2020 Presidential Election

[sagegrouse]

I could be wrong, but I don't think it would in any way be illegal for Trump to give pardons to folks who make large donations to his PAC or otherwise funnel money to him.

Jason, isn't the acceptance of money to perform an official public act is the definition of bribery? In that case, he could give out a pardon for money, but he could also be prosecuted for corruption. The pardon, of course, would stand.

As you know, I am not a lawyer, but I turned down some juicy roles.

[sagegrouse]

I’m a New Yorker and very excited about ranked choice voting. That being said, it will be a mess. There are a ton of candidates and everyone has a bit of politics fatigue after the November election. Traditional methods of campaigning aren’t possible. I am working really hard to become well informed but it isn’t easy. We have suffered through eight miserable years of deBlasio and the city is facing a number of huge challenges so we really need the right candidate.

Yang throws a wrench in things as there is a big difference between a National candidate and a local one - he continues to talk about UBI but it is unclear how you do that in a city without having everyone move here for free money that they can’t get elsewhere. He is already getting heat for spending the pandemic at his vacation house and not having previously been engaged politically here.

If I get further information about how they are implementing ranked choice I will share.

It'll never succeed if called "ranked-choice voting." It needs something more vivid and memorable -- like the "Jungle Primary" in Louisiana, a mosh pit of candidates of whom the top two survive to a runoff.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Jason, isn't the acceptance of money to perform an official public act is the definition of bribery? In that case, he could give out a pardon for money, but he could also be prosecuted for corruption. The pardon, of course, would stand.

As you know, I am not a lawyer, but I turned down some juicy roles.

Yeah, pretty sure that's accurate. Purchasing political or legal favors is not supposed to be legal. Or wasn't once upon a time. Not sure what counts anymore.

[MarkD83]

It'll never succeed if called "ranked-choice voting." It needs something more vivid and memorable -- like the "Jungle Primary" in Louisiana, a mosh pit of candidates of whom the top two survive to a runoff.

You mean like the one I voted in where David Duke and Edwin Edwards the ex-governor who had previously been convicted of embezzlement while being governor ended up in the runoff

[CameronBornAndBred]

I could be wrong, but I don't think it would in any way be illegal for Trump to give pardons to folks who make large donations to his PAC or otherwise funnel money to him.

Jason, isn't the acceptance of money to perform an official public act is the definition of bribery? In that case, he could give out a pardon for money, but he could also be prosecuted for corruption. The pardon, of course, would stand.

As you know, I am not a lawyer, but I turned down some juicy roles.

That's the way I read it. Last I checked bribery was a crime, regardless of what you were asking for.

[Bluedog]

That's the way I read it. Last I checked bribery was a crime, regardless of what you were asking for.

Certainly, Blago went to prison for it even though he never actually even got money. It was definitely in his authority to appoint anybody to senator that he chose to, but the solicitation of a bribe was prosecuted (and of course his sentence was eventually commuted by Trump, but he served 8 long years in prison so not like he got off easy). Maybe a president has more immunity on stuff like this? Dunno. But if Blago for example pressured election officials to change the results of an election or he asked for interference from a foreign entity, I would imagine he'd have been prosecuted and convicted for those items, so seems like the burden of criminality might be much higher for a president than governor.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Certainly, Blago went to prison for it even though he never actually even got money. It was definitely in his authority to appoint anybody to senator that he chose to, but the solicitation of a bribe was prosecuted (and of course his sentence was eventually commuted by Trump, but he served 8 long years in prison so not like he got off easy). Maybe a president has more immunity on stuff like this? Dunno. But if Blago for example pressured election officials to change the results of an election or he asked for interference from a foreign entity, I would imagine he'd have been prosecuted and convicted for those items, so seems like the burden of criminality might be much higher for a president than governor.

Trump is a master at plausible deniability. I agree that as described, what he might be doing is illegal. But I'm sure he can convince someone that the pardon and any donations are unrelated. He has made a career of tiptoeing at the edge of the law without ever being punished for breaking it. I think that this is a large part of how he gets his jollies.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Trump is a master at plausible deniability. I agree that as described, what he might be doing is illegal. But I'm sure he can convince someone that the pardon and any donations are unrelated. He has made a career of tiptoeing at the edge of the law without ever being punished for breaking it. I think that this is a large part of how he gets his jollies.

True, but at least in the case of the pardon that the article highlighted, there a few cogs in that gear.
Giuliani, his aide, and CIA guy that would be the recipient. Assuming Trump is in on the know two, that's 4 people who all have to have matching stories, and CIA guy obviously doesn't have any great incentive to protect the other three. Start with the aide, apply a little pressure, and see how much he talks about his bosses.

[ClemmonsDevil]

You mean like the one I voted in where David Duke and Edwin Edwards the ex-governor who had previously been convicted of embezzlement while being governor ended up in the runoff

Easily my favorite election in modern American history. Edwards won by not waking up next to a dead hooker or a live little boy. His words.

[MChambers]

Jason, isn't the acceptance of money to perform an official public act is the definition of bribery? In that case, he could give out a pardon for money, but he could also be prosecuted for corruption. The pardon, of course, would stand.

As you know, I am not a lawyer, but I turned down some juicy roles.

I really think (and hope) that Jason was being sarcastic. Sage, you might want to check the batteries in your sarcasm detector.

[camion]

I have high hopes for ranked choice voting, but I'm concerned that a lot of people will have trouble understanding how it works.

Vote for the rankest candidate. Is that it?

[budwom]

I am not totally up to snuff on ranked choices, but I do not it's been tried a few times around here, and there ARE some unintended consequences...many who touted it are now less enthusiastic...

[jimsumner]

It'll never succeed if called "ranked-choice voting." It needs something more vivid and memorable -- like the "Jungle Primary" in Louisiana, a mosh pit of candidates of whom the top two survive to a runoff.

Thunder Dome. Two walk in, one walks out. Or maybe four walk in, two walk out?

[Kdogg]

Looks like Trump wants to raises $2 Billion for his Presidential Library and Museum. Good luck there Donny. For reference the Obama Library fund raised $500 million and it had it's share of speed bumps.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...6d6_story.html

Speculation is also coursing through Trump World about a possible presidential library and museum. No announcements have been made, but two people familiar with internal discussions said it is likely to be located in Florida and run by Dan Scavino, one of Trump’s longest-serving and most loyal aides who advises him on social media and most recently served as deputy White House chief of staff.

One of these people, who was a top fundraiser on Trump’s campaign, said the president has told supporters he wants to raise $2 billion for the library — a far greater sum than has been raised for past presidential libraries — and thinks he can collect it in small-dollar donations from his grass-roots supporters.

“I thought to myself, what is this alternative fantasy life you’re living?” this fundraiser said. “I have no clue where they think they’ll get this money raised. Anyone who gives to him will be radioactive.”

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Looks like Trump wants to raises $2 Billion for his Presidential Library and Museum. Good luck there Donny. For reference the Obama Library fund raised $500 million and it had it's share of speed bumps.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...6d6_story.html

I will start with the easy one: that’s a lot of pardons!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Looks like Trump wants to raises $2 Billion for his Presidential Library and Museum. Good luck there Donny. For reference the Obama Library fund raised $500 million and it had it's share of speed bumps.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...6d6_story.html

2B for 4 years vs 500M for 8.

[CameronBornAndBred]

What you saw is not what happened. Another classic Trump tactic.

The shift is revealing about how conspiracy theories, deflection and political incentives play off one another in Trump’s GOP. For a brief time, Republican officials seemed perhaps open to grappling with what their party’s leader had wrought — violence in the name of their Electoral College fight. But any window of reflection now seems to be closing as Republicans try to pass blame and to compare last summer’s lawlessness, which was condemned by Democrats, to an attack on Congress, which was inspired by Trump.

“The violence at the Capitol was shameful,” Rudy Giuliani, the president’s lawyer, tweeted at 6:55 a.m. the morning after the attack. “Our movement values respect for law and order and for the police.”

But now, in a new video titled “What Really Happened on January 6th?,” Giuliani is among those who are back to emphasizing conspiracy theories.

“The riot was preplanned,” said Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City. “This was an attempt to slander Trump.” He added, “The evidence is coming out.”

Will that evidence come out before the Kraken sized amount of proof that the election was stolen?
I find this interesting coming from Rudy given that he and his client better be ready to present it given the upcoming impeachment. I've never seen a lawyer set up his client (and himself) for perjury so much as Rudy continuously does.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/republica...174413828.html

[JasonEvans]

I am dying to know what they would spend the $2 billion on... I mean, how big of a complex are they planning?

If he thinks he will be able to bring in $2 bil from small-money donors... well, the math just ain't there. During the 2020 race -- something that really engaged his donors in a way that a library just won't -- he raised $378 mil from donors who gave less than $200 per donation. So, to raise $2 bil from small-dollar donors, he would need to raise about six times as much as he did for the Presidential campaign. That ain't gonna happen. And there's no way he is going to get big corporate donors to make up for it because Trump has become truly toxic to Corporate America. How much money does the My Pillow guy have?

-Jason "maybe the library is so expensive because they are going to surround the whole thing with a giant wall... I hear those are pretty expensive" Evans

[MarkD83]

He needs 2 billion because land in moscow is really expensive. I tried to compose twice and post once but I hit the send bottom too soon

[CameronBornAndBred]

The video posted by The New Yorker today is incredible.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/yorker-re...162600502.html