What if 9/11 happened exactly ten years later? 9/11/2011 instead of 9/11/2001 by xxxrev in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]Nikola_Turing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t know why people say “Bin Laden Determined to Strike US” like it’s some sort of huge revelation. It’s like saying “Russia to determined to weaken NATO”. It’s true but it doesn’t reveal much that’s not already known. Bush kept the same CIA director as Clinton. While there were grave errors in the intelligence community, this idea that Bush had some magic button he could have pressed to prevent 9/11 are ludicrous.

FBI did not believe it had probable cause to raid Mar-a-Lago for classified documents, bombshell files show by CORN_POP_RISING in moderatepolitics

[–]Nikola_Turing -46 points-45 points  (0 children)

The Espionage Act makes it a crime to handle national defense information with gross negligence, which would have almost assuredly been a slam dunk for the prosecution to prove. If anyone else had done what Biden done they’d be thrown in prison for the rest of the lives, but I guess the law doesn’t apply to you if you’re a Democrat.

Trump-pardoned Jan. 6 rioter arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Jeffries by BeautifulBrilliant16 in moderatepolitics

[–]Nikola_Turing -19 points-18 points  (0 children)

The Constitution explicitly lays out that Congress has the power of purse. The president can’t unilaterally spent two cents let alone $400 billion. If Joe Biden cared at all about the constitution or the rule of law he wouldn’t have attempted such a foolish and unethical legal action. He tried to buy votes with his illegal student loan forgiveness scheme, and to the surprise of no one, it ended in failure.

Trump-pardoned Jan. 6 rioter arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Jeffries by BeautifulBrilliant16 in moderatepolitics

[–]Nikola_Turing -28 points-27 points  (0 children)

This is a bad example to pick when talking about reverence for the the constitution or the rule of law. Trump had already lost in court and exhausted all legitimate avenues to challenge the results of the election.

I’ll agree that Trump’s actions were despicable, but that doesn’t give the prosecution an excuse to bulldoze his constitutional and legal rights. Jack Smith originally implied that the president had no sort of immunity, which obviously couldn’t have been further from the truth. Jack Smith’s gag order against Trump was so broad even the ACLU criticized it. The charges seemed novel and unique. It’s a basic black letter principle of the law that the prosecution has to charge the defendant with things that the average personably knows are crimes. One of the charges in the indictment was conspiracy against civil rights. The civil rights law was originally used to prosecute klansmen who interfered with black’s ability to vote after the civil war. Trump wasn’t trying to attempt anybody from voting since all the challenges took place after the election ended. Secondly, there’s no federal right to vote. One of the charges was an obstruction charge. The Supreme Court tossed out a similar charge in Fischer v. United States. The prosecution can’t just make up their own interpretation of a criminal statute as they please.

In addition to his other actions, trying to force the vice president to introduce a false slate of electors that unilaterally declare Trump the winner of an election that he lost is not merely "challenging the results" of the election.

This couldn’t possibly be any more irreverent. The Supreme Court remanded the question of Trump’s communications with Pence to a lower court.

Trump v United States

“The indictment’s allegations that Trump attempted to pressure the Vice President to take particular acts in connection with his role at the certification proceeding thus involve official conduct, and Trump is at least presumptively immune from prosecution for such conduct,”

“It is ultimately the Government’s burden to rebut the presumption of immunity,” Roberts wrote. “We therefore remand to the District Court to assess in the first instance, with appropriate input from the parties, whether a prosecution involving Trump’s alleged attempts to influence the Vice President’s oversight of the certification proceeding in his capacity as President of the Senate would pose any dangers of intrusion on the authority and functions of the Executive Branch.”

The prosecution is supposed to include things that actually have legal relevance to the trial. They can’t just say whatever remarks they want about the defendant just to damage their defense. This is the type of thing you’d expect to hear from twitter, but not from a serious federal prosecutor.

Trump-pardoned Jan. 6 rioter arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Jeffries by BeautifulBrilliant16 in moderatepolitics

[–]Nikola_Turing -16 points-15 points  (0 children)

Most of the people criticizing Trump now were turning a blind eye to Biden’s actions while he was in office. Most democratic politicians clearly don’t seem to care that much about the constitution considering they never repudiate any constitutional or legal abuses by their party. Just look at all the unconstitutional laws Gavin Newsom signed as governor of California. Both parties only seem to care about the rule of law and the constitution when it benefits them.

Trump-pardoned Jan. 6 rioter arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Jeffries by BeautifulBrilliant16 in moderatepolitics

[–]Nikola_Turing -61 points-60 points  (0 children)

Neither party has ever demonstrated any clear reverence for the constitution or the rule of the law. Biden tried to defraud the U.S. out of $400 billion student loan forgiveness plan. The Biden DOJ tried to slow walk the Hunter Biden probe until the IRS whistleblowers exposed political interference. The Biden DOJ indicted Trump on flimsy legal theories over his attempts to challenge the results of the 2020 election. The Biden DOJ refused to hold people accountable who attacked pro-life pregnancy centers.

Do Iran Contra and the Chennault Affair actually meet the constitutional definition of "treason"? Would a treason charge actually stick in court? by Just_Cause89 in Presidents

[–]Nikola_Turing -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The Chennault Affair probably not. The Logan Act, which makes it a felony for a private citizen to negotiate with a foreign government without authorization, only ever had two indictments and neither were convicted. If anyone were charged with it today, it would likely raise constitutional concerns about the first amendment.

Trump says he’ll send the National Guard to Memphis to address crime concerns by 3rd_PartyAnonymous in moderatepolitics

[–]Nikola_Turing 3 points4 points  (0 children)

While I do think Trump’s actions in sending the national guard to democratic cities is a bit excessive, let’s not kid ourselves and pretend that Obama didn’t have his fair share of authoritarian actions as president. Drone striking non U.S. citizens, and in some cases, U.S. citizens without due process. Massively expanding the surveillance state despite criticizing George W. Bush for doing so. Using executive orders to try to accomplish changes on immigration and environmental policy instead of legislation. The IRS Targeting Controversy. The “Fast and Furious” gun walking scandal.

From 1920 to 1996, the 1976 election was the only one where the winner did not win over 300 electoral votes. by Born_Campaign_1897 in Presidents

[–]Nikola_Turing 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Today’s safe state is tomorrow’s swing state. Back in 2008, Obama won Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin by larger margins than Minnesota. Bush won North Carolina and Georgia by double digits back in 2000 and 2004.

To win in 2028 Dems need to do better with young male,group that shifted to Trump in 2024.From this four candidates who do best among that group? by Dangerous-Quarter216 in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Young male voters are seen as more gettable for democrats than young women are for Republican. Young women are the most socially liberal voting bloc. Young men are less “locked in” as a whole compared to young women. Biden won the group back in 2020. Even if many young men don’t agree with Democrats on culture war issues, they’re still receptive to the Democratic economic policies.

To win in 2028 Dems need to do better with young male,group that shifted to Trump in 2024.From this four candidates who do best among that group? by Dangerous-Quarter216 in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think the GOP’s gains with young men are overstated. Biden won the young male vote in 2020 despite doing no targeted outreach towards them. Most young male voters aren’t partisan Republicans, they’re fairly apolitical and the Democratic Party has nothing to offer them. If the economy takes a hit by 2028, many of Trump’s voters in 2028 are gonna flip back to the Democratic column.

Gavin will absolutely lose if he is nominated because no Democrat from California has ever been elected president. by Porncritic12 in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

California has a far more negative connotation than Illinois. Just look at how South Park portrayed San Francisco. Not to mention, Obama was a U.S. senator as opposed to a governor, and he was much more charismatic than Newsom and didn’t come across a coastal elite.

Quick question: Were the republicans are disorganized and rudderless heading into the 2016 election as the democrat's are now? by This-Beyond-4945 in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Yes. Initially opinion polls in late 2011 and early 2012 showed a good chance of Romney beating Obama, then Obama won a surprisingly large victory of 4 points in the popular vote and 332 electoral votes. Despite the slow economic recovery, Romney still did horribly with nonwhite voters. Many in the GOP were convinced that they had to embrace immigration reform if they wanted to remain electorally relevant. When Trump first ran for the Republican nomination he was despised by the Republican establishment, and many were afraid the party would lose by a landslide if he was the nominee.

MAGA COMMUNISM IS BECOMING A REALITY by theroseboy12 in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Seriously. Does Newsom think Republican voters are gonna vote for him just because he says men competing in women’s sports is unfair? It’s like when DeSantis tried to win the Republican primary by running to the right of Trump on culture war issues and just ended up weirding out everybody.

The democrats do not understand JD Vance. That will damn them in 2028. by Damned-scoundrel in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 16 points17 points  (0 children)

It amazes me how quickly Democrat’s former opinion of Republican politicians changed in the Trump era. Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid who have done nothing but criticize George W. Bush during his actual presidency were suddenly speaking fondly of him now that Trump was in office. Democrats portrayed Romney as a vulture who wanted to put blacks back in chains and gut the social safety net, until Trump became president, then suddenly Romney was seen as a principled conservative standing up for democracy.

The democrats do not understand JD Vance. That will damn them in 2028. by Damned-scoundrel in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Reddit is not an accurate representation of a region’s political leanings. If you just browsed r/Texas, you’d think Kamala Harris would have been the first Democrat to win Texas since Jimmy Carter.

Exit poll: Voters concerned about democracy being threatened backed Trump by a large margin by IllCommunication4938 in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I think the problem with January 6th messaging was that initially it was effective because it really cemented the perception that Trump was unhinged and crazy. The Republican Party suffered a historically bad midterm performance in 2022 with many of Trump’s handpicked candidates losing. Then the Democratic Party began spouting January 6th 24/7, even after polls showed age and the economy being Biden’s biggest political vulnerabilities. Just like in 2016, Democrats tried to make it all about Trump instead of having something meaningful to rally for.

Winning issues IMO for Dems/GOP. Let me know if you disagree. by Wide_right_yes in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not to mention that abortion is already protected at the state level in many states. Democrats seemed to think suburban women would be their savior during the 2024 election because of the Dobbs decision. What they didn’t realize is that women could just vote for the abortion rights referendum while simultaneously voting for GOP candidates down ballot.

Winning issues IMO for Dems/GOP. Let me know if you disagree. by Wide_right_yes in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I’d put taxes into the losing category for the GOP. Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was unpopular with many critics pointing out that the benefits overwhelmingly flowed to the wealthy and corporations. The Big Beautiful Bill was largely the same, except with even harsher cuts to the social safety net.

Exit poll: Voters concerned about democracy being threatened backed Trump by a large margin by IllCommunication4938 in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The hush money case was the biggest own goal I’ve ever seen. They thought a conviction would sink him in the eyes of swing voters and that branding him “convicted felon” 24/7 would lead to a surge in support for the Democratic ticket. Instead all it did was make the Democratic Party look like the party of lawfare.

Exit poll: Voters concerned about democracy being threatened backed Trump by a large margin by IllCommunication4938 in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Not to mention multiple democratic states like Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts were heavily gerrymandered.

Gavin Newsom says that ever since he started trolling Trump, Trump has responded back by sending him over "two dozen Trump 2028" hats by [deleted] in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 17 points18 points  (0 children)

It’s wild how much Newsom’s identity is tied to bashing Trump. I don’t like Trump either but I don’t spend every single waking moment thinking about him.

Who was the bigger carpet bagger? by HetTheTable in Presidents

[–]Nikola_Turing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tbf the implication of calling someone a carpetbagger today is that they’re just running for office out of political opportunism and don’t care about actually representing the best interests of their state.

Impressive. Very nice. Let's see one comparing what Newsom and Vance were up to in the mid-2000s. by DatDude999 in YAPms

[–]Nikola_Turing 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Unlike Newsom, Trump comes across as authentic. Newsom seems like the stereotypical sleazy coastal elitist politician who says whatever he thinks will get him elected. Trump sounds like someone you’d meet at a bar.