Oh, the campaign speeches all but write themselves. Expect to hear a plethora of claims about (puns intended) trumped-up charges, baseless allegations, phony evidence, etc. etc.
With Biden wanting another term it's a very sad state of affairs when the USA have to choose between him and Trump.
Biden has yet to toss his hat into the ring. He is in no hurry.
In the mean time, Trump has a busy April calendar of court dates. In addition to todays arraignment, his organization will be sentenced next week for tax fraud. The week after, he will have to testify in the Dominion v Fox suit. And the week after that, he has a civil lawsuit for the raping of a 13 year old back in the 90s.
How does the man have time to campaign for the presidency?
This is campaigning for the presidency. Cheap at the price.
But trump saying "these politically-inspired baseless charges are an attempt to throw us off track; they won't get in our way back to our rightful place as people's choice for the presidency..." could be popular with his 'base'.
With Biden wanting another term it's a very sad state of affairs when the USA have to choose between him and Trump.
Boden is quietly and competently getting on with it by all thoughtful accounts. But quiet competence is underrated these days compared to slick flashiness.
But trump saying "these politically-inspired baseless charges are an attempt to throw us off track; they won't get in our way back to our rightful place as people's choice for the presidency..." could be popular with his 'base'.
With Biden wanting another term it's a very sad state of affairs when the USA have to choose between him and Trump.
Boden is quietly and competently getting on with it by all thoughtful accounts. But quiet competence is underrated these days compared to slick flashiness.
*now imagining government of the people, by a middle class clothing brand, and for the people*
But trump saying "these politically-inspired baseless charges are an attempt to throw us off track; they won't get in our way back to our rightful place as people's choice for the presidency..." could be popular with his 'base'.
Crimes are crimes. Do his supporters think he is above the Law?
But trump saying "these politically-inspired baseless charges are an attempt to throw us off track; they won't get in our way back to our rightful place as people's choice for the presidency..." could be popular with his 'base'.
Crimes are crimes. Do his supporters think he is above the Law?
What do you think? You seem to be incredulous that they do. How?
But trump saying "these politically-inspired baseless charges are an attempt to throw us off track; they won't get in our way back to our rightful place as people's choice for the presidency..." could be popular with his 'base'.
Crimes are crimes. Do his supporters think he is above the Law?
Quite possibly. But that may in part be because they also think the charges are politically motivated rather than due to actual violation of the law.
With Biden wanting another term it's a very sad state of affairs when the USA have to choose between him and Trump.
Biden has yet to toss his hat into the ring. He is in no hurry.
In the mean time, Trump has a busy April calendar of court dates. In addition to todays arraignment, his organization will be sentenced next week for tax fraud. The week after, he will have to testify in the Dominion v Fox suit. And the week after that, he has a civil lawsuit for the raping of a 13 year old back in the 90s.
How does the man have time to campaign for the presidency?
Well, Louis Riel and Bobby Sands, come to mind. But they were only running for one seat.
But trump saying "these politically-inspired baseless charges are an attempt to throw us off track; they won't get in our way back to our rightful place as people's choice for the presidency..." could be popular with his 'base'.
Crimes are crimes. Do his supporters think he is above the Law?
Yes. That's always been part of Trump's appeal to his followers, that he can break laws and social norms with impunity. The implicit promise to his followers is that they too will have impunity from consequences, maybe not to the same degree as Trump himself but they'll be allowed to let their freak flags fly without consequence. What else should be expected from a political campaign promising "vengeance".
This all fits very well within Wilhoit's maxim:
Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.
As I noted earlier, this may help Trump win the Republican presidential nomination but seems likely to hurt him in the general election. Moderate voters are probably going to be less impressed with Trump's (alleged) criminality than his base voters and as the 2020 election demonstrated there aren't enough Republican base voters to win, even with the built-in advantage of the electoral college.
But trump saying "these politically-inspired baseless charges are an attempt to throw us off track; they won't get in our way back to our rightful place as people's choice for the presidency..." could be popular with his 'base'.
Crimes are crimes. Do his supporters think he is above the Law?
Yes. That's always been part of Trump's appeal to his followers, that he can break laws and social norms with impunity. The implicit promise to his followers is that they too will have impunity from consequences, maybe not to the same degree as Trump himself but they'll be allowed to let their freak flags fly without consequence. What else should be expected from a political campaign promising "vengeance".
This all fits very well within Wilhoit's maxim:
Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.
As I noted earlier, this may help Trump win the Republican presidential nomination but seems likely to hurt him in the general election. Moderate voters are probably going to be less impressed with Trump's (alleged) criminality than his base voters and as the 2020 election demonstrated there aren't enough Republican base voters to win, even with the built-in advantage of the electoral college.
Impunity. The very word I foolishly chose not to use. I really hope you're right about 'moderates'. But do we really think so? For an affair that ended 17 years ago. And the hush money. Really? What 'moderates' are going to be influenced by that?
"Moderates" may indeed not be moved by those state charges. Regardless, more serious federal charges, not yet (at this writing) formally brought, may pose steeper threats to a Flump candidacy.
"And do not listen to those who keep saying, 'The voice of the people is the voice of God.' because the tumult of the crowd is always close to madness."
But trump saying "these politically-inspired baseless charges are an attempt to throw us off track; they won't get in our way back to our rightful place as people's choice for the presidency..." could be popular with his 'base'.
Crimes are crimes. Do his supporters think he is above the Law?
"Moderates" may indeed not be moved by those state charges. Regardless, more serious federal charges, not yet (at this writing) formally brought, may pose steeper threats to a Flump candidacy.
"And do not listen to those who keep saying, 'The voice of the people is the voice of God.' because the tumult of the crowd is always close to madness."
"Moderates" may indeed not be moved by those state charges. Regardless, more serious federal charges, not yet (at this writing) formally brought, may pose steeper threats to a Flump candidacy.
Your faith in 'moderate' nature is... optimistic.
It's not moderate voices I put my faith in. It's Jack Smith, the guy in charge of pursuing federal charges against Clump.
Sed multos voces vox populi habet - but the Voice of the People has many voices.
Rees-Mogg is fond of that Vox which agrees with him. Not so much with that that doesn't. As with us all. The problem is claiming to speak for 'the people'.
Ironically, the latest polls indicate that Vox Populi Terrae Aestatis (Voice of the people of Somerset) may not be for his continued membership of parliament.
Sed multos voces vox populi habet - but the Voice of the People has many voices.
Rees-Mogg is fond of that Vox which agrees with him. Not so much with that that doesn't. As with us all. The problem is claiming to speak for 'the people'.
Ironically, the latest polls indicate that Vox Populi Terrae Aestatis (Voice of the people of Somerset) may not be for his continued membership of parliament.
Well I don’t want him literarily crucified but metaphorically and politically possibly. There will be no resurrection if he is.
IIRC, Trump was likened to a (or possibly the) Son of God when he was President. Some of his supporters seem to have a very tenuous grip on reality...
One of the Guardian's columnists remarks in today's issue on how boring Trump has become, but the tawdry reality show drags on and on.
Re Jacob Rees-Mogg, perhaps @Telford would like to explain what he understands J R-M to actually mean by *Vox populi, vox Dei*?
The phrase (AIUI) translates simply to *voice of the people, voice of God*, but without equating the two. OTOH, *Vox populi vox Dei est* translates as *the voice of the people is the voice of God* - not quite the same thing.
Well I don’t want him literarily crucified but metaphorically and politically possibly. There will be no resurrection if he is.
IIRC, Trump was likened to a (or possibly the) Son of God when he was President. Some of his supporters seem to have a very tenuous grip on reality...
One of the Guardian's columnists remarks in today's issue on how boring Trump has become, but the tawdry reality show drags on and on.
Re Jacob Rees-Mogg, perhaps @Telford would like to explain what he understands J R-M to actually mean by *Vox populi, vox Dei*?
The phrase (AIUI) translates simply to *voice of the people, voice of God*, but without equating the two. OTOH, *Vox populi vox Dei est* translates as *the voice of the people is the voice of God* - not quite the same thing.
Latin does not need the "est" in this construction. It can be assumed.
Well I don’t want him literarily crucified but metaphorically and politically possibly. There will be no resurrection if he is.
IIRC, Trump was likened to a (or possibly the) Son of God when he was President. Some of his supporters seem to have a very tenuous grip on reality...
One of the Guardian's columnists remarks in today's issue on how boring Trump has become, but the tawdry reality show drags on and on.
Re Jacob Rees-Mogg, perhaps @Telford would like to explain what he understands J R-M to actually mean by *Vox populi, vox Dei*?
The phrase (AIUI) translates simply to *voice of the people, voice of God*, but without equating the two. OTOH, *Vox populi vox Dei est* translates as *the voice of the people is the voice of God* - not quite the same thing.
Latin does not need the "est" in this construction. It can be assumed.
Thanks for that - I did wonder if perhaps that was the case. It's nearly 60 years since I came top of the class (!) in Latin, as an inky-fingered Third Form-er...
Do our US Shipmates think that this attitude is becoming - or is likely to become - more widespread?
Given perennially dismal estimates of the US public's attention span, it seems likely the ex-president's support will continue to dwindle. That said, I can't help wondering less about the size of that support and rather more about how well-armed it might be.
I can't help wondering less about the size of that support and rather more about how well-armed it might be.
Given the outcomes of the respective 1/6 trials, and assuming that what's left of MAGA consists of folks from the same socioeconomic strata, I don't think you're gonna see a big Last Stand Of The Trumpians. As I've said before, these tend to be the kind of people who have something to lose, and it's now become pretty clear that not only can they be arrested, tried, and convicted(*), but that their hero is unlikely to do jack-squat to help them.
I take your point and hope / trust that a fair number of non-arrested, non-tried yet like-minded miscreants (who may merely have watched 1/6 unfold on TV) have likewise taken note and smartened up.
That said, I live in a state where a substantial group of Free Staters have settled, and occasional letters to the editor in our local paper (we still have one!) are fairly hair-raising.
Sed multos voces vox populi habet - but the Voice of the People has many voices.
Rees-Mogg is fond of that Vox which agrees with him. Not so much with that that doesn't. As with us all. The problem is claiming to speak for 'the people'.
Ironically, the latest polls indicate that Vox Populi Terrae Aestatis (Voice of the people of Somerset) may not be for his continued membership of parliament.
She's the most plausible character for a joke about Jesus having to pay off a sex-partner. The bible describes her as having lived "a sinful life", which tradition tends to equate with sexual sin; she has fairly close contact with Jesus' body(via the Annointing); and after joining his ministry she spends more time around him than is recorded for any other woman not related to him.
(And no, I'm not saying that in real life, all those things would indicate a sexual relationship. But they're more suggestive than anything else in scripture for the purposes of the joke.)
She's the most plausible character for a joke about Jesus having to pay off a sex-partner. The bible describes her as having lived "a sinful life", which tradition tends to equate with sexual sin; she has fairly close contact with Jesus' body(via the Annointing); and after joining his ministry she spends more time around him than is recorded for any other woman not related to him.
(And no, I'm not saying that in real life, all those things would indicate a sexual relationship. But they're more suggestive than anything else in scripture for the purposes of the joke.)
I beg to differ. Luke 8:2 says Mary was healed of seven demons. There is some indication that she financially supported Jesus.
Wikipedia says:
The portrayal of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute began in 591, when Pope Gregory I conflated Mary Magdalene, who was introduced in Luke 8:2, with Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:39) and the unnamed "sinful woman" who anointed Jesus's feet in Luke 7:36–50. Pope Gregory's Easter sermon resulted in a widespread belief that Mary Magdalene was a repentant prostitute or promiscuous woman... Elaborate medieval legends from Western Europe then emerged, which told exaggerated tales of Mary Magdalene's wealth and beauty, as well as of her alleged journey to southern Gaul (modern-day France). The identification of Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany and the unnamed "sinful woman" was still a major controversy in the years leading up to the Reformation, and some Protestant leaders rejected it. During the Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church emphasized Mary Magdalene as a symbol of penance. In 1969, Pope Paul VI removed the identification of Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany and the "sinful woman" from the General Roman Calendar, but the view of her as a former prostitute has persisted in popular culture.
That's a very interesting summation. Sincere thanks, as I didn't bother to research much myself, and was not overly knowledgable about the history of the interpretations.
However, I will point out that I did qualify myself(*) by saying "...which tradition tends to equate with sexual sin". And I would say that "elaborate medieval legends", inspired by none other than Pope Gregory, would qualify as at least part of that tradition, and one that has continued down to the present era. Freaking Scorsese conflates her with The Woman Caught In Adultery, for cryin' in the sink.
Also great to learn about the Mag-Beth controversy. But I still think Mag The Anointer, like the Forbidden Apple, gets a pass on pop-cultural grounds. I was taught by a nun at our church's informal sunday-school setup the sexual version of MM's redemption tale, although eupehemised with something along the lines "A lot of men liked her, and that made her too proud."
(*) And yes, a cynic might say that I was hedging my bets. I knew there were competing interpretive traditions, but honestly couldn't have given even a thumb-nail sketch of the competing theories.
Yesterday, DJT snuck into NYC to give a deposition on a law suit involving a sexual assault way back when. Notably. none of his supporters showed up to cheer him on. A small group of protestors met him as he entered the court house chanting. "New York hates you."
This is noteworthy in that an estimated 690,000 New Yorkers voted for him in the last election. That is votes than he received from North and South Dakota combined.
Had he given such a deposition in Fargo ND or Pierre SD, you could have bet a sizeable portion of those 690,000 votes would have shown up en masse for their true hero.
In other news: Federal Special Prosecutor Jack Smith is opening up a probe into the estimated $120 mil trump collected after the election to ostensibly fight voter fraud. The money seems to have been spent for other things. That is not even talking about his legal defense fund.
For a guy supposedly worth over a billion dollars, he is sure raking in the money. I vaguely remember when he first announced his running for office he said he would pay for his campaign completely out of his pocket.
My sainted mother used to say he is the biggest huckster she ever knew.
You have to admit he is pretty big. But he still has small hands.
Donald Trump has been found guilty in civil court of sexually assaulting and defaming E. Jean Carroll.
Donald Trump sexually abused magazine writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and then defamed her by branding her a liar, jurors decided on Tuesday, dealing the former U.S. president a legal setback as he campaigns to retake office in 2024.
The nine-member jury in Manhattan federal court awarded about $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
The jury deliberated for just under three hours. It rejected Trump's denial that he assaulted Carroll and ruled in her favor. To find him liable, the jury of six men and three women was required to reach a unanimous verdict.
Comments
This is campaigning for the presidency. Cheap at the price.
But trump saying "these politically-inspired baseless charges are an attempt to throw us off track; they won't get in our way back to our rightful place as people's choice for the presidency..." could be popular with his 'base'.
*now imagining government of the people, by a middle class clothing brand, and for the people*
Crimes are crimes. Do his supporters think he is above the Law?
What do you think? You seem to be incredulous that they do. How?
Well, Louis Riel and Bobby Sands, come to mind. But they were only running for one seat.
Yes. That's always been part of Trump's appeal to his followers, that he can break laws and social norms with impunity. The implicit promise to his followers is that they too will have impunity from consequences, maybe not to the same degree as Trump himself but they'll be allowed to let their freak flags fly without consequence. What else should be expected from a political campaign promising "vengeance".
This all fits very well within Wilhoit's maxim:
As I noted earlier, this may help Trump win the Republican presidential nomination but seems likely to hurt him in the general election. Moderate voters are probably going to be less impressed with Trump's (alleged) criminality than his base voters and as the 2020 election demonstrated there aren't enough Republican base voters to win, even with the built-in advantage of the electoral college.
Impunity. The very word I foolishly chose not to use. I really hope you're right about 'moderates'. But do we really think so? For an affair that ended 17 years ago. And the hush money. Really? What 'moderates' are going to be influenced by that?
"And do not listen to those who keep saying, 'The voice of the people is the voice of God.' because the tumult of the crowd is always close to madness."
Alcuin of York
I guess that they do.
Your faith in 'moderate' nature is... optimistic.
Vox populi, vox Dei. as Jacob keeps saying.
A bit like having your favourite turd in the sewer, I guess.
Not at all and I saying no more on the subject
It's not moderate voices I put my faith in. It's Jack Smith, the guy in charge of pursuing federal charges against Clump.
Thanks
la vie en rouge, Purgatory host
Rees-Mogg is fond of that Vox which agrees with him. Not so much with that that doesn't. As with us all. The problem is claiming to speak for 'the people'.
Ironically, the latest polls indicate that Vox Populi Terrae Aestatis (Voice of the people of Somerset) may not be for his continued membership of parliament.
Fingers, toes and paws crossed!
IIRC, Trump was likened to a (or possibly the) Son of God when he was President. Some of his supporters seem to have a very tenuous grip on reality...
One of the Guardian's columnists remarks in today's issue on how boring Trump has become, but the tawdry reality show drags on and on.
Re Jacob Rees-Mogg, perhaps @Telford would like to explain what he understands J R-M to actually mean by *Vox populi, vox Dei*?
The phrase (AIUI) translates simply to *voice of the people, voice of God*, but without equating the two. OTOH, *Vox populi vox Dei est* translates as *the voice of the people is the voice of God* - not quite the same thing.
Latin does not need the "est" in this construction. It can be assumed.
Thanks for that - I did wonder if perhaps that was the case. It's nearly 60 years since I came top of the class (!) in Latin, as an inky-fingered Third Form-er...
Apologies for the tangent.
la vie en rouge - Purgatory host
I mentioned that a Guardian columnist reckons that The Trump Show is becoming rather boring - here's a link:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/06/donald-trump-court-supporters
Do our US Shipmates think that this attitude is becoming - or is likely to become - more widespread?
All that hush-money to Mary Magdalene.
Best joke of the year so far!
Given perennially dismal estimates of the US public's attention span, it seems likely the ex-president's support will continue to dwindle. That said, I can't help wondering less about the size of that support and rather more about how well-armed it might be.
Given the outcomes of the respective 1/6 trials, and assuming that what's left of MAGA consists of folks from the same socioeconomic strata, I don't think you're gonna see a big Last Stand Of The Trumpians. As I've said before, these tend to be the kind of people who have something to lose, and it's now become pretty clear that not only can they be arrested, tried, and convicted(*), but that their hero is unlikely to do jack-squat to help them.
That said, I live in a state where a substantial group of Free Staters have settled, and occasional letters to the editor in our local paper (we still have one!) are fairly hair-raising.
Why would Mary Magdalene be paid hush money ?
She's the most plausible character for a joke about Jesus having to pay off a sex-partner. The bible describes her as having lived "a sinful life", which tradition tends to equate with sexual sin; she has fairly close contact with Jesus' body(via the Annointing); and after joining his ministry she spends more time around him than is recorded for any other woman not related to him.
(And no, I'm not saying that in real life, all those things would indicate a sexual relationship. But they're more suggestive than anything else in scripture for the purposes of the joke.)
I beg to differ. Luke 8:2 says Mary was healed of seven demons. There is some indication that she financially supported Jesus.
Wikipedia says:
That's a very interesting summation. Sincere thanks, as I didn't bother to research much myself, and was not overly knowledgable about the history of the interpretations.
However, I will point out that I did qualify myself(*) by saying "...which tradition tends to equate with sexual sin". And I would say that "elaborate medieval legends", inspired by none other than Pope Gregory, would qualify as at least part of that tradition, and one that has continued down to the present era. Freaking Scorsese conflates her with The Woman Caught In Adultery, for cryin' in the sink.
Also great to learn about the Mag-Beth controversy. But I still think Mag The Anointer, like the Forbidden Apple, gets a pass on pop-cultural grounds. I was taught by a nun at our church's informal sunday-school setup the sexual version of MM's redemption tale, although eupehemised with something along the lines "A lot of men liked her, and that made her too proud."
(*) And yes, a cynic might say that I was hedging my bets. I knew there were competing interpretive traditions, but honestly couldn't have given even a thumb-nail sketch of the competing theories.
la vie en rouge, Purgatory host
This is noteworthy in that an estimated 690,000 New Yorkers voted for him in the last election. That is votes than he received from North and South Dakota combined.
Had he given such a deposition in Fargo ND or Pierre SD, you could have bet a sizeable portion of those 690,000 votes would have shown up en masse for their true hero.
In other news: Federal Special Prosecutor Jack Smith is opening up a probe into the estimated $120 mil trump collected after the election to ostensibly fight voter fraud. The money seems to have been spent for other things. That is not even talking about his legal defense fund.
For a guy supposedly worth over a billion dollars, he is sure raking in the money. I vaguely remember when he first announced his running for office he said he would pay for his campaign completely out of his pocket.
My sainted mother used to say he is the biggest huckster she ever knew.
You have to admit he is pretty big. But he still has small hands.
Conscience? Trump? What's that?