn't be held accountable for their actions, so long as they are in the same party.
You'd think we could all agree that our leaders should have to follow the law, just like the rest of us.
The penalties should be doubled, not ignored.
Rules for thee and not for me seems to be the order of the day and it's getting worse with the addition of more performative imbeciles from the RW Party of Criminals. Santos comes to mind among the new class of miscreants.
Earlier it was said that "The penalties should be doubled, not ignored."
Agreed dammit!
Send them all to prison.
Their hypocrisy knows no bounds.
On the point of not wanting to prosecute Trump for fear of making him a martyr, I don't know that there's a way around it. The "white victim" mentality is a hell of a drug.
Like the Energizer Bunny, they just keep on going no matter how many times their lies and hypocrisy are called out. As shameless as their Dear Leader. We can only hope the Dominion case does them in.
The Edward's case was federally prosecuted (unlike in this case) and a much clearer argument could be made that it was politically motivated. He was found not guilty on one count, deadlocked jury on the others, and I won't be surprised to see this guy slip by as well, but any reasonable person would conclude that in both cases, campaign finance laws were broken and the cover-up was done before the election because the respective politician's believed it would damage their campaigns.
Wall Street Journal..Trusted Business News, they have become a joke, but with some luck, they, Fox, and Rupert will get their @$$ handed to them
Some other interesting items when comparing and contrasting the two cases:
- Edwards case was brought during the Bush 43 administration, the ticket that beat he and John Kerry during a heated race for the White House. I don't remember calls from Dems that GWB's 'partisan' DOJ was ruining the country out of partisan spite.
- John Edwards was indicted and brought to trial without any interference, threats or bellyaching from Democrats. None of them defended him or made him the victim, when he paid hush money to cover up his affair while his wife was dying of cancer. If any of them did, please send links from reputable reporting services and I'll retract the claim.
- Republicans are fundraising, threatening, cajoling and rousing extremists to defend The Cheeto's hush payments to cover up an affair he had, while his wife recovered from giving birth to their son.
- The jury was deadlocked on Edwards' charges, so the prosecution dropped it. No trickery or interference from anyone influenced the outcome.
Republicans, like law and order? Then let your guy face the music in court, and answer his charges without your party acting hysterically.
I believe the punishments for elected officials should exceed those for private citizens. Perhaps this could be done in a bipartisan manner. For instance, for fraud - double the penalties. If it involves taxpayer dollars or campaign contributions - immediate disqualification from running for office.
And who today hears ANYTHING about John Edwards? Ever, at all? I'm waiting.
If only it is so with the DonCon - how long before we NEVER HAVE to hear/read/see anything about this immoral self-serving psychopath!
Remember, voters have short memories. The tactic works.
Thanks, Judd!
This country can’t get its collective head around the games sociopaths play. It’s especially difficult now, after 40 years of Republican euphemisms, lies, propaganda and otherwise “twisting the narrative”. A third of the country is dedicated to the model of “poor pitiful me, I am so down-trodden, and it’s all the fault of . . . “...”Libs” and “democrats” or WHO EVER they wish to demonize. It makes it easy for Repugs to justify their cheating, bullying and criminal behavior. Don’t forget: Fox exists because Charles KKKoch and Carl Rove made a pact with Rupert Murdoch to develop an outlet for propaganda and incendiary, seditious narratives. Whenever a Repug points a finger, he has 4 + Exponential fingers pointing back at him.
Our Republican friends DO believe in the "rule of law," it's just that they operate by a different law than the ones the founders wrote into the Constitution or those passed by our nation's Legislative bodies. The "conservative" GQP law is quite simple - "Whatever it takes for OUR side to win." Lie, cheat, steal, work the refs, change (or twist) the rules, stack the deck (or the courts with judges who worship at the Federalist Society's evil altar), proof text from your scriptures (picking a verse here or there while ignoring the context and meaning of that verse in its own day and time)... nothing is out of line as long as it promises to bring victory. (Of course they have about as much idea of what to do if they really win as Homer Simpson had about how to build a car.) They desperately like to think they're strong, but really, they're the weakest among us. So much of a healthy human personality has been beaten out of them, verbally or physically, by the families, communities, and communities of faith that raised them, that there's not much left of the person God (or the universe, if you prefer) designed and created them to be. They are completely emotionally dependent on strong man leaders (religious, political, athletic), guns, throwing the US military around, etc., to help them feel strong and confident in the same way normal people feel without those things every day. When healthy people lose, they pick up the pieces, evaluate what happened and go on to fight another day. When "conservatives" or "GQPers" lose, they are totally knocked flat. They feel weak, powerless, worthless, useless, and deflated, as if that loss makes them less a person than they were before (which, psychologically, it does because it takes away the power of the crutches they use just to feel normal and OK every day). The worst, most deplorable of them will do almost anything to avoid that experience which is WHY they're willing to lie, cheat, steal, work the refs, change (or twist) the rules, stack the deck (or the courts judges who worship at the Federalist Society altar), proof text from their scriptures (picking a verse here or there while ignoring the context and meaning of that verse in its own day and time). Beneath it all, they are terrified! There's so little of their original human personality left that they don't have the strength to stand the psychological pain that losing threatens to visit upon them. They try to put up a brave front, but they are among our society's weakest, most emotionally/psychologically disabled members. They are also the planet's easiest marks for any con man (or cable news or religious network) that catches their attention, exacerbates their dysfunctions, addicts them to insecurity coupled with outrage (i.e. victimhood), then offers continuous doses of reinforcing/enabling programming.
Fox and friends will continue to lie as long as they are getting away with it. Dominions suit must prevail and hit them hard in the pocket book. The ability of them to lie and spew continuous disinformation must end.