@deetoo If Democrats manage to somehow gain control of the senate in January, one of the first things they should do is increase the number of SCOTUS justices from 9 to 12. They can justify it by saying that because of the cutthroat actions of Mitch McConnell, SCOTUS is very unbalanced with 6 Republican nominees and only 3 Democratic nominees. They can use the same reasoning to justify increases in the number of lower court and appellate justices. Democrats are well justified in playing hardball in view of what the GOP did under Mitch.
They could also abolish the filibuster so Republicans cannot obstruct their agenda. I would like to see some rules imposed to limit the depth of ocean oil wells. We don't need another Deepwater Horizon well. Without apology we should limit the use of coal because this is by far the worst fuel for the environment. This time around any Obamacare-like bill needs to have a public option for medical coverage and a means to bring down the cost of prescription drugs.
Democrats should push a constitutional amendment to require all states to use independent non-partisan commissions for the purpose of setting voting regulations, the location of polling venues, and redistricting. We need to take all of these things out of the hands of politicians who will always manipulate it to increase the power of their specific political party.
I agree. I think DA Vance and various others will be working behind the scenes to charge Trump to take him out. Unlike the Republicans, who went after Hillary purely for political reasons (as Representative McCarthy admitted to), the Democrats will go after Trump because (1) they hate him,(2) because they want to make an example of him to discourage others like him from taking office and (3) Because by destroying him, you destroy the Republican party as it exists now (the toxic version).
I predict that sometime next year (I think summer 2021), a story will come out about Trump that will damage his brand. Perhaps something about his taxes or other business dealings. Vance will work to charge Trump and family (because Trump can't be pardoned for state crimes). By 2022, it is hoped that Trump's reputation as a business leader will be ruined, and that he will continue to act out. As these Republicans have stood by him all these years, they will have to face Trump loyalists (the population that refuses to see since and who have consigned themselves to serve darkness) and everyone else, including previously loyal Republicans who are so sickened by Trump that they can't deal with it anymore.
Remember also that Republicans are facing an uphill battle. The majority of their voters are older, whiter, and slowly becoming a minority. The numbers are against them, and they will shrink lower over the next decade. Simply put, they are older and in poorer health. They tend to live in red states that (ironically) suffer much from global warming (how many hurricanes have we had this year), and the states themselves are notoriously bad when it comes to funding adequate health care (believe me, I know.) Add the fact that many Trump Republicans will not social distance or protect themselves from Covid-19, and I think you will see a good many Trump supporters dead by 2022, and a good many more who will likely go bankrupt because of hospital bills that their insurers wouldn't cover (because many of them refuse, out of principal, to sign up for Obamacare).
If Democrats play it smart, they can spend the next two years getting rid of the worst Trump policies and govern moderately. It will take us many years to rebuild the government anyway, so the time should be spent on gaining the trust of those few but precious voters who don't owe wither party their allegiance. Put the Republicans in a bind to where they have to cooperate by putting up bills that directly help their voters and dare them to vote it down. For example, a bill on improving government infrastructure would be something that everyone could benefit from. However, if the Republicans Senate refuse to let it go through purely out of spite, then that is yet another way that we can show America that the Republican Senate under McConnell is hurting America, and we can have a true blue wave. Also, with Trump fighting his own legal battles, his endorsements and his tweets will only serve to hurt the Republican party to the point that the American people finally say enough. With luck, by the time that 2024 rolls around, Trump will be in prison and thus unable to run for re-election. At the very least, he will be considered so toxic that his chances of regaining the Presidency will be blocked.
In short, Democrats need to "Benghazi" Trump from here until 2024 and ensure that a Democratic Congress has full control in 2022. We need to do whatever it takes to ensure that Trump and those like him are never in a position to regain power. If we succeed, it is my hope that when Trump looks back at his life, he will say that his decision to run for President was the biggest mistake of his life, in that it opened him to the public scrutiny that eventually lead to his downfall. And through his eventual tragedy, it is hoped that other criminal and strong men like him will think twice before running for President.
I say that Democrats need to add two seats (go from 9 to 11). There are several reasons for that.
1. Democrats can use the fact that Republicans basically "stole" two seats. In 2016, when Obama was still President, McConnell wouldn't hold a hearing for a full 8 months before the election. And recently, when a seat opened a few weeks, McConnell rushed to fill it. (We can't say Republicans stole Kavanaugh's seat too, or it will definitely be patrician.) Basically, it is "you reap what you sow." Republicans stole two and didn't follow their own rules, so we will take two back and redress the balance, making it fair. It also sends a signal to Republicans that we will no longer take their rule-breaking lying down. If they want a political war, then we will give them one. And we will do so by signaling that we will no longer be polite and passive at their cruelty.
2. The idea of adding two give the court a 6-5 split in favor of Republicans. BUT...Roberts has shown that he is willing to rule on either side (basically be a "swing" vote) to ensure that the Supreme Court doesn't appear so patrician that it will be broken and thus may be "replaced" or Democrats add more seats and thus make Robert's powerless.
It is quite simple. By adding just two justices (for now), we signal to the Republicans that we will punish them for their actions and are willing to go further if need be, so they best behave themselves from here on out. Also, with a 6-5 split, they very well can't argue that we "stole the court" as they would still have a slim majority. Further, we would, in effect, elevate Robert's power and make him the deciding vote on many matters, so he would vote in such a way that would ensure that the court is not sent too far right that would force Democrats to retaliate by adding yet more seats and weaken his power.
In many ways, it is like a Cold War. We are forcing Republicans to realize that we will no longer be passive. They will either escalate their actions (worse case scenario) or they will finally see sense and back off of their power-grabbing ways. In short, we signal that we will address the wrongs done to us (by adding two justices) and then leave it up to Republicans if they want us to add more. The decision will rest with them, and they can only blame themselves for the consequences.
Under no circumstance can we allow this to slide. I promise you that if we do, Republicans will do it again and again, until this country become a dictatorship, and us their subjects. My ancestors died for this country, and I am not about to let a feeble turtle-faced man and his minions destroy everything they fought and died for.
If Biden wants to wait until 2022 and hope we have a massive blue wave to take a supermajority, then I can live with that. But under no circumstances can we allow the Republicans to do what they did without consequences. There is no other way.
Given the size of our population, it should be at least 15 justices, but always an odd number regardless.
However, I feel another one will somehow appear. Not sure exactly how to interpret.
I mentioned somewhere on here that I don't think McConnell is too long for this world, and KY's governor is Dem and would likely appoint a Dem Senator. If that did happen, that person would serve almost a full Senate term since McConnel was just re-elected.
Regarding the SCOTUS, from what I understand, the main reason that there are 9 justices is that at the time that number was reached, there were 9 US Circuits. There are now 13, so yes, it should be 13. The R's stole it from the D's, now it's time to steal it back, because we can.
In Heather Richardson's column on FB tonight, she was talking about the fact that many of the lawsuits that are being brought about the election are not even trying to win. She said:
But what’s so weird about this is that they are losing all these lawsuits. Indeed, some of them they’re not even trying to win: they’re not bothering to fill out the correct paperwork. It seems clear that they are simply stoking the narrative of an unfair election, but it is not at all clear to me to what end.
It seems pretty obvious to me that the reasoning behind it is to delegitimize not only the election, but the very basis of our democracy, and I think the does understand that because she also said:
Trump’s attacks are working: new polling shows that 7 out of 10 Republican voters now think that the 2020 election was illegitimate.
So I would like to ask our more intuitive and psychic members to perhaps meditate on this or pull cards or whatever methods you use, because frankly, this is giving me the willies.
In Heather Richardson's column on FB tonight, she was talking about the fact that many of the lawsuits that are being brought about the election are not even trying to win. She said:
But what’s so weird about this is that they are losing all these lawsuits. Indeed, some of them they’re not even trying to win: they’re not bothering to fill out the correct paperwork. It seems clear that they are simply stoking the narrative of an unfair election, but it is not at all clear to me to what end.
It seems pretty obvious to me that the reasoning behind it is to delegitimize not only the election, but the very basis of our democracy, and I think the does understand that because she also said:
Trump’s attacks are working: new polling shows that 7 out of 10 Republican voters now think that the 2020 election was illegitimate.
So I would like to ask our more intuitive and psychic members to perhaps meditate on this or pull cards or whatever methods you use, because frankly, this is giving me the willies.
Yeah, it’s not making me feel great either. I really don’t think they are trying to keep Biden from taking presidency but are just poisoning the well so bad that any Democrat that takes office in the future will be thought of as a cheat.
For all he is a malignant narcissist and sociopath ~ he has a long history of lawsuits and distractions as a cover for what he is really up to, which is making money and shady deals. Todays read? Vital to see what he is actually up to: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/people/4875576
The humor gods are still in residence at the White House. Did anyone else see the tiny desk at #45's press conference yesterday? Here's my favorite tweet about it:
"I want to salute the dark, subtle genius, quietly at work in the White House staff, who managed to move Rudy Giuliani's press conference to a run down garden centre, and to seat Donald Trump himself at that tiny, tiny desk. Be safe. The world needs your art."
"When he leaves office, can EX- President Trump be trusted with America's National Security Secrets?"
(From NBC news source)
This article was interesting ^^^
Far more concerning perhaps than all of the blustering (blistering) smoke & mirrors that T is putting up right now (?)
The good thing about it is that President Joe Biden is the only person who can grant or rescind permission for national security briefings to former presidents. And I doubt he will extend that courtesy to his predecessor!
This is the article explaining why T should not get anymore intelligence briefing. He owes so much money and most likely will sell the info and also he is a blabber mouth.
@jessi1978 For four years we had stood by powerless while a U.S. President has been able to get intelligence briefs given the very well known and strict rules around classified status that he failed to meet.
I have a friend who had some level of classified status (probably not at the highest level) who worked as a State Department and later was a DOD contractor. He regularly had to fill out updates to his financial status and one of the most important questions he had to answer "no" to is whether he has debt, because having debt means the person can be easily bribed into giving up State secrets. Not only has Trump had significant debt, but Jared Kushner's family had a huge debt. When the WH still had adults in charge of national security, they removed Kushner's highest level classified status, but then it was reinstated to the highest level.
Another question the State Department asks before giving classified status involves gambling addictions because people addicted to gambling are high risk for serious debt. Trump recently rehired the 30 year old who John Kelly had fired and escorted out of the WH when they discovered he had a gambling addiction. Johnny McEntee, a former college quarterback was hustled out of the White House two years ago after a security clearance check turned up a prolific habit for online gambling. McEntee is the person who Trump authorized to purge the government of any non Trump loyalists, including high ranking military personnel.