Open Thread | Where We Are With the Impeachment Inquiry

These hearings have been very informative. Those of us who believed Dolt45 was guilty…we really haven’t learned anything new. But, it has been important to have these hearings. We have to get ON THE RECORD, the issue of Dolt45’s criminality.

I have said from the beginning that this is a matter of us being a country of laws. Either we are, or we aren’t. If we are, then that means that nobody is above the law, and that includes the President.

For all their flaws, the Founding Fathers saw Dolt45 coming. They anticipated the possibility of someone this corrupt becoming President. Someone who would look after their own personal interests before the interests of this country.

What the Founding Fathers did not anticipate was that an entire political party would betray this country and run away from the path that they swore to The Constitution. THAT is the true crux of the problem, as we watch Republicans on that committee repeat Russian conspiracy theories….ludicrous theories….during the consistent revelations of the President’s criminality.

As you watched the testimonies this week, particularly Sondland, who dropped the dime on EVERYONE being involved and in the know: The President, Vice-President, Secretary of State, White House Chief of Staff..Senator Johnson..errrrrrbody was in the loop….and yet, the GOP continued with the Russian conspiracy theories.

Time to accept it: either they are spineless, corrupt, or compromised by the Russians. No other logical explanation. They are traitors to this country….THAT much is obvious…and folks need to accept that and respond accordingly.

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118 Responses to Open Thread | Where We Are With the Impeachment Inquiry

    • Liza says:

      Hmmm.

      I have this gut feeling, and that’s all it is, that if Biden is the nominee he will offer the VP to Ms. Harris. If that were to happen, that sets her up for 2024 if Biden serves one term. Maybe he could serve two, who knows?

      • eliihass says:

        LOL.. As if..

        Biden witnessed in real-time the endless shenanigans of Hillary and her ‘Hillary-land’ cohort at Foggy Bottom..

        Folks don’t suddenly develop amnesia or delude themselves into oblivion, simply because a treasonous buffoon (formerly Hill and Bill’s buddy), happened.. even if there might be some serious biting of the tongue currently going on ..and only so as not to distract from, or arm the immediate enemy..

        The idea that Biden, if he’s the nominee ..with all the many viable, seasoned, brilliant, integrity-rich, dependable, honorable options of a running mate/VP out there (we are hopefully, far richer and have oodles of far more impressive, capable and viable alternatives from a yet untapped pool, in this said to be, highly-advanced country – far beyond those who’ve already bought into their own hype and are currently ‘presidential candidates’);

        That Biden would or should settle for a mostly hyped up but mediocre ‘amalgam’ or ‘diversity’ pick ..and worse, a thirsty, self-aggrandizing one who already gratuitously and opportunistically stabbed him in the back right out of the gate..

        Why Biden would be expected to set himself up like that …and only to singularly indulge the long-term political ambitions of a fluffed-up political creation of a slimy party poobah and some mega donors..

        LOL.. When someone shows you who they are, believe them..

        Here’s hoping that Biden, if he’s the nominee, proves to be more of the canny politician many believe him to be ..and resists any attempt to guilt or strong-arm him into picking a mediocre running mate that he does not and should not trust.. and one who’s already overplayed their hand..

      • Liza says:

        Well, the advantage in picking the VP from the current candidates would be that they have been endlessly polled in the run up to the state primaries and you would know where they have strong support. The Democrats don’t need help in winning California, to be sure, but there are other things to consider. And they would do well to focus on broader demographics than to use the VP to reel in a state or two.

        And there are some issues that are gaining ground such as black women being the backbone of the party, working hard to elect Democrats, but consistently ignored after the election. It’s going to be very hard for the nominee to ignore this. And, of course, there are the issues with women in general, and POC in general, and it’s all going to be very hard to ignore even under the prevailing “Trump must go” banner. People are demanding recognition in the Democratic party and rightfully so.

        So, if the nominee is the elderly white male, the VP pick is going to be a really big deal, really big. No Tim Kaine choices this time around.

        I know you don’t like KH, but I don’t know how many folks share your views. Prior to becoming a candidate, she wasn’t that well known outside of California. Most of us are just getting to know her in the debates. The general perception seems to be that she is someone on the way up in national politics.

      • eliihass says:

        There are far more impressive, accomplished, principled, earnest, black female politicians and professionals who can easily take up the mantle of ‘black woman’ – if that is what’s called for.. if Biden becomes the nominee.. the fact that this one ‘black’ woman is being practically force-fed folks, doesn’t mean that she’s even remotely the gold standard for black women in politics ..she is not..

        There are far more who’ve done so much more, who are far more deserving …and in it for more than self.. women who’ve actually done it the old fashioned way …worked their way up and through the ranks by their own merit..

        It is actually an insult to the vast majority of black women I know, that this person is being touted as somehow, the face or standard for black women – as professionals or in politics.. And that ‘token black’ that non-black folk think their support of will automatically check the box for ‘see, I support the ‘black’ woman’..

        She is not.. And the endlessly contrived act is even more ridiculous..

        Anyone who’s remotely paid attention in politics, knows who she is.. she/her party poobah benefactors have made sure to give her plenty of exposure and every advantage – even as a local and state elected person, and inserted her in every DNC event …she’s spoken in prime time at the last 3 conventions.. shooting her shot.. that you missed it all, says everything..

        Believe me, if this candidate was even remotely deserving, I’d not only be pulling hard for her.. I’d have maxed out in donations and working my butt off and doing everything to get her across the finish line..

        Clearly not alone …when a candidate who’s run and ‘won’ statewide doesn’t even poll in the top tier in their own home state, that says everything..

        Opportunism, patronage and party-poobah favoritism may get mediocre candidates all sorts of advantages and ‘wins’ in field-cleared and hardly contested local and state races ..the real test is pulling that trick off nationally – even with built-in advantages of having an entire campaign infrastructure transferred, complete with high-priced p.r types who know their way around ..and who once you arrive in d.c start ramping up The NY Times/WaPo Morning Joe beat sweeteners on your behalf.. after getting a senate win where others were forbidden to run – and the one other crummy candidate who defied orders, was irredeemably trashed by state party poobahs.. even though for years, she’d pulled off miraculous wins for Dems in her So Cal red congressional district..

        Also, there’s something to be said, and rather insulting actually, to black folks.. to think that they’re so stupid, that all you have to do is wheel out a ‘black’ person …preferably, an amalgam of ‘black and something else’ to make said person more palatable to those who prefer their black people mixed-race.. Have them opportunistically appropriate ‘black pain’ entirely for their own political advancement…same black pain ignored for years even when in charge and have the power to make a difference.. but nothing..

        And all while those who’ve actually done the hard work but are considered ‘too black’ or not as ‘racially appealing’.. read: not mixed with something else, are routinely passed over.. even after they’ve done the necessary hard work and heavy-lift..

        And they have to grin and beat it.. and even show what ‘good sports’ and ‘good team players’ they are, by immediately getting in line and behind the handpicked packaged, manufactured candidate …or else they mightn’t get the support they need subsequently, from said party poobahs, to keep their seats, or be considered for the next opening up the ladder..

        And no, being a previously/currently candidate and being polled, makes no difference – especially when one is polling in single digits, adds no other state to the column …and can’t even cut it in their own home state even after spending their entire career practically in elective office.. And after routinely underperforming in every election, even after having the field repeatedly preemptively cleared of even better and more impressive candidates, among other strong-arming tactics and ‘advantages’..

        You too (like everyone) have your opinions about several of the candidates… some of whom you clearly don’t like..

        I’ve been very clear too that in my opinion, this Dem slate is weak.. With everyone erroneously believing that if they can push out the other candidate(s), voters will immediately swarm to them.. Not true..

        And the shenanigans of the various campaigns busy not selling themselves and their messages, but endlessly whingeing and trying to oust other candidates ..day in and day out.. it’s not only been transparently ridiculous, but utterly tiresome..

        And while Dems are busy arguing over already weak/lackluster candidates, the RNC and the treasonous buffoon have been busy on the ground, slowly but surely gaslighting and spreading disinformation.. and for what it’s worth, buying up black mouthpieces to co-opt low-info and not so low-info minority groups – to give the appearance of ‘outreach’ so even if they eventually don’t show up to vote for the buffoon, his campaign can support vote-tampering with ‘slight increases in polls’..

        This bears repeating, this is not the 2008 scenario.. so much has changed.. thanks to all sorts of media, people actually know the candidates – contrary to the narrative that they aren’t paying attention..

        There is no candidate that has the broad appeal – or the ability to pull off the ‘Obama coalition’ feat..

        There are a couple of candidates however, who have the ability to cobble together a slightly different sort of coalition… if the various campaigns don’t end up lighting the party, themselves and the other campaigns on fire.. simply because it isn’t looking too good for their flailing candidate..

        I’ve been reluctant to say this, but it’s not looking good..

        In the end, it isn’t about who people might vote for, it’s about who voters will absolutely turn out for..

        And there’s really no candidate running who excites or inspires in that way..

        And no, it’s not because ‘Biden is in the way’.. or because ‘they’re not getting airtime’ or ‘still introducing themselves’.. or ‘because Iowa/New Hampshire’… or because ‘it’s still early and Obama didn’t move up in the polls until he won Iowa’..

        There is no ‘Obama’ in this race..

        And the difference is that, people actually liked him, but had real concerns that he’d be killed or that ‘white folks wouldn’t let him’..

        That is neither the case for Booker or Harris..

        Most black people know who they and still aren’t impressed.. and certainly aren’t invested in them- no matter how hard their ‘influencers’ try to make that connection …Asked what they think of them, the usual retort is, yawn, ‘corny’.. ‘mediocre’, ‘one-dimensional’, self-serving, opportunistic..

        And the black talking-heads paid to talk them up in recent days, do the candidates no favors.. it all smacks of desperation and is a real turn-off..

        But importantly, folks aren’t doing black folks as a whole any favors, by voting for these 2 ‘black’ candidates.. they are not the ones…something that becomes even more immediately apparent outside the co-signing, pat on the back, social media bubble..

      • Liza says:

        Well, that’s a lot to think about.

        I know you’ve mentioned many times about KH being a mediocre candidate who has had unfair advantages. I’m wondering, how unusual is that? It reminds me of my congressional district race in 2018 when the Democratic leaders rammed the elderly Ann Kirkpatrick down our throats when there were clearly better candidates. She won, and as our representative she is mediocre at best, but she votes the party line which is all they wanted. And this is what I’ve seen in competitive elections in AZ, when the Democrats have a chance the party steps in. I’ve got to believe it happens everywhere.

        Most people and I am talking the vast majority do not keep up with politics at anything close to the level that you do. I noticed KH when she was AG for the state of CA and I remember her senate race but no details. Never heard or don’t remember her convention speeches. And, like I said, I think a lot of people are getting to know her through the debates. My husband, elderly white male, registered independent, reliable voter, is damn near mesmerized when she speaks. For him, it is not a black woman thing, not at all. He likes what he hears.

        Indeed, there is no “Obama” in this race nor is there likely to be for many elections to come if ever. If folks out there are waiting for another Obama to turn out the vote or inspire voters then we are in a hell of a lot of trouble. I’ve been voting since Nixon/McGovern and there has only been one “Obama.” The current slate of Democratic candidates is not extraordinary but I tend to think that none of them are crooks and they all have strong points as well as weak ones. I am not fearful of any of them. My favorite is Julian Castro who I believe is a good, decent man and he is in politics for the right reasons. But he spoke out about police brutality and that just isn’t allowed and he hasn’t gained traction with anyone except those of us who think it’s time to talk honestly about the cops.

        It’s a hell of a mess we’re in, I’ve never seen anything quite like this.

        I just saw on MSNBC that Biden is polling at 44% with black voters in South Caroline, literally blowing the other candidates out of the water. Only 20% undecided.

      • eliihass says:

        LOL..

        Your hubby is ‘mesmerized’ I suppose in much the same way some white women I know are ‘mesmerized’ by Cory Booker, and swear that he’s ‘brilliant and captivating’.. and the best thing since the hovercraft.. There are those who swear he’s far better than ‘Obama’..

        Yet all I see – massively irritating, hollow, thirsty, unconvincing politicians who just want to be president.. because Obama..

        I’ve tried really, really hard to, but don’t see or hear anything ‘mesmerizing’…all I see are over-rehearsed platitudes and eye-roll inducing poll-tested, swiped and recycled stuff.. and seriously failed attempts at sounding and looking ‘tough’ and ‘presidential’.. and staged photo-ops and other lame moves .. and of course, speeches ripped straight out of the now familiar Obama handbook..

        With Booker for instance, perhaps I remember too much – including of him running to every t.v show every chance he got ..there was him, Bill Clinton too, tag-teaming, to muddy-up, contradict at every turn, every pronouncement made by then President Obama re: Wall Street, economy, etc.. His thirsty move of trying to unseat a guy who was already dying, further sealed his fate – as far as I was concerned..

        These seemingly ‘small’ things tell of peoples character.. Booker and Harris are so lacking.. And there are no do-overs with first impressions about the measure and character of any human .. no matter how much they try to reboot.. and only because they see their poll numbers plummet.. It all comes across as phony, grasping, opportunistic..

        I still say that really good politicians can sell their vision without ever having the need to stab people in the back or throw them under the bus.. or putting on an act.. authenticity rules always.. I think that’s why Bernie still resonates..

        Booker and Harris with their gimmicks that backfired and sealed their fates, can’t come back now with their ridiculously fake, ‘we need a uniter’ and the lame, ‘let’s not tear each other down’.. right after and before they do..

        A brilliant, politically astute, very liberal friend of mine – older English guy (long naturalized American – at least 45 years), who actually predicted right off the bat.. before the primaries even really took off, the Obama-Biden ticket.. except that he had Biden at the top of the ticket and Obama as VP.. I still wonder how he figured that..

        He’s all in for Bloomberg.. Bloomberg! Bloomberg..

        That’s just how turned off folks are by this Dem slate..

        He’s so frustrated with this line-up.. agrees with my assessment of each of them, but seriously threw me for a loop with the Bloomberg pick.. His V.P pick is a black woman who’s not in the race.. He swears they’d be unbeatable.. He’s ‘mesmerized’ with her.. thinks she’s incredible..

        I’m still thinking of his Bloomberg endorsement .. because for so long, I could’ve sworn he seriously despised Bloomberg.. but I hear his desperation.. and he dislikes this slate even more than I do.. he says that most of them not only suck, but have bought into their own hype – and feel almost entitled ..act desperate; so desperate they’ll take the party down with them if they can’t or don’t get the nomination.. told him he ought to meet some of their staff and supporters.. what a ‘lovely’ bunch..

        What we still don’t know is, if the treasonous buffoon will even ever agree to a debate.. you know, it’s entirely his world now, we’re all just living in it ..thanks to the enabling media, complicit Repugs etc..

        But I still mull the idea of debates as a measure of presidential ability .. I think the media want their moment and ratings and ad buys.. but they’d quickly cave, give up their moments in the spotlight and revenue from ad buys during debates, if the buffoon decides he’s not interested.. which may happen.. At the rate things are going, he might even decide we don’t need elections or a new leader.. We’ll have to wait and see what he and Vlad have planned.. who knows..

      • Liza says:

        Well, most of the presidents in my lifetime haven’t been so great (ex: Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I and II.) Carter and Clinton were mediocre, LBJ did some good things but his legacy is, unfortunately, the escalation of the Vietnam War. Trump, of course, is off the charts and Nixon is pretty damn close.

        The Democratic slate doesn’t look so bad in that context.

        And Bloomberg? He should put his money into winning back the Senate and holding on to the House.

      • eliihass says:

        Most voters don’t have the benefit of that comparison, unfortunately.. the concept of they’ve been mostly mediocre, so.. almost the equivalent of suck it up and vote, damnit.. LOL..

        But these are different times, unfortunately.. Folks are just going to stay home again, I fear.. most are already being prepped by the media who insist that ‘he has the incumbent advantage’.. in much the same way they’re all running today with the whole, ‘minds have not been changed, so forget about impeachment’..

        How a treasonous crook is normalized and protected, continues to boggle the mind..

      • Liza says:

        There’s actually some distance between “inspiring” and “suck it up and vote.” I could vote for Liz, Cory, Kamala, or Julian without feeling as though I were sucking it up. I’m okay with Joe and Bernie except for their age which is a huge negative and I say this as an older person who is considerably younger than either of them.

        I remember the first time I voted it was George McGovern who lost in a landslide to the second worst criminal to occupy the Oval Office. I thought McGovern was a great candidate. All we’ve got to show for it now is a documentary, “One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern.” And, of course, the hindsight that voters got it wrong. And this was after four years of Nixon not ending the war which was his campaign promise in 1968. Well, historians are getting it right, and the anti-war protesters are vindicated, but tens of thousands of Americans and millions of Vietnamese are dead because “peace with honor” could not be achieved, and the world’s most formidable military power could not “lose” a war on Nixon’s watch.

        Yeah, we’ve had some really bad presidents. “Mediocre” would have been kind of a blessing after Nixon.

        I’m not looking at the less than extraordinary Democratic candidates for what ails this nation. I’m looking at the 63 million Trump voters, the kind of people who will blow up decades of progress because they fear the inevitable, and God help us all, we had a black president.

        I’ve seen this before in the Deep South, except I was a little kid then, but it was so obvious a kid could see it. But I will go on record and say I didn’t expect it to last my entire life.

    • Liza says:

      There’s actually some distance between “inspiring” and “suck it up and vote.” I could vote for Liz, Cory, Kamala, or Julian without feeling as though I were sucking it up. I’m okay with Joe and Bernie except for their age which is a huge negative and I say this as an older person who is considerably younger than either of them.

      I remember the first time I voted it was George McGovern who lost in a landslide to the second worst criminal to occupy the Oval Office. I thought McGovern was a great candidate. All we’ve got to show for it now is a documentary, “One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern.” And, of course, the hindsight that voters got it wrong. And this was after four years of Nixon not ending the war which was his campaign promise in 1968. Well, historians are getting it right, and the anti-war protesters are vindicated, but tens of thousands of Americans and millions of Vietnamese are dead because “peace with honor” could not be achieved, and the world’s most formidable military power could not “lose” a war on Nixon’s watch.

      Yeah, we’ve had some really bad presidents. “Mediocre” would have been kind of a blessing after Nixon.

      I’m not looking at the less than extraordinary Democratic candidates for what ails this nation. I’m looking at the 63 million Trump voters, the kind of people who will blow up decades of progress because they fear the inevitable, and God help us all, we had a black president.

      I’ve seen this before in the Deep South, except I was a little kid then, but it was so obvious a kid could see it. But I will go on record and say I didn’t expect it to last my entire life.

    • eliihass says:

      Ugh..

      To be forced to display a constant reminder of and the embarrassing face of the torpedoing of the once greatest democracy …and this Vlad-orchestrated Orwellian farce..

      Wild, indeed..

  1. I call it Dressing. My mom called it stuffing and use to put it inside the turkey. I don’t. I use the delicious, well seasoned broth from the turkey to make my dressing in a separate pan. Turkey necks, gizzards and livers is a must and gives it such good flavor. Yum yum!

    https://twitter.com/soledadobrien/status/1197919391452663810?s=20

    • rikyrah says:

      If you put it inside the turkey, it’s stuffing. Everything else is dressing..not.enough to feed people if all you have is what goes inside the turkey 😒😒

      • Liza says:

        Ha ha. Yes, why would it be stuffing if it wasn’t used to stuff anything?

        But I’m going to speak in defense of pumpkin pie. True, it does not compare to sweet potato pie. BUT, it’s easier to make and it ain’t half bad. I make it all the time with Splenda or Stevia instead of sugar, tastes good and has lots of Vitamin A.

      • Sweet potato pie for me. I love them.

  2. My stove went out yesterday morning. It wasn’t old either. I texted daughter yesterday morning and said “my stove went out” 😱

    Daughter had a stove at my house around 1:30pm yesterday afternoon. 🙌

    She’s such a good daughter. ❤️😍❤️

  3. WARNING! VERY DISTURBING. OH DEAR GOD! He beat a pregnant woman.This is when you stand your ground for monsters like this mad dog.

    https://twitter.com/_SJPeace_/status/1197896223870447616?s=20

  4. rikyrah says:

    The ‘protesters’ at Biden’s event last night.

    Deporting criminals is a no brainer. Take their protests to MoscowMitch or any other Republican, who has been SILENT on the attacks on immigrants. Folks peeped out who sent the protesters to Warren’s event? I want to know who sent the protesters to Biden’s. Because, anyone demanding that Biden stop deporting phucking CRIMINALS, when the scope of the attack on immigrants by THIS Administration is so VAST, they aren’t serious. They gotta be PAID.😠😠😠

  5. A police department sending that kind of message out during a manhunt. Brazen mofos!

    https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/1197742200689451008?s=20

  6. rikyrah says:

    Well well well…look who might be in a bit of trouble 🤔🤔🤔

    https://twitter.com/freepeeper/status/1197856282641883146

    • Liza says:

      Yeah, there’s Pete and apparently Bloomberg filed his papers to become a candidate for the Democratic nomination.

  7. rikyrah says:

    Full Dissident (@hbryant42) Tweeted:
    The Kapernick camp was told the NFL would be providing a list of executives attending, then, as Saturday approached, told the camp it had never agreed to such a provision. On Saturday, no exec ranked high enough to greenlight a signing or secondary workout planned on attending. https://twitter.com/hbryant42/status/1196454898432454656?s=20

    • eliihass says:

      Sadly, the so-called ‘black’ candidates put forward, aren’t the ones to get it done..

      Not all black candidates are deserving of or are entitled to black support and/or the black vote..

      And black voters outside the social media bubble get that..

  8. rikyrah says:

    He ain’t never lied. Absolutely on point 😒😒

    https://twitter.com/UnDefeatableJef/status/1197516803129454592

  9. rikyrah says:

    This has obviously happened in more than one country.

    What calls are on the secret server 😒

    https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1197702629876469761

  10. rikyrah says:

    I was watching the luncheon part of the weekend on YouTube just this past weekend. It’s still stunning after all these years.👏👏👏

    https://twitter.com/DionneGrant/status/1197431149829726208

  11. rikyrah says:

    Got no problem with getting rid of criminals… Which is a small group of people.

    https://twitter.com/ChrisDJackson/status/1197700343792095233

    • Liza says:

      My favorite moment in the most recent debate was when she ripped a new a-hole for Tulsi Gabbard. Loved it, it needed to be done.

  12. rikyrah says:

    No such thing as a moderate Republican😠😠

    No such thing as a reasonable Republican 😠

    https://twitter.com/RonBrownstein/status/1197647171597717504

    • eliihass says:

      More like “..a grifting, traitorous con man of their party, who’s hiding behind the priorities of their party and wielding the resentments of their base to advance himself and his dubious self-interests…”

  13. rikyrah says:

    Good Morning, Everyone 😄😄😄

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