Gee this is awfully convenient and suspect
American Politics: A Brand New Day
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@pariston_hill humanity is screwed
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Posting today's WTF Just Happened Today to condense the recent news in one post
Day 1273: "I'm not supposed to be here."
What we know about the Trump assassination attempt so far:
The shooting at Trump’s rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania is being investigated as an attempted assassination. Trump was shot and hit by a bullet in the “upper part of my right ear,” but is otherwise “fine,” his campaign said. As he was ushered away, Trump raised a fist to the crowd, mouthing: “Fight. Fight. Fight.”
The Secret Service said the shooter – 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks – fired “multiple shots” from an “elevated position” outside of the rally using an AR-style rifle that was legally purchased by his father. Two “suspicious devices” were found in his vehicle, and authorities suspect a third may have been found at his home.
Crooks and at least one audience member were killed, and two other attendees were critically injured.
Officials said Crooks didn’t have a history of interactions with law enforcement or of mental illness, and investigators haven’t found any evidence on social media or elsewhere that might help identify his motive for the attempted assassination. Crooks was registered to vote as a Republican, but had made a small donation to a Democratic-leaning group. Former classmates described him as kind, polite, and smart.
The rooftop where Crooks shot at Trump was identified by the Secret Service as a potential vulnerability in the days before the event.
Shortly after the shooting Biden condemned the attack, saying “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick […] We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this.”
And in a pair of interviews on Sunday, Trump recounted the shooting, saying: “A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen. They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually you have to die to have an iconic picture.” He added: “I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be dead.”
House Republicans, meanwhile, said they will “conduct a full investigation” into the shooting.
Trump’s campaign said he still plans to attend the Republican National Convention, which begins today in Milwaukee. The Secret Service said it was “not anticipating any changes to our operational security plans” for the RNC. “We’re ready to go.”
There have been 327 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2024 so far.
Sources: New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / The Guardian / Bloomberg / Reuters / CNBC / Politico / BBC / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / Axios / CBS News / NPR / The Guardian / CBS News / ABC News / NBC News / CNN / Politico / Washington Post / New York Times (links are in the WTFJHT page)
Day 617: 5% of Americans – roughly 13 million adults – agree that the use of force is justified to restore Trump as president. About 3.32% of Americans – 8.5 million adults – said they would participate in the use of force to restore the Trump presidency. (CBS News)https://www.cbsnews.com/news/force-justified-return-trump-to-white-house/
1/ Biden called on the nation to “lower the temperature in our politics,” saying the attempted assassination of Trump requires Americans “to take a step back” to determine “how we go forward from here.” Using the Oval Office to make his third remarks to the nation in less than 24 hours, Biden said “We cannot, we must not, go down this road in America. There is no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence, ever. Period. No exceptions. We can’t allow this violence to be normalized.” Biden also cited a number of violent political acts in recent years, including the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the failed attempt to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, and the intimidation of election officials. “In America, we resolve our difference at the ballot box, not with bullets,” he said. “The power to change America should always rest in the hands of the people, not in the hands of would-be assassins.” In earlier remarks Sunday, Biden said: “An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation — everything. It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not America, and we cannot allow this to happen.” (New York Times / CBS News / Washington Post / NBC News)
2/ Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal classified documents case against Trump, which accusing him of mishandling classified information after leaving the White House. In a 93-page order, Cannon found that Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith was “unlawful” and unconditional” because Smith had not been named to the post by Biden or confirmed by the Senate. Trump’s lawyers argued in February that the appointments clause of the Constitution “does not permit the Attorney General to appoint, without Senate confirmation, a private citizen and like-minded political ally to wield the prosecutorial power of the United States.” Garland appointed Smith, a private citizen, in 2022 to oversee the two federal investigations into Trump. Garland, as well as Smith’s team have argued, that legal and historical precedent allowed for the appointment of an independent prosecutor to handle the investigations. Nevertheless, Cannon ruled that “None of the statutes cited as legal authority for the appointment […] gives the Attorney General broad inferior-officer appointing power or bestows upon him the right to appoint a federal officer with the kind of prosecutorial power wielded by Special Counsel Smith. Nor do the Special Counsel’s strained statutory arguments, appeals to inconsistent history, or reliance on out-of-circuit authority persuade otherwise.” The Justice Department is expected to appeal the ruling. Trump appointed Cannon to the federal bench in south Florida in 2020. A federal grand jury originally indicted Trump with 40 felony counts alleging he willfully kept classified material after he left the White House and then obstructed the government’s repeated efforts to get them back. Separately, Trump was charged with 32 counts under the Espionage Act for “willful retention” of national defense information, and an additional eight charges for making false statements and engaging in a conspiracy to obstruct justice. (NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / CNN / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Bloomberg / Politico / Axios / CNBC / CBS News)
3/ A federal judge dismissed Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy protection case, clearing the way for creditors to pursue and potentially seize his assets. Giuliani sought bankruptcy protection after a jury awarded two Georgia election workers $148 million after he defamed them following the 2020 election. (CBS News / Washington Post / CNN / Associated Press / Politico)
️ Notably next: Trump said he’ll reveal his choice of running mate later today; the Republican National Convention opens in Milwaukee.
️ Notables.
A Nation on Edge Fears an Election Careening Toward an Ugly finish. “A nation barely removed from the violent end to the 2020 election, which included several deaths tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, has since been whipsawed by a cascade of jolts to the system. A House speaker ousted. A former president, Trump, indicted on criminal charges four times, only to win his party’s nod to reclaim the White House. A presidential debate only two weeks ago that found the commander in chief, Joe Biden, significantly compromised in his ability to express thoughts and recall words. Now, America is faced with the realization that political violence has struck at a moment when the nation is on the cusp of deciding its next president.” (Wall Street Journal)Trump rally shooting comes amid rise in support for political violence. “Research shows more Americans support violence to stop a second Trump presidency than back violence in his favor.” (The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/13/trump-rally-shooting-political-violence
American Stares Into the Abyss After Trump Assassination Bid. “To all intents and purposes America’s two tribes were already at war. But a shot had not been fired. Until now.” (Daily Beast)
In the Wake of the Trump Shooting, We Need Clarity—and Caution. “The best way to fend off conspiracy theories and instability is by emphasizing the need for solid facts.” (The Nation)
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-shooting-facts-disinformation/
America is not ready for what comes next. “The attempt on Donald Trump’s life has put the republic in peril.” (Vox)
https://www.vox.com/politics/360428/trump-assassination-attempt-pennsylvania-shooting-politics
A Terrible New Era of Political Violence in America. “In this fragile moment, the nation desperately needs prudent and wise leadership.” (The Atlantic)
Trump Rally Shooting Marks Dark Day in American Politics: ‘It Was Mayhem’ (Wall Street Journal)
Trump’s Bloodied, Defiant Image After Shooting Pumps Up His Base. “His supporters, many of whom viewed him as a movement figure and martyr long before the violence on Saturday, seized on the photos as a metaphor for the former president’s resiliency.” (Bloomberg)
Trump allies immediately blame Biden, Democrats for their rhetoric. “Supporters argued that Democratic portrayals of Trump as a threat to democracy led to the violence, though the shooter’s motive was not apparent at the time of their remarks.” (Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/13/trump-shooting-blame-biden-democrats/
Trump’s most loyal Congressional allies immediately blamed Joe Biden for Saturday’s assassination bid against the former president–with one claiming: “Biden sent the orders.” “In a series of posts on social media, loyalists including Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia and Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert sought to link the sniper’s attack to language used by Biden.” (Daily Beast)
Trump’s Raised Fist Will Make History — And Cement His Legacy. “In wake of shooting, GOP officials are quick to blame Democrats for demonizing the former president.” (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/14/trump-shooting-fist-legacy-00168022
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Double post to share my own thoughts.
When I first heard of the shooting, my thought was the, for lack of a better word, best outcome would be if the shooter was a disillusioned MAGAt. It won't stop anyone already inclined to do so from screaming "radical leftist!", but it would have been exponentially worst if it actually had been a radical leftist. This does appear to have been what happened with Crooks.
While there's a legitimate chance this will help Trump get re-elected, it bears mentioning that other presidents who had shots taken at them during reelection campaigns (Theodore Roosevelt and Gerald Ford) still lost (though, to be fair, Teddy was running third party)
I'm also curious to see if there's any anger over the documents case dismissal that might help offset the PR Trump will get from the assassination attempt.
My primary source of hope is the goldfish-like memory of the voting public will mostly forget about this by November.
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@andre said in American Politics: A Brand New Day:
An assassination or an assassination attempt has no potential to do any good for democracy.
I pondered deeply to how to address this point, trying to find the least combative way to express...
So they are only "good" and have place when they are done by enforcement of status quo and done by security forces (police and military), or there's not a single good democracy because governmental monopoly of violence rests on the de facto right of states to exercise political violence (which includes assassinations and assassination attempts). The US history in the 60s is a case study of state sanction assassination of popular and political leaders. (JFK, MLK, Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, etc)
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I should have been more precise in my wording. I'm not making a blanket statement about assassinations. I'm making one regarding assassinating Trump in 2024.
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Nice to see Mitch McConnell getting drowned out in boos at the RNC
Mike Johnson’s teleprompter failing during his speech.
And Magaworld disillusioned with JD Vance being chosen as Trump’s VP
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Mike Pence, JD Vance, I think someone has a type...
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Who the hell is that?
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@Johnny-B-Decent Senator of Ohio, garden variety MAGAhead
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Well, on the hopeful chance Trump finally gets a coronary and croaks, at least he wouldn't be 80 or approaching it.
....I guess.
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@Johnny-B-Decent He probably won’t die of old age unlike Biden but again we are stuck with two old dinosaurs in office
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A reminder that Trump is only three years younger than Biden (well, I guess closer to four).
Life's not fair.
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Trump is such a piece of garbage. Hasn't said a single word or done a thing for the widow of the guy that got shot instead of him.
Also, it's a cult.
Someone else started a gofundme for the widow and that's raised a lot but... shouldn't the supposed "billionaire" be able to do a thing? Also the fine print says the Trump campaign is going to get like 70% of it.
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What a piece of shit.
To not even reach out just to pretend to care?
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@MetaMario said in American Politics: A Brand New Day:
@Johnny-B-Decent Senator of Ohio, garden variety MAGAhead
Also former Trump hater who once compared him to Hitler.
Also I assume Comperatore‘s widow is still voting for Trump with such bizarre logic.
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@Time-Control-Magician The more fucked up part about the Hitler thing is that if he was alive today he would exterminate all furries as he was an animal rights guy more so loving dogs. Though I heard the rest of the Nazis hate one type of dog so they, try to kill them…… I haven't read a history book in a while so I might be misremembering stuff.
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I'm being unable to find this thread and a few others, I can make a polite guess on the reason and I say there's no need for such, I abide with the non engagement point I make.
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You haven’t missed much.
Besides John “I shot Ronald Reagan” Hinckly pulling a “violence is not the answer.
Biden (again) sabotaging himself by saying he’d dropped out if a doctor found a medical issue only to then get COVID again.
And Chuck Schumer going from supporting Biden’s reelection bid to now asking him to drop out.
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Are we entirely sure they just aren't poisoning him?
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Well we know some of his inner circle are doing it metaphorically by not trying to convince him to step aside.
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Trump getting shot at, Biden getting COVID....I'm not gonna make it to November.
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@MetaMario said in American Politics: A Brand New Day:
Trump getting shot at, Biden getting COVID....I'm not gonna make it to November.
But they will, in spite of the world doing everything in its power to ensure that they don't.
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This is about to be the funniest thing in the world. He literally ran on only being a one-term president.
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Drop out, stay in, the sooner the Dems make a conclusive move the better their odds are. It does them no favors to have Biden resist the urge to stay in while all of his allies practically beg him to quit. <4 months is a bad window, but before the convention it....could be worse?
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Do they have a replacement ready or why are they confident that he's stepping down? Assuming the rumors are true about heavy hitters like Obama and Pelosi urging him to drop out.
Like I'm not pretending that there are no issues with Biden, but they can't possible consider Harris over him? And if they don't then they would expect Harris to just accept a new candidate?
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@Jabra said in American Politics: A Brand New Day:
Do they have a replacement ready or why are they confident that he's stepping down? Assuming the rumors are true about heavy hitters like Obama and Pelosi urging him to drop out.
Like I'm not pretending that there are no issues with Biden, but they can't possible consider Harris over him? And if they don't then they would expect Harris to just accept a new candidate?
This is my concern. Biden stepping down prompts two important questions: Who runs in his place? And can they beat Trump?
There's been no word on who would take over for Biden, though Harris is most likely since that's literally her job as Vice President, but having a good or even better candidate means Jack-all if they can't get elected.
Until Biden's COVID diagnosis, my worry was him stepping down as a terrible idea guaranteed to backfire. That may be better now, with there being an actual concern for Biden's health as opposed to a bad debate performance making everyone scream he's senile. It lets him step down with more grace than he might have otherwise. He isn't stopping because his own allies are overreacting and want him gone, he's actually sick and it's probably the best in the long term.
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LOL Biden doesn't deserves a graceful exit from public life, his whole career speaks against it. In fact I think his personal humiliation should be bigger.
On the other front, news from the Trump campaign indicates they are certain they can and will beat Biden.
They are not certain they can beat a replacement, because frankly the best argument of theirs is that Biden is 30min more senile than Trump.
If they and even if they don't run Harris, the DNC should use their convention for an open debates among presidentials to gloob up public attention. It both serves for this election and set up prospects for future elections.
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@pariston_hill said in American Politics: A Brand New Day:
LOL Biden doesn't deserves a graceful exit from public life, his whole career speaks against it. In fact I think his personal humiliation should be bigger.
On the other front, news from the Trump campaign indicates they are certain they can and will beat Biden.
They are not certain they can beat a replacement, because frankly the best argument of theirs is that Biden is 30min more senile than Trump.
If they and even if they don't run Harris, the DNC should use their convention for an open debates among presidentials to gloob up public attention. It both serves for this election and set up prospects for future elections.
What Biden does or doesn't deserve is irrelevant. This is politics, which means it's about optics. An opportunity for a graceful exit would be preferable to a forced stepping down from every angle I can think of.
If the Republicans are genuinely more worried about a replacement than they are Biden, that's good and, speaking for myself, does a lot to alleviate my concerns about backfire potential.
Waldorf: You know Statler, after watching the last one thousand episodes of One Piece, I think I've come to a conclusion.
Statler: No you haven't.
Both: DOHOHOHOHOHO!
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Is Politico letting themselves be taken for another ride after letting Mike Johnson lie to them about Biden’s aides not letting him meet him?
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Kinda wonder why he chose Twitter.
And then I remembered he probably was more comfortable putting pen to paper rather than publicly speaking and everyone jumping down his throat for doing the same stuff he did at the debate.
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The media's long war on Biden can now conclude. Now their war on whoever replaces him can begin.
Complicating things since 2009.
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@Ubiq said in American Politics: A Brand New Day:
The media's long war on Biden can now conclude. Now their war on whoever replaces him can begin.
And of course Republicans are calling on him to resign under the pretense he doesn’t have the fitness or mental acuity to serve out the remainder of his term…..the party where Mitch McConnell who had clear physical problems (worse than Biden) announced he was retiring but serving out the remainder of his term. And who have spent the last five years and counting glazing a guy whose memory, behavior, & speech problems have been on display for years.
The fucking balls on these jackasses.
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Also adding onto what Ubiq said and to quote one Braun Strowman they’re not finished with him yet
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This is so hilarious. Clinton must be seething that someone other than her is going to be the first openly female president.
She/Her
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He should have never considered running for reelection in the first place. He's already 81 and suffering from dementia. Granted, Trump isn't much younger and also senile, but he has the angry, confused shouting kind.
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@JulieYBM I personally think this a great angle to run. I genuinely think you could get a lot of people to spite-vote on this.
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@pariston_hill said in American Politics: A Brand New Day:
@JulieYBM I personally think this a great angle to run. I genuinely think you could get a lot of people to spite-vote on this.
"Don't vote against Trump, heck don't vote for Kamala, just vote against the one we all hate: Hilary!"
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@JulieYBM said in American Politics: A Brand New Day:
This is so hilarious. Clinton must be seething that someone other than her is going to be the first openly female president.
Why would she considering she’d be subject to the same sexism (minus the racism) Harris would be?
We’ve spent the last few years watching Conservative provocateurs screeching about DEI and now we’re likely going to see that here.
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@Time-Control-Magician said in American Politics: A Brand New Day:
Why would she considering she’d be subject to the same sexism (minus the racism) Harris would be?
She's a narcissist, why would she be happy if Harris win?
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@Ubiq If it's Harris, there's so many angles they can take, unfortunately:
- "Kamala's a cop". I remember hearing/reading that line a lot during the 2020 primaries. This is particularly effective toward leftist voters, unfortunately.
- "She wasn't elected to be the nominee". I fear the power of this point. She was an early drop-out in the 2020 primaries. She is here because she was chosen as Vice President. Without a primary, the voters get no say. (Not that I'm saying one is practical at this point.) She was elected as Biden's Vice President (both when he won the 2020 election and when he won the 2024 primaries), but I'm not sure how strong that point is.
- "She's a DEI candidate". This is a load of BS, but that doesn't change the power it can have on the clueless, prejudiced populace. As said in point 2, she wasn't elected to her position, she was selected, which makes it even easier for right wing sources to spread this point.
I'm afraid. I want to be cautiously optimistic, though. A new candidate, whether that's Harris or not, will not have the baggage that Biden does. The tables can be completely turned on the "too old" narrative, as a younger candidate like Harris can show that Trump is old and suffering cognitive decline.
Is Harris a particularly strong candidate to begin with? That I don't know. As I said she dropped out of the 2020 primaries fairly quickly. She does now have experience, though, and sure as heck, I'll vote for her.
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@pariston_hill said in American Politics: A Brand New Day:
She's a narcissist, why would she be happy if Harris win?
What politician or those trying to be aren’t?
But that aside if Harris did win I’m pretty sure she’d be happy with a woman fucking Trump and the Republicans over for a change.
@Envy said in American Politics: A Brand New Day:
@Ubiq If it's Harris, there's so many angles they can take, unfortunately:
You also have the fourth problem that ties into having an open nomination where if Harris isn’t chosen and the potential nominee falls into the “old, white, male” category you risk tuning out the segment of voters that weren’t really into Biden or Trump for that same reason.
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Immediately this gives the Dems some momentum back - I'm not the biggest fan of Harris but even she has a better chance than Biden did.
