@allyn, I thought we had a couple of attorneys on this site, and am happy that you weighed in. Thanks for that really clear analysis. The unfortunate thing about the judge's 3+ year sentence is that many people won't know that sentence was considered reasonable and expected within the legal community. So T can claim that he is responsible for getting the judge to reduce it, and many of the general public will believe it. One more orange ball of confusion.
About lawyers: We've had to hire a few over the years, and don't know what we would have done without their wise counsel. My ex- was also an attorney -- not a great hubby, but one of the most ethical lawyers I've met. I've also known a few who have worked for the DOJ and SEC, and was always impressed by their dedication and ethics. Over the years I also worked for a couple of corporate law firms. I worked for some good people, and some stinkers. That experience was a mixed bag, like any profession. Some of these firms did offer a robust pro-bono practice and encouraged their attorneys to participate, which was great.
Funny side note: I was drafting an engagement letter for a new client of one of the firm's partners. He looked at his billable rate stated in the letter, then wryly commented "I can't believe we're charging that for my services. I'm not worth that much money." Now THAT is a great lawyer joke!
So a blond lawyer walks into the bar...........
All joking aside, I've met a few lawyers who are pure evil, but I've also ket a lot of them who do jobs no one else can, or will, do. Guilty or not, everyone is expected to have a fair trial and most laypersons have no clue what the law actually is. Lawyers(yes the ones who represent guilty clients too) actually are the ones doing the daily grind of upholding constitutional rights of the average citizen.
It's easy to fault a lawyer for defending the guilty, and most people could never do it, but it is those cases that mean the most to criminal defense rights. If we refuse a defense to the guilty, then we refuse a defense to the innocent at the same time. Lawyers are doing the dirty work to make sure that the innocent are properly defended and that never changes.
Just my 2 cents.
Once again I love hearing your explanation from a legal standpoint and just plain like your posts anyway ? It just so happens my brother is an assistant attorney General for the State of NY. He has been there for 30+ years and is one of the most ethical people I've ever known. He is also a democrat and we have great conversations with him about our similar politics. (for both my brother and I to be the way we are is kinda funny in itself since my dad was a little mini Trump in many ways, but our mom was an Angel, anyway I digress...)
We always have fun telling jokes about anything really, even lawyer jokes. I have other extended family who are lawyers too. We need good lawyers like yourself!
I heard another YT psychic say she saw the cheating going on and in the trajectory it's in right now he would win through 4 times the amount of cheating and interference from Russia he had before. That they are playing the same playbook they used in 2016. She did say this could change and someone can stop them, but she didn't see anyone doing it YET. I would love if folks here see anything in a psychic way about that point. Perhaps we can all look at that one day. We definitely need to do a light bath over those who can expose that.
I've literally had the conversation with several people over the last couple of days about how the lawyers have suddenly become the good guys. I guess a small silver lining to chaos of the last few years. We'll know things are going back to normal when the lawyers jokes make a comeback!
Agree that the NY AG (Letitia James) will drop a bomb on trump at some point. And that the Roger Stone judge, Amy Berman Jackson, handled the sentencing masterfully. Women rising!
@frank--YT means youtube. Youtube is the wild west and I ask people to stick to the posts of people here in this forum, not the Youtube folks who we have no way of evaluating.
If there was any question of whether Trump was a Russian asset or a useful idiot, he has just proven himself an asset. He is going to twitter defending Sanders, who was recently told that Russia is trying to help win the nomination). Putins benefit from Sanders running against Trump is obvious to me, so I highly doubt Bernie is in bed with him. Thia leaves the question of why is Trump all of a sudden strongly defending Sanders? Bernie is polling well against Trump and if it is just ease of win, he wouldve defended other candidates early on as well.
He thinks Bernie is the most beatable of the Democratic candidates. This is who has wants to run against. There's a ton of opposition research on Bernie, videos of him praising the USSR and Fidel Castro. The GOP is planning to pummel him once/if he's nominated. Whether that will work when the sitting president is on tape using the word p---y and routinely curses at his rallies remains to be seen.
Most GOP and ex-GOP never-trumpers, some of whom started the Lincoln Project (Google it if you haven't heard about it) think nominating Bernie will serve to elect re-trump. Again whether this is true in the topsy-turvy world we live in remains to be seen. I kind of agree, but then again I'm pretty hopeless lately so take my vibes with a big grain of salt.
I wonder if they (GOP/Russia) are thinking that they can play the "socialism" card against Sanders to win by enticing back the moderates within the party who dislike Trump. Someone in my neighborhood has not one but TWO signs in their yard that say "Defeat Socialism/Trump 2020." Even though Sanders isn't a socialist in the way they make him out to be, older folks especially might be easily convinced. And who knows about the accuracy of those polls? Hard to say what the thinking is, although the main motivation of the Russians tends to be to sow division, and many within the established democratic party don't like Sanders (and obstructed his chances of winning the 2016 primary).
@lynnventura I agree. My 15-year-old said the same thing yesterday - "he thinks he has the best chance against Bernie." Although orange one himself continues to unravel before us, they have the capacity to spread so much misinformation about Bernie (based on his policies) that I believe it would force many to not vote at all if they didn't like the choice (between orange one and him).
@Allyn I hope you are right - I want this chess match to end!!!
As an aside, I just went to early vote myself this morning - and I must say that in spite of the hopelessness that I do feel OFTEN right now, the workers at the polling place were very nice, organized, and I didn't have to wait too long.
@turtle26 What dirt do they have on Bernie? Here is what I got when I googled, Is there any dirt on Bernie Sanders? https://www.quora.com/Has-anyone-ever-found-dirt-on-Bernie-Sanders
Watch the video of him as Mayor of a Vermont Town in 1987 talking to disadvantaged kids going to a summer camp.
There is fake news about him, but even one guy posted that even though he doesn't like Bernie, the guy is squeaky clean.
@jeanne-mayell thanks for checking in! I edited to restate that I do believe they have the capacity to spread so much misinformation on him based on his policies that it could do more damage (i.e in terms of polarization). I personally do believe that Bernie has nothing to hide.....
But it's the label "Socialist" I voted for him in 2016, but I don't think he can stand against trump with socialist on his back. I was talking to a guy at Walmart, and he said he had a heart attack, and I said Bernie had a heart attack and he was OK. Then he went on about Bernie wanting to give away all our money, and the Democrats allowing a run on the border. It's not fun in Oklahoma.
Not only do they want to divide us, but they want us to worry. They understand the Dem psychology -- the hand-wringing, the self-doubt. DO NOT WORRY. DO NOT PANIC. That will only cause confusion and weaken us. Yes, be proactive and do what feels right to you (e.g. speak the truth, pray, send light energy, send donations, work for whichever candidate you support etc.), but let this thing play out. If Bernie gets the nomination, it's fine. If Bloomberg gets it (doubtful, but who knows?), it's fine. Any one of the Dem candidates can win. I believe that in the core of my being.
Putin's objective is to create doubt and chaos. He's going to play both sides. Yes, he'd prefer that Rumple be in office, since Rumple is so easy to play and manipulate. They'll get caught helping Bernie, Warren, Biden, whomever is the nominee. Or they'll make it appear that the nominee is there because of the help they received. That way the GOP and Faux will be able to claim to their base that the Russians are swinging the election, etc. We all know that they helped swing the last election, and we have little faith in the president. Naturally, he deserves some of that distrust all on his own. But if the next president is a Dem, they'll have tarnished them before they even cross the finish line-and given the competition plenty of ammunition to smear them in the process. Division and chaos, that is the objective. Make it hard to govern or for the people to believe in the government will suffice if they can't insert their own people into places of power.
Hi, I am new here, have been lurking for awhile and finally registered this evening. On my way to sleep the other night, not thinking about DT consciously, all of a sudden I saw him in my mind's eye, and it was the month of March, and he was in a tight enclosed space like very large clam shell plastic packaging that was olive drab green. Like he was a captive.
I think the biggest problem for Bernie is his health issues. The news that he had a heart attack and then the fact that he won't release his medical records have many (myself included) worried that Bernie may not make it through the 2020 election cycle.
I have finally reached that point in my life where I don't go through my usual weighing of strengths and weaknesses of candidates.
If it is Bernie the Socialist, I will vote for him.
If it is Amy the dark horse, I will vote for her.
If it is Warren "Pocahontas," I will vote for her.
If it is Joe, I will vote for him.
If it is Bloomberg "Trump lite," I will vote for him.
If it is Pete, I will vote for him.
Any of these candidates can be at the top of the ticket, and I honestly don't care. For those moderate and conservatives who worry about Sanders and Warren and their "liberal" policies, I say "I wouldn't worry about it. If you are, remember that the conservative and moderate Democratic members of Congress will reign them in if they go too far. I trust the Democrats more on controlling a President than I ever would a Republican."
If Bernie supporters and liberal fanatics are upset if Sanders or Warren don't get it, I will remind them that their policies have a much better chance under a Democratic president than they ever would Trump.
For those who object to Pete being homosexual, I would answer "at least I don't have to worry about Pete raping me or sexually assaulting me!"
Even Bloomberg knows how to temper his behavior much better than Trump.
Anyone who is Trump or a Trump supporter will get zero support from me. For the first time in my life, I will vote straight down party lines. It is up to us (Never Trumpers, moderate Republicans, Democrats, Independents, etc.) who actually care about human rights, common decency, and America to put aside our differences and make the Republicans and Trump understand that they cannot get away with cruelty or bullying the innocent and not face the consequences. We will not be bullied, and we are sick and tired of being treated like dirt whilst Trump caters to the 35% of our country that are as racist and as bigoted as him. We must send a message to them and the rest of the world that we will not take their mistreatment lying down.
And for those Republicans who half-heartedly support Trump? You will not get my vote either. You can "disapprove" of his actions till you are blue in the face, but a vote for you would mean that I turn a blind eye to everything that Trump has done to the detriment of our country.
In short, I will vote for whoever is on the ticket because "sitting out" this election is the same as voting for Trump.
I feel the same way. Bottom line: none of the Dem candidates want to be King/Dictator, and thus our democracy will be safe in their hands. This is what's at stake in the 2020 presidential election.