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Trump fires Pam Bondi as attorney general

cnn.com

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Re: Trump fires Pam Bondi as attorney general

#41

Post by stonogo »

legitster wrote: post #24
mykowebhn wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling may have been the single worst thing to happen to the US.

??? People bring this up regularly, but I don't think it's that relevant. Studies regularly show that campaign contributions actually have very low influence on elections. Trump notably had much smaller campaign budgets than his opponents in both winning elections, not even including the massive amounts of brazen fraud he used to pay himself with the money. Fundamentally, it's presidential democracy that is flawed. W…

Citizens United affected far more than campaign contributions. Non-campaign political spending (aka "outside spending") has increased nearly eightfold and shows no signs of slowing down.

Re: Trump fires Pam Bondi as attorney general

#42

Post by mykowebhn »

legitster wrote: post #24
mykowebhn wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling may have been the single worst thing to happen to the US.

??? People bring this up regularly, but I don't think it's that relevant. Studies regularly show that campaign contributions actually have very low influence on elections. Trump notably had much smaller campaign budgets than his opponents in both winning elections, not even including the massive amounts of brazen fraud he used to pay himself with the money. Fundamentally, it's presidential democracy that is flawed. W…

Can you include references for the studies you mention?

> Trump notably had much smaller campaign budgets than his opponents in both winning elections

I'm not sure where you're getting this information.

> Fundamentally, it's presidential democracy that is flawed.

No disagreement

Re: Trump fires Pam Bondi as attorney general

#43

Post by legitster »

alecbz wrote: post #34
legitster wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

??? People bring this up regularly, but I don't think it's that relevant. Studies regularly show that campaign contributions actually have very low influence on elections. Trump notably had much smaller campaign budgets than his opponents in both winning elections, not even including the massive amounts of brazen fraud he used to pay himself with the money. Fundamentally, it's presidential democracy that is flawed. W…

> if enough people want to willing vote in a corrupt president Why do people do this though? Maybe it's inevitable, but I think there was a lot of pent up frustration with the government that led a lot of people to just say "fuck it". Not really excusing it (especially for his second term), but I feel like we're reaping years and years of a dysfunctional and ineffectual congress. Not that that's an especially easy pr…

It's worth noting that an ineffective and gridlocked congress is specifically a problem of presidential-style democracies. Parliamentary systems with a prime minister have some of their own shortcomings (notably a weak executive), but the government is actually controlled by the legislature.

Countries that follow the presidential model regularly succumb to strong man type leaders. Ironically, in the modern era when the US had a hand in helping other countries establish their governments, we specifically helped them establish parliaments.

Re: Trump fires Pam Bondi as attorney general

#44

Post by SketchySeaBeast »

salawat wrote: post #36
happytoexplain wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trump's abuse of the presidential pardon is so hideous, I wouldn't be surprised if this power granted by the original US Constitution is amended after he leaves, in response to his unprecedented lack of respect for it. However, I also wouldn't be surprised if nobody in power ever possesses the strength of character or simple morality to do so.

I don't think we should change it. I think we as a nation need to understand the person we put in that office has that power, and choose accordingly . It's there for a reason. Sometimes, it's perfectly acceptable for the President to say "fuck this shit" for the good of the Nation. With that power though, comes the responsibility to wield it with respect. This country put the man abusing it in power . No one had seco…

> This country put the man abusing it in power.

Twice. I can forgive the mistake once, but this is the second time in 10 years that America is facing this nonsense with the exact same demagogue.

Re: Trump fires Pam Bondi as attorney general

#45

Post by threatofrain »

fhdkweig wrote: post #35
helterskelter wrote: post #11

Let's hope she doesn't get a pardon before he leaves office.

If she broke any state laws anywhere, that won't help her. Presidential pardons don't affect state crimes, and state pardons don't affect federal crimes. It is the closest thing to a check and balance on the power.

It's not like state laws couldn't pertain to Pam Bondi, but the dominant framing around her is going to be federal officer exercising her powers, rightly or wrongly, over a federal office and while under the direction of the president.

Re: Trump fires Pam Bondi as attorney general

#46

Post by fhdkweig »

salawat wrote: post #36
happytoexplain wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trump's abuse of the presidential pardon is so hideous, I wouldn't be surprised if this power granted by the original US Constitution is amended after he leaves, in response to his unprecedented lack of respect for it. However, I also wouldn't be surprised if nobody in power ever possesses the strength of character or simple morality to do so.

I don't think we should change it. I think we as a nation need to understand the person we put in that office has that power, and choose accordingly . It's there for a reason. Sometimes, it's perfectly acceptable for the President to say "fuck this shit" for the good of the Nation. With that power though, comes the responsibility to wield it with respect. This country put the man abusing it in power . No one had seco…

> I think we as a nation need to understand the person we put in that office has that power, and choose accordingly.

That's like taking the safety off a gun to remind people to be responsible. That doesn't work, and irresponsible people's decisions can negatively affect everyone (including other countries). We need all the safety measures we can get.

Re: Trump fires Pam Bondi as attorney general

#47

Post by legitster »

mykowebhn wrote: post #42
legitster wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

??? People bring this up regularly, but I don't think it's that relevant. Studies regularly show that campaign contributions actually have very low influence on elections. Trump notably had much smaller campaign budgets than his opponents in both winning elections, not even including the massive amounts of brazen fraud he used to pay himself with the money. Fundamentally, it's presidential democracy that is flawed. W…

Can you include references for the studies you mention? > Trump notably had much smaller campaign budgets than his opponents in both winning elections I'm not sure where you're getting this information. > Fundamentally, it's presidential democracy that is flawed. No disagreement

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S02613...

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240633007_Measuring...

TL;DR: Spending might matter up to a certain point, but becomes very inefficient. It's also more effective for challenges than incumbents.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundraising_in_the_2024_United...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundraising_in_the_2020_United...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/2016-electi...

Re: Trump fires Pam Bondi as attorney general

#48

Post by Jamesbeam »

josefritzishere wrote: post #3

If there are still history books in the future... what will they think of all this?

Most likely the truth. History-wise, it’s business as usual.

A few people thinking they are better than the rest meet the same fate everyone in the history of humanity met if they step on enough toes.

The people enabled Hitler to do Hitler things. The people enabled Trump to do Trump things.

It was all laid out in plain sight what Hitler wanted before he got the power from the people to do so. He was largely supported by the people who enjoyed living their lives right next to the concentration camps.

It was all laid out in plain sight what Trump wanted before he got the power from the people to do so. He was largely supported by the people who enjoyed living their lives right next to the deportation camps.

This just feels important, special, and new to us because it’s the first time for most people dealing with an insane man in power, as our lifespan as humans is rather short.

There are always three options for any citizen that goes through these kinds of historic repeats.

You can resist. You will most likely die doing so without accomplishing your goals as there is no more secrecy even offline with everything leaving a digital footprint and 24/7 surveillance with AI support. They will end your bloodline in retaliation, so resisting means being okay with having everyone you love murdered by the group of people who want to profit, likely working in a government position.

You can profit. Swim along and use the opportunity to gain generational wealth by supporting the goals of the insane man in power, or using the opportunities the cruelty he creates allows.

Dozens of families got rich selling the gold from the teeth of Jews who were murdered. There is a value chain in the deportation industry Trump is building. You really think people get deported with all their belongings and ICE agents not cashing in robbing people blank and then still deporting them?

Or you can decide to look the other way. You know exactly what happens, but neither want to risk your life and that of the people you love by resisting, nor do you want to profit from the cruelty value chain.

Either way, just like every German in 1933 and beyond that was of voting age, every us citizen is part of one of the three groups, and if you’re not resisting or profiting, you are no less responsible for what happens to your neighbours and fellow citizens than the people who profit from it.

So the only universal truth is, humans are evil, miserable creatures that do evil and miserable things. You decide for yourself where your place is in all this and then deal with the consequences of your actions.

Nobody is coming to save you. There is no "right" decision. You only have one life and the freedom to decide what to do with it.

Everyone has to figure this out for himself. That’s the downside of having free will.

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