2020 Election - The curtain starts coming down

[robkelk]

The Register: It's been a day or so and nope, we still can't wrap our head around why GitHub would fire someone for saying Nazis were storming the US Capitol

Those details have not been contested by the source-code management powerhouse but the fact that the employee is Jewish and that GitHub’s own CEO had also pointed out that there were neo-Nazis at the Capitol riot (which there were) raised serious questions over the treatment of the staffer, and led to internal outcry and a petition signed by 200 or more employees demanding answers to the firing.

Makes one wonder whether GitHub is neutral.

[Bob Schroeck]

Salesforce relieves the Republican National Committee of its tools to prevent their use in future far-right violence.

EDIT to add:

Airbnb cancels DC reservations in response to concerns over Inauguration violence

[Bob Schroeck]

Freshly-elected Republican congresscritter says she will introduce impeachment articles against Biden on his first full day in office next week.

Can you say "sour grapes" and "entitled idiot", folks? Of course this was in an interview on Newsmax.

[robkelk]

Ken Boessenkool: Enough is enough with Trumpism

Ken Boessenkool was a senior campaign adviser to prime minister Stephen Harper, and has worked or volunteered for Preston Manning, Stockwell Day, Jim Dinning, Ric McIver and Christy Clark - all right-of-centre politicians not just by the Canadian definition but also by the definition in the USA.

You may respond that all politicians lack character. They all lie, they all live above the rules they set, they all disrespect the office, they all use politics to get rich.

And sure, we can agree there are examples of all those things. So while I think you are wrong that all politicians lie, are hypocrites, etc., I have been patient and tolerant of your view.

But that is no longer possible. Trump’s bad character has has now been exposed as a lack of respect for democracy itself. Worse, this evil and bad man not only does not respect democracy, he incited a racist mob to overturn it.

And without democracy, literally nothing else matters in the realm of politics and government. Just saying you’re not a racist isn’t enough because on top of all that, Donald Trump is not a democrat.

He deserves to be immediately impeached, immediately removed from office and prevented from ever holding office again.

[Bob Schroeck]

Congressmembers' "Panic Buttons" were torn out of their offices shortly before the capitol riot -- an investigation into how and why has been begun.

[Bob Schroeck]

A small movement has started to remove Trump's cameo from Home Alone 2 -- and Macaulay Culkin approves.

[hazard]

Would you say that deliberately wasting the Congress time by starting a spurious impeachment attempt is an impeachable offense?

Because oh boy, I would.

[Bob Schroeck]

The question is, would any of the Democratic congress leaders lean that way? And congressfolks don't get impeached. They get censured or expelled.

[Black Aeronaut]

It'd probably set a bad precedent if Congress expelled one of their own. It'd have to be for something where virtually everyone agrees that one of their own fucked up in such a profound way that they should no longer be a congresscritter. Otherwise you'd have congresscritters trying to expel each other all the time, and we all know how that would work out.

Censure, on the other hand, is very doable, and would probably be enough to send the message: "We're here to conduct the business of the Nation. Not to assuage the ego of one incredibly vain man."

Although I wouldn't rule out having the State of Georgia have a special election to recall said representative. That's an entirely different kettle of fish - one that would have no real backlash in Congress.

[Labster]

Not really.  Congress has a history of expelling members for rebellion against the United States.

[Bob Schroeck]

More on the financial fallout for Trump. One very interesting new tidbit from this story is that Cushman-Wakefield -- the massive real estate firm -- has cut all ties with him, leaving him without anyone to negotiate leases or do other real estate business for him. And that's not the only one. Definitely read this piece to the end.

[Bob Schroeck]

From Stars and Stripes:

National veterans groups plan to purge members found guilty in Capitol attack

[LynnInDenver]

Well, to be fair, he has basically done something so treasonous that anyone who does further business with him is likely going to be on the hook for dealing with a criminal.

I'm curious if it will extend to his children, if he resigns from all of it right now in an effort to run it by proxy through those children. I don't expect him to try to sell it to try to squeeze what value is left in it; that would be admitting defeat, which he seems to be pathologically incapable of doing, plus who wants an organization that's been effectively destroyed by his touch except to strip it for parts?

[Bob Schroeck]

Well, I was reading an article earlier this evening -- I don't remember where at this point, because I hit so many sites on so many points on the spectrum; I'd have to go searching histories -- which said that Ivanka had been planning for her own presidential candidacy somewhere down the line but has put those plans on hold for now.

[Bob Schroeck]

Trump Struggles to Find Lawyers as Impeachment Trial Nears

For some strange reason, no reputable lawyer is willing to defend him.

[Bob Schroeck]

The Hill -- a conservative news site if you don't know them -- has an interesting analysis on how not difficult it might be to convict Trump in the Senate.

[Labster]

I will point out that The Hill is conservative in its editorial board, but not Trumpist.  I think in the weeks ahead that distinction is going to become more and more important.  It's coloring their perspective a little bit here, too: sure, in 2016, Trump couldn't get majorities of his party.  But now?  It took a goddamn pandemic and insurrection to get his national approval numbers to drop below 40%, and only just.  Are we really sure he can't hold a majority of the Republican party now?  That said, going for the kill might be the right choice anyway.  It's certainly the Right choice.

[Bob Schroeck]

I will point out that The Hill is conservative in its editorial board, but not Trumpist.

Yes, I should have made that clear.

[Bob Schroeck]

Well, I was reading an article earlier this evening -- I don't remember where at this point, because I hit so many sites on so many points on the spectrum; I'd have to go searching histories -- which said that Ivanka had been planning for her own presidential candidacy somewhere down the line but has put those plans on hold for now.

Found it; it was on Vanity Fair's website:

Ivanka Trump Apparently Thinks She’s Going to Ride This Insurrection Out and Be President One Day

[Star Ranger4]

Would you say that deliberately wasting the Congress time by starting a spurious impeachment attempt is an impeachable offense?

Because oh boy, I would.

To be honest, I've come to think that Impeachment is only something congress levels against the president...

[robkelk]

Would you say that deliberately wasting the Congress time by starting a spurious impeachment attempt is an impeachable offense?

Because oh boy, I would.

To be honest, I've come to think that Impeachment is only something congress levels against the president...

I suspect hazard is talking about this report, which is quite clearly sour grapes by a disgruntled first-term congresscritter. You candidate lost; get over it.

[Bob Schroeck]

Billionaire GOP donor says he feels 'betrayed' by Trump and vows to support Biden

[hazard]

Would you say that deliberately wasting the Congress time by starting a spurious impeachment attempt is an impeachable offense?

Because oh boy, I would.

To be honest, I've come to think that Impeachment is only something congress levels against the president...

I suspect hazard is talking about this report, which is quite clearly sour grapes by a disgruntled first-term congresscritter. You candidate lost; get over it.

Indeed I am.

[Jinx999]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world...87649.html

Apparantly Trump is now asking Bannon how he could overturn the election defeat.

What was the definition of insanity again?

[Star Ranger4]

Would you say that deliberately wasting the Congress time by starting a spurious impeachment attempt is an impeachable offense?

Because oh boy, I would.

To be honest, I've come to think that Impeachment is only something congress levels against the president...

I suspect hazard is talking about this report, which is quite clearly sour grapes by a disgruntled first-term congresscritter. You candidate lost; get over it.

Indeed I am.

*Facepalm*  Oh come ON, people.  YOU WON.  Or lost, depending on the side of the isle... Show some flacking magnimosity...  wait.  somehow I don't think the word I chose meant what I intended it to mean...