You know what's so amazing? Biden doesn't need/want all the pomp and circumstance.
This is exactly why he deserves some. I am 100% with you!
There's something for me in an inauguration - regardless of who it is. It's an actual page turn. I will never agree with everything a President does. Some administrations leave me angrier than others. In the 2 term presidents we've had since I've been alive, I've liked some first terms and hated some seconds. Vice versa. The actual ceremony is a new beginning. For us. For them. For the parties. For the country.
That's probably the thing that affected me the most about my realization. Biden was never my first choice - I was all in on Mayor Pete well before he won the Iowa caucus. When it became apparent Biden was getting the nod I was disappointed. I was angry. I felt like we were handing Trump a second term. Things were at "hell in a hand basket" then, but we were a frog in a pot of water - I didn't realize it. Biden has demonstrated countless times these last months why he's the exact leader we need right now - I haven't even seen a hint of "Uncle Joe" from the Obama years - the guy that used to make me roll my eyes.
He deserves something significant and positive to signify that page turn. Whether he wants it or not. I'm still sad. :-(
EDIT: I did read your whole post - I'm with you - I just wanted to say more. What they have planned is different and new and probably will still give him that significant, positive page turn :-).
A thought just occurred to me.
What if Pence and the Republican establishment went to Trump and said "Trump, you put us all at risk. Here is what is going to happen. You will get on TV and make an actual formal concession as well as say that you accept the voting results as legal and valid. No conspiracy theories or 'election was stolen' crap. Just a concession and a plea for the country to come together."
Trump-"And if I don't?"
Republicans-"Then we will invoke the 25th Amendment to throw you out right now and you won't have the dignity of finishing your term. Also, we will ensure that federal charges against you are enacted. Do what we say and you can walk out with a bit of dignity intact. Refuse and you will be thrown out as well as having to deal with federal charges instead of just the state charges you already face in New York."
Trump-"I'll tell my followers to come back and get you all!"
Republicans-"You won't get a chance to. We have ways to keep you quiet."
Now, if Republicans only had a little backbone, they would do this and then follow through. If they forced Trump to concede and acknowledge there was no voter fraud, then the majority of Trumpers will stop their terroristic ways and become disillusioned. Yes, they won't vote for Republicans anymore, but they wouldn't anyway because the Republicans failed to keep Trump in the White House.
If Trump refuses, then they should follow through. Call the CIA (disguised as nurses) and have them drag Trump out saying he is mentally ill and that they caught him trying to use the nuclear codes against California to stop forest fires (knowing Trump, it would probably be true anyway.) Have him declared unfit and lead the country through the next few weeks with relative calm. We need it considering we are dealing with the economy and the Covid-19 crisis.
If Republicans don't do something to punish Trump for this, then the entire world (foreign enemies included) will not fear America and especially won't fear Republicans. After all, if they won't stop a man who attacked them in their own building, what fear should they have of American troops overseas?
If for any other reason, the Republicans' standing as a war mongering and "don't mess with us" party is at stake. Let this slide and anyone can do it in the future.
I can see something similar to that happening but circling more around resigning quietly in exchange for no prosecution. The immunity is a huge part of his endgame and everyone knows it so I dont see any discussions happening without it being thrown out there. Any threats without it won't be useful because he still thinks he us the smartest and most powerful man in the room.
CNN is reporting that Trump pressured Pence to engineer a coup, then put the VP in danger, a source says:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/politics/trump-pence-riot/index.html
OK, this is a bit weird...I couldn't sleep last night so was scrolling through the Twitter feeds of some anti-Twitler people I like. On January 4th, Matthew Dowd tweeted, "In breaking news, President Trump is recorded demanding an accounting of the frozen strawberries at the White House."
Wasn't there a vision posted a few days ago about the White House, Russia, frozen strawberries? It startled me when I saw it.
I do not know if anyone saw the movie Downfall ( Der Untergang). There you can watch the last days of Hitler. He also did not care about the people around him, the country etc, only that everyone failed him, and all others are to blame. i think about that movie often lately, it is the same with Trump. I really think Trump believes himself what he is saying. He lives in an universe that has him as the centerpiece.
I was often in the US and was asked a couple of time ( I am German) how it come that someone like Hitler could control a country and put so much hate between groups of people ( Germans vs. Jews).
The USA was not very far away from that scenario , it was so great to see Bidens speech yesterday and an hour ago, after four years of hate and lies.
It really give hope, and that, as Biden said, the judges are representing the Law not the President.
I hope that yesterday was the awaking for a lot of republicans , that was also the event I felt a couple of month ago, an event that is so bad that Trump will lose all...
But let us think happy thoughts, soon you have a real President again, with a very good team , I think. And we also have a Pandemic , that should be number one issue not a lunatic , orange is the new crazy , or so
All will be good ...
I donate 10 USD to this site if Trump will be around on the inauguration, and 15 if he is not :-)
I donate 10 USD to this site if Trump will be around on the inauguration, and 15 if he is not :-)
@tbs I will take your challenge as well - I've used this site to vent, to practice my predictions, and to read all the predictions - I don't know how much I've really contributed. I'm going to do the same thing @TBS is doing and donate $10 if Trump is still around and $15 if he is not also.
The Nuclear Codes are surely one thing to worry about over the next 13 days.. . fortunately, there is a process/human hierarchy he would have to go through in order to implement his order to detonate a nuclear weapon. We can only hope that, as McConnell and Pence finally did at the 11th hour, this human hierarchy at the WH would show some restraint, integrity and common sense and refuse to implement that order from an obviously deranged madman.
Who Has The Nuclear Codes? A Military Expert Explains Why That's Such A Loaded Question (bustle.com)
There is also the possibility of Rump "selling"Classified Information to our enemies as vengence for his losing the election and to deal with his enormous upcoming debt/legal bills. We all know that Rump has zero loyalty to our country nor anyone else. Selling out his country (and his supposed "supporters") wouldn't bother him in the least...