Posted on 11/03/2022 10:10:11 AM PDT by 2manydegrees
When people are making statements that are dramatically different than those of others experiencing the same world and the same events, we regard those statements as indicative of psychiatric disfunction.
It is hard for me to see our President's last speech as anything other than delusion.
I am aware that many other folks interpret the reality gap as mere political posturing, but I can't really endorse that view.
Psychiatric conditions in functioning individuals don't diagnose themselves. Children and adults both wander some in the accuracy of their assessments of the world. A careful psychiatrist puts together as broad a picture of current functioning as he or she can.
I didn't like the look of that speech.
I haven’t watched it, but I am sure your analysis is spot on. It seems to fit all of his ramblings. At its base is hatred, the rambling is the symptoms. I believe he is an example of what a life of grifting, lying and criminal acts leads to.
Sundowners.
If history is about to repeat itself, then Reagan is just around the corner.
There are worse fates.
It’s not delusion. Commies know that their real enemies are not the fascists, who were mostly destroyed by 1945, but capitalists. They also know that propaganda denouncing capitalists doesn’t really work anymore now that capitalist countries have all adopted social reforms to address the problems that Marx was complaining about. So they have to pretend the capitalists are “secret” fascists, and they have been pretending this way for a great many decades.
The only thing new is that this is no longer confined to the pages of the Daily Worker, but being broadcast from the President’s pulpit.
I do agree with you that there are some impressive new candidates this time around. The reality is, however, they will face a lot of resistance and inertia from party leadership who want to defend the status quo. Its also disheartening to see no forthcoming changes in that “leadership” so its hard to be optimistic.
We’ve been disappointed so many times before.
For all the mischief and outright destruction that the Democrats are capable of between November 9 and January 3, I would think that the Republicans should convince a coupe of Dems (Sinema and Manchin, maybe?) to take the holidays away from Washington and deny the Dems even a temporary majority. I am having a difficult time putting a cap on the evil that can be unleashed in the few weeks of continued Democrat majority after the Election.
Carter brought us Reagan.
Obama brought us Trump.
Biden’s disastrous reign may do something similar.
If that happens I hope its someone who can bring in serious, new party leaders who are true conservatives. The party “leadership” in place now is terrible.
You make a good point. There are two months that afford the Dems an opportunity to make all kinds of mischief. Fortunately there are two holiday periods in that time that take them away from Washington, and a lot of Dems that lose will be busy packing up their offices and preparing to head back home.
That said, I’m worried about the next two years. Biden could well go full dictator and I’m not confident that the Republicans have the spine to stop him. Remember, McCarthy has already taken impeachment off the table for Biden and his cabal. Big mistake, but then again not unexpected.
How would impeachment without Senate conviction (Need 67 votes!) and removal stop anybody?
Impeachment by itself is conservative virtue signaling!
How would impeachment without Senate conviction (Need 67 votes!) and removal stop anybody? Impeachment by itself is conservative virtue signaling!
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Conviction would be tough to get. But a senate trial does put senators on record for their views and a vote, which they may have to defend at some point. We’ve already seen that happen in this election.
I think you would agree that accountability for Biden and his cabal is way over due. Their clear abuses of power warrant serious investigation and exposure. At the very least Alejandro Mayorkas needs to be held accountable for the disastrous mess at our border and the lasting damage it will do to our country. Need I add Garland’s name for his highly partisan persecutions?
So I disagree that impeachment is a wasteful exercise and merely futile virtue signaling. One of the reasons this country is in such a mess is the complete lack of accountability in DC. How would you propose doing it?
It may be that McCarthy is deflecting on the issue of impeachment to keep the focus on other Democrat vulnerabilities. Perhaps he’ll change his mind when he’s Speaker and the administration continues to egregiously ignore our laws and abuse their power.
Right now, the Rat “Citadels” are turning on them, e.g., Washington Compost, etc. Let that continue fester & spread! Remember one Napoleon's Maxims - " Never interfere with enemy when he's in the process of defeating himself!". Impeachment will make them close ranks, let them eat each other!
OK so if impeachment is totally off the table, I ask again how do you propose holding people accountable for egregious violations of law, conflicts of interest, corruption, treason, violations of public trust, and complete failure to do their jobs?
As I said, one of the reasons this country is in such a mess is the complete lack of accountability in DC. What would you do about it?
Just to be clear I’m not saying impeachment is the only avenue. And I realize its not without some potential drawbacks. But it should not be dismissed if we are to ever establish some semblance of accountability in this country.
(Don’t take this the wrong way but I think you’re expecting to “let them eat each other” does nothing to impose any accountability that is almost completely lacking in our system.)
Until you get 67 senators who will do their Constitutional duty consequences through impeachment is a farce. In fact it will have the opposite effect.
You have said that “everything you want accomplished can be done by hearings”. If there’s anything that’s a farce, its useless hearings and grandstanding.
Hearings are nothing but political theater. All you get is sound bites, scripted answers, evasive language, stalling, and memory lapses. Who really watches them? The people who are called before committees are a bunch of slippery eels who have friends on the Hill to defend them and know how to avoid saying anything that would bring (God forbid) accountability upon them.
Speaking of which, I ask yet again what would you do to hold people accountable? Without accountability the system breaks down. This country is a train wreck and one of the reasons why is because there is a complete lack of it in our government.
Taking impeachment off the table only makes things worse.
Hearings do produce a report, a report where individuals could be targeted with the Holman Rule (The rule was first enacted in 1876 and rescinded in 1983 and was reinstated in January 2017 on a temporary basis.). An action that allows amendments to appropriations legislation that would reduce the salary (Like to zero!) of or fire specific federal employees, cut position, and\or cut a specific program. It purely resides in the House! Once fired the employees could be targeted be possibly targeted by criminal or certainly by civil actions. Once out of government their legal defense is their own responsibility.
Congressmen Comer & Biggs have said they are going to get the Congress to use this. Looks like its done by a simple majority vote! Those two are “Thinking man’s Congressmen” not grandstanding “”virtue signaling congressmen”. If the “Red Tsunami” is true this should be easy to do. Also, if the wave is true congressional House expulsions would be possible!
See an action with an actual consequence, unlike impeachment!
Imagine if “7th floor - federal employee speak for upper upper Civil service, SES, & Schedule C\political management” found their programs zero’ed out, positions zero’d out, their salaries zero’ed out, and\or fired! Again, real consequences not “look-at-me-I-am-pretending-to-do-something” show like impeachment! Again, this is totally a House action!
The Holman Rule has survived Constitutional challenge.
As you can imagine in the past the Rats & federal unions go apoplectic over it. It has survived!
But no go ahead you push the “big show - impeachment”. I prefer real actions with real consequences. The question is does the will exist to do it. Impeachment takes no will since it’s a show with no consequences! That’s why we’ll probably get that “do nothing” show!
There are major issues associated with the Holman Rule that you are conveniently overlooking and/or ignoring. You have stated concerns that impeachment will be viewed by the public as just more ‘politics’ and that it has “enormous PR blow back potential”. Use of the Holman Rule is certain to provoke a similar reaction by the Dems (and their media allies) who will accuse the Republicans of dismantling the federal workforce and attempting to gut vital government services. The potential PR blow back would be enormous as the Dems know well how to play that game. And you know how intensely fearful Republicans are of criticism, especially charges of taking away government services.
Yet another problem with the Holman Rule, and one that is even recognized by Republican legislators, is that the rule can actually make it harder to pass appropriations bills because it can diminish the roles of the authorizing committees. It can also involve appropriations bills in more controversies and increase the number of dubious amendments to appropriations bills, which is already problematic.
I’m all for cutting back on spending in any way possible, but I also see a need for enforcing some semblance of accountability in government. Granted, spending reductions and personnel cuts are forms of indirect accountability, but that doesn’t really solve the accountability problem. The thing about impeachment, used judiciously, is that it’s a formalized investigation that produces evidence that becomes very public. Who is going to watch or follow Holman proceedings?
Again, I’m not fixated on impeachment as the only remedy to rampant mismanagement, abuses of power and corruption in government. But it can be a useful tool to highlight malfeasance and inform the public, even in the absence of a conviction.
Of course our debate/discussion (which incidentally I enjoyed) is meaningless if Republicans fail to demonstrate the political will to demand accountability. Our representatives may not share our desire for it but at least we are putting forward some ways to do it. For that, we both deserve some credit for trying to fix a vexing problem. ;)
FReegards.
Everything has a cost. A use of the Holmon Rule follows the path of least resistance (It stays in the House!) with the highest payoff. There’s no “mother-may-I” with the Senate!
If it makes appropriation bills hard to pass, I view that as as positive.
I am tired of arguing about this. Without 67 Senate votes impeachment is theater and will accomplish nothing. Everyone knows those votes aren’t there! Political deck chair arranging and everyone knows that! It will just demonstrate GOP impotence even with a Red Tsunami House majority. The use of the Holmon Rule may also accomplish nothing but it has a better chance then impeachment Kabuki! Its a far wiser use of the Tsunami majority new power then Impeachment Blacket Bingo It’s completely in the House’s hands. It just takes the will to do it.
Impeachment Blacket Bingo
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So in taking it completely off the table I suppose you would be against even attempting to ever impeach Biden, or anyone in his lawless cabal, REGARDLESS OF THE OFFENSE then. Interesting viewpoint.
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