Bring On The Verdict!

Only two of the four fence-sitting Republican Senators (Murkowski and Romney) will vote to hear witnesses, so barring a surprise the Senate trial is expected to wind down next week. Iowa caucuses Monday, Trump's State of the Union on Tuesday night, Trump's acquittal on Wednesday - who makes these schedules?

Comments

[JM Hanes]

Wow. Here I am! Where's everybody else?

[JM Hanes]

How about Trump acquittal on Saturday?

[boris]

Works fo me.

[peter]

Kill it whenever there will be maximum tv ratings. How about 4:30 PM Sunday or better still at halftime?

Expect much face saving virtue signaling bloviating yada yada, about wrong but not an impeachable offense. Arlen Specter is not around to cite Scottish law

[Porchlight]

Aw man, I wanted Brexit and acquittal on the same evening.

[henry]

Sorry, was fetching beer.

[Old Lurker]

"Where's everybody else?"

They are on the old thread listening to OL spin yarns.

[Jane]

I thought you were spinning electricity. I was a lot more impressed than I am by shithead Schiff.

[D]

Is this 10 minute waste of time a sure thing now?

[Old Lurker]

Low bar, Jane. Thought we were friends!

[Captain Hate]

The whole thing has been an embarrassment to the country, and confirmation of what a terrible Chief Justice John Roberts is, so the sooner it's over the better.

[D]

I am watching General Hospital now which has been pre-empted all week because of this impeachment hoax.

[JM Hanes]

Are Dems & Republican managers getting 4 hours each? I thought they were going to take two hours each and then hold the witness vote, but Zoe Lofgren is at the podium going on and on. I guess every House manager wants their last turn in the spotlight. As for the Dems 10mins/Senator last thoughts proposal, let 'em insert their world historical comments in the Congressional record ex post facto the way they usually do.

Oh no, Adam Schiff is baaaaaaack!

[D]

I am burned out on the Schiff show sham.

[henry]

Someone flush the Senate chamber when this is over.

[D]

JMH
Total of 4 hours .
Each team gets 2 hours.

[D]

Did they all get 10 minutes during Clinton’s impeachment?
Don’t change the rules now.

[Old Lurker]

The 17th Amendment ruined the US Senate, and the unintended consequence was it made state legislators much less important, making the notion of fifty test beds more of a joke than intended.

[JM Hanes]

D:

If this started at 1:00 then the Dems have already had nearly 3 hours -- or did the President's team go first?

On the 10 mins per Senator, all I know is what Captain Hate posted, which makes it sound like a proposal yet to be made, not a done deal:

"Dem Sens Durbin/Brown/Blumenthal to put forth motions to allow senators to take 10 minutes apiece to speak on the flr before final votes on impeachment"

[JM Hanes]

Well, maybe you guys trust your state legislatures, but I sure don't want mine picking my Senators.

[Theo]

JMH @ 2:54 —

Exactly right. Who would you rather trust — corrupt politicians or the people?

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Only two of the four fence-sitting Republican Senators (Murkowski and Romney) will vote to hear witnesses--

I believe that would be Collins and Romney.

--Shut up Murk. The Senate so far has SUCCEEDED in not furthering a partisan impeachment by the House and not granting the House the ability to usurp the power of the Senate.--

As irritating as she is I think she's getting a bad rap on this. Her statement didn't name the Dems but clearly she was referring to their partisan efforts and her talk of the SCOTUS was clearly related to Warren's stunt with the question she submitted for Roberts to read, which he did like a wiener. If he had any gonads he would crumpled it up and stuck it in her mouth.

[peter]

My state legislatures voted for infanticide sob there’s that.

[Old Lurker]

Me neither, JMH, but that's because they have had 100 years to become the jokes they are now. We'd be more careful who we send there if we knew they had that power, and that power of appointment would enhance/protect the State's Rights per the Constitution.

[Jane]

Hey OL! That was a compliment!

Just remember, I’m a tad demented!

[Old Lurker]

Ig "didn't name the Dems but clearly she was referring to their partisan efforts "

Clear to you and me perhaps, but trust me that is not how it will be spun, and you know that and she knows that. She could have avoided the certain confusion simply by saying what she thinks.

[Sidwhite]

I’m here again, way behind as usual, so maybe this has been covered. News readers (democrat operatives) and various journalist keep saying that Justice Roberts will break any tie votes. I don’t think that squares with the constitution. I work on the edge of legal things (contracts), and one thing lawyers drilled in early is a document must be read not to conflict with itself. The US Constitution specifically states that as “president” of the Senate the VP will break tie votes in the body. I see no exclusion for impeachment. The same Constitution states that the chief justice will “preside” over the trial, with no assignment of any right or obligation to vote. The VP “president of the senate” does not “preside” over senate activity, hearings or floor votes, yet can (per the same constitution) vote to break any tie among the senators. The ONLY way I see to avoid creating a conflict between the sections, is to follow all provisions of the Constitution without adding unwritten language. I do not see where the impeachment section changes or modifies that.

Can our legal beagles correct me on this…

[Captain Hate]

The 17th Amendment ruined the US Senate, and the unintended consequence was it made state legislators much less important, making the notion of fifty test beds more of a joke than intended.

The Horde had a good discussion of this topic this morning. In addition to the consequences you mentioned, when the state legislatures appointed them their stay on office was much shorter than the current ossified lifetime fossils. Sure there were some less than good appointments but Ohio wouldn't have the stain of Sherrod Brown under the original terms of the Constitution.

[Porchlight]

I reread the whole thing, Iggy. You may be right. It seemed intentionally vague regarding witnesses and "fair trial." As if she were trying to hedge bets.

[Old Lurker]

I know, I know, Jane. :-)

Just hate seeing my name on the same screen with Adam Schiff.

[Old Lurker]

Sid "The ONLY way I see to avoid creating a conflict between the sections, is to follow all provisions of the Constitution without adding unwritten language. "

Oh Sid, you're no fun. Why, you probably think a Tax and a Fine are one and the same word.

:-)

[JM Hanes]

I thought Murkowski made a decent statement, too, Captain. I don't see anything in it showing up in a Democrat's talking point later -- which is actually pretty remarkable considering what they're willing to try to spin. In any case, I'm not sure why the Dems would even attempt to crucify her, when she's one of their only reliable hopes for eking out a win on any vote in the Senate.

[JM Hanes]

Oops, I was agreeing with Ignatz on the Murkowski statement.

[MissMarple2]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-leaders-signal-they-wont-accept-trump-acquittal-as-legitimate

I again ask who is orchestrating these dems? Dem senators in swing states are probably being strongarmed.

[JM Hanes]

Old Lurker:

"We'd be more careful who we send there if we knew they had that power, and that power of appointment would enhance/protect the State's Rights per the Constitution."

Maybe we'd be more careful, maybe others would not. It's far easier to exercise control by casting my own vote. I don't see any particular reason to believe that legislatively appointed Senators would necessarily enhance states rights. Are you suggesting that such Senators' first loyalty would be to their legislative electors, not the people of the state they are representing?

[JM Hanes]

Plus, it's far easier to change a Senator I don't like, if I don't have to change the composition of my state legislature to do it. I'm not sure you would end up with a more independent legislature, either, rather than one more fully embroiled in Washington politics and corruption.

[Sidwhite]

Funny thing OL,

The attorney drilled into me is that "words have meanings". The jest of which is that if a contract uses two different but similar words, they SHOULD be construed to have different meanings. I sent emails to my associates (after years of preaching this) that with Roberts new rulings, (there is the tax one and another) we can shitcan that contract language principle.

[James D.]

Maryrose @ 2:46

Is Lucy Coe still on the show? I used to watch GH back in the early 1990’s and I loved her.

[John S]

Hirono was talking to the press a few minutes ago and threatening Cipolone several times because the NYT story has him in a meeting where he would have known that what he said to the Senate was untrue.

[MissMarple2]

I have noticed a lot of tweets which are Trump=favorable seem to be missing, and a lot of low-follower people are replying with insults, including a bunch a fake evangelicals who are attacking Franklin Graham.

[Jane]

Sidwhite,

NO BEAGLE HAT on here but I’ve heard over and over that a tie goes to republicans.

[Jane]

Given the delay, a deal may be in the works.

[MissMarple2]

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Carpe Donktum
🔹
@CarpeDonktum
Chris Wallace says... Yes, it was a half baked case, but it is Trump's fault that the House didn't do their jobs.

What a loser.

3:05 PM · Jan 31, 2020

===========================================
If this is true I will never watch him on the news nor will ever watch him on a debate he moderates.

[peter]

Roberts does not get a tie-breaker vote. His sole role per the Constitution is to preside. If he presumes to take any part in the voting process, that should be grounds for Trump to claim a mis-trial. Talk about a crisis!

[anonamom]

This is how I see all this theater:

In 2016, 1/3 of eligible voters did NOT vote.
The vote was essentially split.

That means 2/3rds of eligible voters did not--and likely still DO not--support the Ds.

Who gives a rat's ass if they "accept" the verdict or not???
Not the majority of voters.

End this Schiff Show now.

[James D.]

Maybe we should just disband Child Protective Services in every state, as a precaution:

https://reason.com/2020/01/30/child-services-medical-abuse-wisconsin/#comments

[JM Hanes]

Sidwhite:

I believe the news readers are just ignorant. It is my understanding that in the case of a tie vote the proposal in question fails.

I'm just guessing myself, but I believe that decision would be defended under the sole trial power of the Senate, which gives them the right to establish how the trial is to be conducted. The Vice President's tie breaking authority would not apply, since the Senate is not being convened as a legislative body, or for any other Senatorial purposes over which the VP might preside. So too, the Chief Justice is presiding over the trial not the Senate.

[Captain Hate]

I'm in favor of any system that keeps Hirono out of office. If that involves nuking Hawaii let's get those birds aloft.

[anonamom]

Peter, Ted Cruz said in yesterday's podcast that it actually is NOT clear. Roberts does NOT necessarily get a vote--but that does NOT mean that he doesn't---apparently, Senate can vote on it.

Ted says he (TC)can argue both sides!

[anonamom]

Is there anyone stupider than Hirono in Congress? On earth, maybe?

She disgraces the citizens of Hawaii every time she opens her mouth.

[Another Bob]

There’s a small Hawaiian independence movement. We should give it our support.

[Another Bob]

Puerto Rico too.

[Marlene]

Good afternoon. I've been doing errands all day. The Maine media is reporting that a threat mentioning Susan Collins received by a Maine business has a dozen downeast and northern Maine schools in a soft lockdown. The Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman didn't say if the business has a connection to Susan Collins. I'm making a huge guess that the business is the lumber yard/hardware store owned by her brothers. They have several locations in northern Maine,including the town where our cabin is located. The FBI is investigating the threat. The schools affected are located from downeast to the Canadian border.

[clarice]

Tough question, anonamom--the competition is fierce.

Can't wait for the State of the Union address.

[Jane]

The chic geek is very good.

[John S]

Philbin is up now in the trial. He is doing a good job of showing how absurd the process has been.

[JM Hanes]

Oh my, the Dems really are getting desperate. From Miss Marple's 3:10 link:

"The president's acquittal will be meaningless," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., declared Friday, "because it will be the result of a sham trial. If there are no witnesses, no documents in this trial, there will be a permanent asterisk next to the acquittal of President Trump written in permanent ink."

Oooooh. Brutal. Shiver me timbers. After the footnotes on the substance-free, meaningless, shamwow impeachment, even the asterisk will look like a win.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Hirono and Patty Murray be damned; Ed Markey will not stand for any pretenders to his throne of Biggest Head of Cabbage in the Gratingest Deliberative Body in the World.

[Dave (in MA)]

I wonder who'll run the second impeachment?

[Old Lurker]

JMH, you actually make both my points for me. The idea is/was that each state legislature should focus 99% of its work on the needs of that very state (and those people would sit beside us in church and the movies...). It follows that such a body would send to DC two senators who would assist the State Legislature in exactly that: serving his state. By making it just a beauty contest of popular votes, it attracts players who want to go to DC for the personal power and, hope-hope, ascendancy on the national stage. And once ensconced there, they can stay forever, whatever happens to the old state.

My other point is that one reason you and we all pay zero attention to our state legislatures is that after 100 years of this, all the real power to help and hurt state citizens IS in DC. Were it still in the State Capital, you should be willing to make your state legislator exercise parochial control over those they sent to DC. The Founders wanted two chambers, but they sure as hell did not want a House of Lords of members who were born into it.

Mainly my point is made by observing that we made a few changes to shift power away from Main Street (We the People live and work on Main Street) up to DC, and we are far worse off for having done that.

[anonamom]

I'm still working hard on contacting Chic Geek's dad.
I am LOVING watching his kid!!

Senators, heed his advice--do NOT put your imprimatur on this half assed Democrat impeachment.

[D]

Clarice:
I am also awaiting the SOTU address.
This impeachment sham has worn me out.
Other than the Republican lawyers for the a President the negativity and lies have been discouraging to me.
We must start electing better House congressmen and Senators.The group we have now as Democrats are really awful people
No conscience, no values, and a very bad relationship with the truth.
They must be censured and exposed.
We need accountability for the spying on our President.

[MissMarple2]

Anyone else heard this?

Anand Ranganathan
@ARanganathan72
· 1h
Replying to @ARanganathan72

Oh my god. Indian scientists have just found HIV (AIDS) virus-like insertions in the 2019-nCov virus that are not found in any other coronavirus. They hint at the possibility that this Chinese virus was designed ["not fortuitous']. Scary if true. https://biorxiv.org/content/10.1101

/2020.01.30.927871v1.full.pdf

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

From Powerline. Brief but epic;

I wish we had more college administrators like this one, as reported in The Times of London today:

How do you respond when placard-waving students occupy your 15th-century quadrangle and refuse to leave until you sell the college’s shares in oil companies? As this is Oxford, naturally you present them with a philosophical dilemma.

Two students at St John’s College wrote to Andrew Parker, the principal bursar, this week requesting a meeting to discuss the protesters’ demands, which are that the college “declares a climate emergency and immediately divests from fossil fuels”. They say that the college, the richest in Oxford, has £8 million of its £551 million endowment fund invested in BP and Shell.

Professor Parker responded with a provocative offer. “I am not able to arrange any divestment at short notice,” he wrote. “But I can arrange for the gas central heating in college to be switched off.”

Heh.

[Old Lurker]

And never overlook that one such change from that era was to change the system of paying for the Federal Government by asking the states to chip in (talk about empowering the state legislature and ensuring great care in their appointments to the Senate!) to the right of the Feds to tax the income and wealth of individual state citizens directly, ignoring whatever the state legislatures might think. Now, you never will see you Senator except on TV, and you can't complain to your state rep cause he didn't appoint him.

[Marlene]

There are going to be some p'oed people in downeast and northern Maine tonight. The schools affected by the threats have postponed the Friday night high school basketball games. The games are the social events of the week in those towns.

[Old Lurker]

A-bob "There’s a small Hawaiian independence movement. We should give it our support."

Easy peasy. Try "Hey, did you hear that Trump is opposed to independence for Hawaii? Can you believe that?". Boom. You start right there with 47% in your camp.

[Thomas Collins]

Re Murkowski: I thought she was giving the middle finger to Running Rabbit Warren. I thought it was a fine statement.

Re aftermath: The more I consider this, the more I think the aftermath will be more than breathless rumors in the NYT, MessNBC, CNN, and the rest of Oligarch Media. I think there will still be hearings in the House. Not formal impeachment ones, but ones held to harass Trump Administration officials. Even though it's an election year, the Dems will find time for more hearings, including hearings on the GOP lawyers' conduct during the impeachment hearings. This will never end until a really big Dem Kahuna (such as Pelosi) is taken down in some sort of scandal. And that ain't happenin'.

Nonetheless, Murkowski has cheered me up today. Who'd a thunk it?

[MissMarple2]

Rudy Giuliani
@RudyGiuliani
·
1h

The meeting the Times describes is a lie. If Bolton is the source and he believed this was so bad, why didn’t he quit? How much integrity and honor will a man sacrifice for greed and revenge?

[Jack is Back (Again)!]

Trying to catch up. Had to run to my MB mechanic, who like TK, is an artisan. Nothing much just a little fuel injection issue.

But on the prior thread there was discussion on digital device self repair.

Again I will post the site to go to: www.iFixit.com. If you are so inclined there is an investment in tools and accessories. Videos galore of tear downs and specific repairs. Frederick and I have never taken any of our devices to Apple for repair, including screen and battery replacemement.

Apple says that they have made their devices less self repair. Balderdash. IFixit has up to date tutorials on these so called sealed devices. It’s more brain surgery versus the old broken bone first aid but with diligent patience anyone can repair any device. Not includes appliances and other devices.

[Dave (in MA)]

Ha, good one:

Ben Domenech✔@bdomenech
Everyone on cable has the face of a child who got socks for Christmas.

I wonder who originally wrote it?

[Jack is Back (Again)!]

....Now includes....

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Wells Fargo, Fifth Third Banks Yank $5.4 Million From ‘Bigoted’ Brown Kids At Christian Schools

Wells Fargo and Fifth Third announced this week they will no longer donate to help poor, minority children attend better Christian schools, because the banks’ leaders think Christian teachings about sex are bigoted. Last year, the two corporations donated $5.4 million to Florida’s tax-credit scholarship program, which assists more than 100,000 children, approximately 70 percent of whom are black, Hispanic, and multiracial.
“All of us at Wells Fargo highly value diversity and inclusion, and we oppose discrimination of any kind,” said a spokeswoman.

All you poor black and Hispanic kids? You don't get to have a decent education because we're against discrimination of any kind, including discriminating between doing kind, good, charitable things and stupid, bad, moronic, idiotic, stupid things that hurt poor black and Hispanic kids over some stupid woke sex crap that mostly is about well off white people.

[hrtshpdbox]

Schumer says the stain on the president will be made in permanent ink. So you can't just, like, erase it or anything. Such an extremely harsh rebuke from the Senator from New York!

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Any mark this pack of truculent pygmies leaves is a badge of honor.

[henry]

Schumer is a stain.

[D]

OL :
Totally agree.I will be attending a meeting for our Congress person next month and I campaign for our Ohio Senate reps and other state officials.

[JM Hanes]

Old Lurker:

"JMH, you actually make both my points for me."

Well, I wouldn't go that far, but I'm afraid my brain is too fragmented to go any further than I did. I think you minimize all the ways that it could just as easily gone very, very wrong -- in even worse ways than things have gone -- but I do see how taking away the ability to vote for a Senator could force you to pay more attention to your state legislators.

Just heard Schiff trying to make it all about Republicans' distrust of the Chief Justice! I really don't think I've ever heard lying like all of this before, and it's the brazenness of the lying that just makes my head ache.

[Stephanie Nene Not Your Normal Granma]

Schumer is a stain.

Skidmark if you know what I mean and I think you do.

[henry]

Here’s yer stain Chuckie.

@sheminfinite

Sekulow has a surprise for the Senate. He is arguing that if the Senate votes for more witnesses, the President's legal team would demand them to call every person that the House Democrats called in their hearings because they have not had the opportunity to cross examine them.

[D]

Schumer is permanent stain for the state of New York.

[Jack is Back (Again)!]

I once cornered Frank Murkowski when I was in DC. Being a Senator from Alaska he was on Bennet Johnston’s energy committee. No way am I going to get time with him at his office or the cloak room. So I used a trick I learned from one of loose-loafer guys WH ply the halls of Rayburn.

Find out his next wine and cheese funder. Well, I subscribed to everyone’s calendar and found out he was having a staff “thank you drink” a bar in an alley off Constitution (can’t remember name). So I slipped in a few minutes before is ETA which, of course was off by an hour.

So, I am talking up about 20 staffers, a lot on the committee for an hour. Then when Frank came in they made a point to introduce me and my issues to him. Easy-peasey. I used that little trick a few times Moe.

It’s not the crowded “hi I am Jack from ABC” and a hand shake and a glass of wine but you ha e to be creative in lobbying if your not Tommy Boggs:)

That was for Clarice.

[henry]

They always were for sale:

Marketwatch

Democratic Party set to include Michael Bloomberg in debates with change to qualifying requirements

[Porchlight]

Good stuff.

[JM Hanes]

OK. Schiff is done. They're going to call the role to see if they've got a quorum? I only caught the tail end of what McConnell said. Called out Alexander, but nothing more has yet transpired.

[D]

Steph:
Definitely an even better analogy.
You know the Dems have lost when the name calling begins.
All this delay is to deprive our President of his vindication at the SOTZu.
Once again the Dems show what sore losers they are and always will be
2000 election and 2016.
Disgraceful behavior.

[JM Hanes]

McConnell and Schumer apparently conferring to determine remaining schedule. Quorum call has gone out.

[Dave (in MA)]

.

[D]

SOTU it should be.
Make them stay on Sunday and get the vote done.

[Jack is Back (Again)!]

Off to dinner in a minute. But let me comment on the Florida voucher program since was up to my eye balls in it when President of our school board. It will survive and it will continue to provide quality education to low income kids in private and parochial schools.

Close to 100% of those kids go on to university and are now doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. Plus now Republican voters.

Now you know why those companies pulled out.

[D]

Dave
Love it!
You are still the funniest guy !

[D]

JIB:
Glad to hear it.

[Tom R]

The Babylon Bee explains the coronavirus.

https://babylonbee.com/news/the-bee-explains-coronavirus

[Jane]

The best revenge here is to make sure Schiff, Schumer and the entire Democrat legal team is not re-elected.

Wouldn’t that be fun!~

[MissMarple2]

Mark Knoller
@markknoller
·
7m
Pres and Mrs Trump board Marine One, departing WH for weekend at Mar-a-Lago. Pres Trump did not stop for any press questions.

[henry]

$3.5 million last quarter

@johnjamesmi

It’s by the grace of God and a generous grassroots army that I am able to use my blessings to be a blessing to others. I am overjoyed that I don’t have to wait until I get elected to help Michiganders who need it the most. Thank you!

https://twitter.com/johnjamesmi/status/1223313408726044673?s=21

[JM Hanes]

BTW, Miss Marple,

In re the infected coronavirus was really scary if true. I haven't had a chance to look around or other sources, but the posted link goes to a "page not found." Could you check the source of the link (the PDF piece looks like a dangler)? I'm not sure whether the page has been take down, or the link needs repair.

[Dave (in MA)]

Maybe Mazie and Al Green can run Impeachment II: Electric Boogaloo. I think they've got what it takes.

[Captain Hate]

Want an appetite suppressant?

http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=385566

[anonamom]

Results of Comfortably Smug's #Liberal Hack Tournament:

Final Four:

Jennifer Rubin v Jim Acosta

Rachel Maddow v Brian Stelter