reggieandlee
reggieandlee's JournalBTRTN: Trump Implicitly Defines "Impeachable Offense," and Officials Line Up to Accuse Him of it
Born to Run the Numbers notes that there "too many ironies in the fire." As Trump railed that there was no "quid pro quo," he seemed to understand that such an action would be an "impeachable offense." Now witnesses are parading forth to accuse him of exactly that:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/10/btrtn-too-many-ironies-in-firetrump.html
Excerpts: "Ah, Republicans.They govern with a fist of irony. They swear their party allegiance by taking the hypocritical oath. Pity that they are insufficiently self-aware to see the Sybil war within their own party and, indeed, within their own psyches..."
"The essential question of the moment was this: had Donald Trump overtly demanded dirt on a political opponent in exchange for the release of American military aid to an ally? Donald Trump seemed to immediately understand and fully grasp that overtly holding military aid hostage in return for requiring a foreign government to commit character assassination on Trump’s political rival was wrong. He apparently understood that such a “quid pro quo” would be anybody and everybody’s idea of a “high crime or misdemeanor.” Because he spent the next days screaming from the mountaintop that there was “no quid pro quo.” Out on the South Lawn helicopter briefings, during the rallies of the faithful, and an all-cap favorite on Twitter, NO QUID PRO QUO was it. It became the official White House stance...
"Donald Trump so aggressively championed the idea that there was “no quid pro quo” because he wanted to set the bar for defining an 'impeachable offense.' Trump intended that this phrase would be the exact same firewall that “no collusion” was for the Mueller probe. For Mueller, it was this: If you can’t prove collusion, you cannot impeach. For Ukraine, Trump wants this: If you cannot prove a quid pro quo, then you cannot impeach. Ah, but what if you can?"
BTRTN: Trump Implicitly Defines "Impeachable Offense," and Officials Line Up to Accuse Him of it
Born to Run the Numbers notes that there "too many ironies in the fire." As Trump railed that there was no "quid pro quo," he seemed to understand that such an action would be an "impeachable offense." Now witnesses are parading forth to accuse him of exactly that:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/10/btrtn-too-many-ironies-in-firetrump.html
Excerpts: "Ah, Republicans.They govern with a fist of irony. They swear their party allegiance by taking the hypocritical oath. Pity that they are insufficiently self-aware to see the Sybil war within their own party and, indeed, within their own psyches..."
"The essential question of the moment was this: had Donald Trump overtly demanded dirt on a political opponent in exchange for the release of American military aid to an ally? Donald Trump seemed to immediately understand and fully grasp that overtly holding military aid hostage in return for requiring a foreign government to commit character assassination on Trump’s political rival was wrong. He apparently understood that such a “quid pro quo” would be anybody and everybody’s idea of a “high crime or misdemeanor.” Because he spent the next days screaming from the mountaintop that there was “no quid pro quo.” Out on the South Lawn helicopter briefings, during the rallies of the faithful, and an all-cap favorite on Twitter, NO QUID PRO QUO was it. It became the official White House stance...
"Donald Trump so aggressively championed the idea that there was “no quid pro quo” because he wanted to set the bar for defining an 'impeachable offense.' Trump intended that this phrase would be the exact same firewall that “no collusion” was for the Mueller probe. For Mueller, it was this: If you can’t prove collusion, you cannot impeach. For Ukraine, Trump wants this: If you cannot prove a quid pro quo, then you cannot impeach. Ah, but what if you can?"
BTRTN 2020 Vision: Warren Soars, Blows to Bernie and Biden...and an Opening for Pete?
Born To Run The Numbers provides its latest comprehensive monthly update on the status of the 2020 Presidential Race:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/10/btrtn-2020-vision-warren-soars-blows-to.html
Excerpts: "Biden continues to lead in the national polls, still holding at roughly 30% of Democrats, but Elizabeth Warren made a huge jump, now alone in second place and closing fast on Biden.
...The first three 'early states' – Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada – are now all very close races. Warren is slightly ahead in Iowa, more so in New Hampshire and Nevada is a three-way tie.
...Biden continues to dominate South Carolina, the only early state with a strong African-American presence, his strongest demographic and his 'firewall.'
...Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack while on the road, bringing the age of all three leading candidates into sharp focus; Sanders, while sidelined, lost some ground nationally and in Iowa.
Two emerging stories have gone largely unreported: (1) The rise of Pete Buttigieg in Iowa. The ground reports on Pete in the Hawkeye State have been glowing for months, but none of that turned into poll momentum until this past month, when three separate polls had him in double digits and catching up to Sanders. If Mayor Pete is able to snag a top three spot in the Iowa caucus, that would be a significant development. (2) Super Tuesday. With everyone focused on Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, no one has been focused on the true prize. The early states have 155 delegates at stake, but Super Tuesday has 1,255. If Biden can survive the first three contests and win South Carolina (where he continues to lead), he is well positioned for a delegate haul on Super Tuesday."
BTRTN: Warren Buffeted as Pete Punches and Klobuchar Clobbers.
Born to Run the Numbers analyzes Tuesday's Debate, in which Buttigieg and Klobuchar took the battle to Elizabeth Warren:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/10/btrtn-warren-buffeted-as-pete-punches.html
Excerpts:"Elizabeth Warren just had to know that she would need to come to Tuesday’s Democratic debate equipped with shock absorbers, shoulder pads, and laser shields. Not only has she recently stormed upward in the polls, but every one of her rivals seemed to enter last night's debate with flagging campaigns...Much of Warren’s candidacy is premised on her willingness to squarely identify the root causes of complicated problems, and to provide clear, concrete plans for how to address them...She had to know that the question of taxes on the middle class would come her way, and – somewhat shockingly – she didn’t have a plan for that..."
"It was during the healthcare portion of the debate that we realized Pete Buttigieg was going to have a strong evening. Pete has been criticized in past debates for an almost excessively cerebral, clinical approach, studiously avoiding direct challenges to fellow candidates. But last night a new Pete emerged. He watched Elizabeth Warren’s contortions in evading the tax question, and immediately went on the offensive: “Well, we heard it tonight… a yes or no question that did not get a yes or no answer.”
"Amy Klobuchar, who continues to improve with each debate, may have done the most for her candidacy of anyone on the stage...
She took her first shot as Warren was engaged in heavy evasive maneuvering on the issue of whether “Medicare for All" would increase middle class taxes. 'At least Bernie is being honest here and saying how he’s going to pay for this and that taxes are going to go up. And I’m sorry, Elizabeth, but you have not said that, and I think we owe it to the American people to tell them where we’re going to send the invoice,' Klobuchar scolded. Feel the burn!
"Last night, Pete punched, Klobuchar clobbered, and Elizabeth Warren was buffeted..."
BTRTN: "Some of the People All of the Time"... How Stupid Does Trump Think Republicans Are?
Born To Run The Numbers explains to Republicans that Donald Trump must think they are all as dumb as box of hammers:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/10/btrtn-some-of-people-all-of-time-how.html
Excerpts: "Abraham Lincoln... is credited with the observation that 'You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.' He probably would not be thrilled to learn that his Grand Old Party has become 'some of the people all of the time...
"Please, my Republican friends, Donald Trump is not trying to retro-actively reposition his behavior on the phone call to Zelensky in an attempt to fool me. He knows he will never get my support. He is saying all this stuff because he desperately needs your support. You are the 43% approval rating that he is clinging to like a drunk hugging the porcelain...
"Yes, Donald Trump thinks that all you Republicans will completely dismiss, ignore, and reject the multiple texts from a career diplomat expressing outrage that military assistance is being held up pending Ukrainian abdication to an illegal scheme to aid the President’s re-election. Or, perhaps, more accurately, that you won't even take the time to read them for yourselves...Go ahead, Republicans… toe Trump’s line. Don't trouble yourselves with testing his rationalizations and fabrications against fact.You can believe that Trump didn’t use the leverage of your tax dollars to put the screws to the leader of a fragile, brutally threatened ally in order to force him to manufacture dirt on Trump's most threatening political adversary... Convince yourself Donald Trump is not a clear and present danger to our democracy, our Constitution, our standing in the global community, and the health of our planet. While you're at it, you can even believe that Alabama is reeling from a non-existent hurricane, that global warming isn’t real, that Ted Cruz’s father killed JFK, and that Obama was born in Kenya...There they are, President Lincoln...Some of the people, all of the time.
BTRTN: "Some of the People All of the Time"... How Stupid Does Trump Think Republicans Are?
Born To Run The Numbers explains to Republicans that Donald Trump must think they are all as dumb as box of hammers:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/10/btrtn-some-of-people-all-of-time-how.html
Excerpts: "Abraham Lincoln... is credited with the observation that 'You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.' He probably would not be thrilled to learn that his Grand Old Party has become 'some of the people all of the time...
"Please, my Republican friends, Donald Trump is not trying to retro-actively reposition his behavior on the phone call to Zelensky in an attempt to fool me. He knows he will never get my support. He is saying all this stuff because he desperately needs your support. You are the 43% approval rating that he is clinging to like a drunk hugging the porcelain...
"Yes, Donald Trump thinks that all you Republicans will completely dismiss, ignore, and reject the multiple texts from a career diplomat expressing outrage that military assistance is being held up pending Ukrainian abdication to an illegal scheme to aid the President’s re-election. Or, perhaps, more accurately, that you won't even take the time to read them for yourselves...Go ahead, Republicans… toe Trump’s line. Don't trouble yourselves with testing his rationalizations and fabrications against fact.You can believe that Trump didn’t use the leverage of your tax dollars to put the screws to the leader of a fragile, brutally threatened ally in order to force him to manufacture dirt on Trump's most threatening political adversary... Convince yourself Donald Trump is not a clear and present danger to our democracy, our Constitution, our standing in the global community, and the health of our planet. While you're at it, you can even believe that Alabama is reeling from a non-existent hurricane, that global warming isn’t real, that Ted Cruz’s father killed JFK, and that Obama was born in Kenya...There they are, President Lincoln...Some of the people, all of the time.
BTRTN September 2019 Month in Review: Ukraine Gamechanger
Born To Run The Numbers reviews of September, the month a whistle-blower dealt a potentially mortal blow to the Trump presidency:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/10/btrtn-september-2019-month-in-review.html
Excerpts:
"The whistleblower report absolutely dominated the month, upending, in one fell swoop, Trump’s desire to move past the Mueller report; the Democrats’ desire to further the Russia investigation and other assorted allegations through ongoing investigations; Pelosi’s desire to avoid impeachment proceedings; the 2020 candidates’ collective desires to focus attention on their campaigns and the future; and candidate Biden in particular, who found himself at the epicenter of the controversy...
"Doubtless more will emerge in the coming months. But in the days following the whistleblower revelations the ranks of Democrats joining the impeachment bandwagon began to swell. Particularly notable was an op-ed by seven freshman Democrats, all with national security experience, all in “vulnerable” districts (the kind most likely to oppose impeachment) who signed on to an impeachment inquiry and stated that the allegations, if true, were impeachable offenses. Pelosi concluded she had no choice but to formally open the inquiry.
"The GOP is not exactly falling in line with Trump... what is most striking is the silence. Apart from Graham and Representative Jim Jordan, few Republicans have picked up the talking points from the Trump team and taken that message to the airwaves.
"The polls tell a story of America in flux. Most polls had previously shown support for impeachment in the 40% range, and opposition over 50%, but now there has been upward movement on the pro-impeachment side. A CNN poll has 47% now favoring impeachment, up from 41% in May; opposition to impeachment dropped from 54% to 45%. Morning Consult has similar numbers, 46% to 43%."
BTRTN September 2019 Month in Review: Ukraine Gamechanger
Born To Run The Numbers reviews of September, the month a whistle-blower dealt a potentially mortal blow to the Trump presidency:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/10/btrtn-september-2019-month-in-review.html
Excerpts:
"The whistleblower report absolutely dominated the month, upending, in one fell swoop, Trump’s desire to move past the Mueller report; the Democrats’ desire to further the Russia investigation and other assorted allegations through ongoing investigations; Pelosi’s desire to avoid impeachment proceedings; the 2020 candidates’ collective desires to focus attention on their campaigns and the future; and candidate Biden in particular, who found himself at the epicenter of the controversy...
"Doubtless more will emerge in the coming months. But in the days following the whistleblower revelations the ranks of Democrats joining the impeachment bandwagon began to swell. Particularly notable was an op-ed by seven freshman Democrats, all with national security experience, all in “vulnerable” districts (the kind most likely to oppose impeachment) who signed on to an impeachment inquiry and stated that the allegations, if true, were impeachable offenses. Pelosi concluded she had no choice but to formally open the inquiry.
"The GOP is not exactly falling in line with Trump... what is most striking is the silence. Apart from Graham and Representative Jim Jordan, few Republicans have picked up the talking points from the Trump team and taken that message to the airwaves.
"The polls tell a story of America in flux. Most polls had previously shown support for impeachment in the 40% range, and opposition over 50%, but now there has been upward movement on the pro-impeachment side. A CNN poll has 47% now favoring impeachment, up from 41% in May; opposition to impeachment dropped from 54% to 45%. Morning Consult has similar numbers, 46% to 43%."
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