Can Trump pardon himself? Arguably no, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try it

We know that at least since 2017, Trump has been consumed with one question: Can he grant himself a pardon? "One former White House official said Trump asked about self-pardons as well as pardons for his family. Trump even asked if he could issue pardons preemptively for things people could be charged with in the future, the former official said," CNN reported earlier this month. The former official told CNN: "Once he learned about it, he was obsessed with the power of pardons. […] I always thought he also liked it because it was a way to do a favor." One important note here: He could only pardon himself or others for federal crimes, and he has no coverage for the state crimes of the Trump Organization, which is being investigated by both the New York attorney general and the Manhattan district attorney.

But there's another question, and that’s whether the Constitution actually does allow a presidential self-pardon. This is a fun read in The Atlantic from constitutional law professor Eric L. Muller a the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, pondering whether Trump can pardon himself for all his past and potentially future crimes. What makes it fun is that Muller argues he has no power to do that because of one simple word: "Article II of the Constitution says that the president 'shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.' Did you catch that? The president has the power not to pardon people, but ‘to grant … Pardons [emphasis added]. So the question is not whether Trump can pardon himself. It's whether he can grant himself a pardon.”

Muller goes on to argue that the word "grant" and all its uses throughout the Constitution are quite clear: It's transitive "from one entity to another." Okay, but that's just his interpretation. What about—as is all the rage amongst the Federalist Society gang who would certainly be down with Trump doing whatever the hell he wanted—the "original public meaning" of the word grant and how the founders would have interpreted it? Muller looks to the most popular law dictionary in use at the time, which simply defines grant as a noun: a "conveyance in writing of incorporeal things." And what is a "conveyance?" It is "a deed which passes or conveys land from one man to another."

What it all boils down to after a really fun lexicographic romp is that just like you can't surrender to yourself, Trump can't give himself a grant of pardon; it has to be conferred by another. "Can Donald Trump grant himself a pardon? The evidence, at least according to the text of the Constitution and its original meaning, says no," Muller concludes.

Which puts Trump in an interesting position. At this point he is committed to not conceding. His whole post-presidency period is being set up to allow him to continue to bilk the rubes who adore him out of their hard-earned dollars on the premise that he is still the rightful president and that the office was stolen from him. So in order to achieve that, he has to stay in office until Jan. 20. But he can't be immune from future prosecution unless he gets the pardon. To do that, he'd have to resign and have Mike Pence do the deed. But he'd then be ceding the office, ceding his claim. What a dilemma!

There's the possibility that he could say he was temporarily incapacitated at some point, put Pence in as acting president for long enough to wave the magic wand, and then be president again. But that would also mean he would have to admit to having done federal criming, something he has vociferously denied having done while publicly musing on Twitter about how he could totally pardon himself if he wants to.  

As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2018

If nothing else, it's an intriguing question to ponder in the off hours. Largely because it gives one the opportunity to imagine Donald Trump behind bars.

Congressman Matt Gaetz: Trump Should Pardon Himself

Congressman Matt Gaetz believes President Trump should consider a pardon for himself and others in his administration as a means to fend off the radical left.

Gaetz made the comments during an appearance with Fox News personality Laura Ingraham earlier this week.

“President Trump should pardon Michael Flynn. He should pardon the Thanksgiving turkey,” he said. “He should pardon everyone from himself to his administration officials to Joe Exotic if he has to.”

While those comments were seemingly lighthearted, what lies on the horizon when President Trump leaves office – whether in 2021 or 2025 – is anything but.

“You see from the radical left a bloodlust that will only be quenched if they come after the people who worked so hard to animate the Trump administration with the policies and the vigor and the effectiveness that delivered for the American people,” Gaetz explained.

RELATED: Trump Snaps At ‘Lightweight’ Reporter: ‘Don’t Ever Talk to the President That Way’

Matt Gaetz Says Trump Should Pardon Himself

Despite a media and resistance party heavily invested in portraying President Trump as a criminal, it is important to note he has never been charged with a crime.

That said, there is actually legal precedence for granting such pardons.

The Washington Post reports:

In Ex parte Garland, the Supreme Court settled the question of preemptive pardons. The justices in that 1866 case decided that while pardons could reach only past acts, the pardon “may be exercised at any time after [the act’s] commission, either before legal proceedings are taken or during their pendency or after conviction and judgment.”

They go on to note that Abraham Lincoln pardoned dozens of people preemptively.

Perhaps most famously, President Gerald Ford pardoned President Richard Nixon, who had not been charged with anything at the time.

Would Joe Biden be willing to tamp down the fires of controversy in America by doing the same for Trump? 

Self-pardons have been an issue of much debate during President Trump’s tenure.

Law scholar Jonathan Turley has argued that the President has the right to do so.

“There is no language specifying who may or may not be the subject of a pardon,” he wrote in a USA Today column. “The president is simply given the power to pardon any federal crime.”

“As a textual matter, there is nothing to prevent Trump from adding his own name to the list of pardoned individuals.”

RELATED: Media’s Biased Coverage of the Election May Have Handed the Presidency to Biden

The Radical Left Will Never Stop

Signs of the ‘bloodlust’ Gaetz references have already been seen as Biden has been declared President-elect.

Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) demanded a thorough investigation and prosecution of the President and members of his administration.

Despite mentioning the phrase “many crimes,” Pascrell’s statement references none, instead making vague allusions to ‘profiting from his office’ and ‘endangering national security.’

Which, incidentally, he may want to draft a statement about the President-elect since evidence regarding his son Hunter’s business dealings with China seem to indicate actual guilt in such accusations.

Additionally, actor Rob Reiner says that a “non-partisan commission” should be created to investigate Trump after he leaves office to “restore faith in our Constitution and the Rule of Law.”

As for the pardon power – federal pardons issued by the president apply only to federal law; they do not apply to civil, state, or local offenses. And New York prosecutors have been harassing the Trump family for years now.

Ivanka Trump, the President’s daughter, recently called them “ruthless” and accused them of “harassment, pure and simple.”

It is harassment and the harassment, quite clearly, is never going to stop.

The post Congressman Matt Gaetz: Trump Should Pardon Himself appeared first on The Political Insider.

Trump Snaps At ‘Lightweight’ Reporter: ‘Don’t Ever Talk to the President That Way’

President Trump snapped at a reporter who tried interjecting on his comments about the election, referring to him as a “lightweight” and demanding he shows some respect.

The reporter has been identified in multiple outlets as Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason.

The media is portraying it as a meltdown when, in reality, it was a proper reminder to reporters who have shown zero respect for the President of the United States over the past four years exactly where they sit on the food chain.

Trump began with an observation that Biden’s election performance is remarkable in crucial swing states compared to Barack Obama’s past election performances, a fact that raises eyebrows in his view.

RELATED: Report: Media’s Biased Coverage of the Election May Have Handed the Presidency to Biden

Trump Snaps at Lightweight Reporter Jeff Mason

Mason began by asking the President if he’d be willing to concede the election should the Electoral College votes for Biden.

“Just so you understand, this election was a fraud,” he said.

“They have Biden beating Obama in areas that matter in terms of the election in swing states.  And yet he’s losing to Obama all over the place,” Trump continued. “But he’s beating Obama in swing states which are states that mattered in terms of the election.”

Mason tried interrupting the President which didn’t work out too well for him. Trump quickly snaps back at the reporter over his lack of respect.

“Don’t talk to me that way,” Trump scolded. “You’re just a lightweight. Don’t talk to me that way. Don’t talk to …”

“I’m the President of the United States. Don’t ever talk to the president that way,” he continued before shifting to another question.

RELATED: Barack Obama Blasts Hispanics Who Voted For Trump – They Ignored The President’s Racism Because They Oppose Gay Marriage

Trump’s Touchy Relationship With a Biased, Unprofessional Media

President Trump has had to repeatedly battle a biased, unprofessional media that stands as perhaps one of the most corrupt institutions in America today.

At a press conference earlier this year, CNN reporter Jim Acosta claimed his network’s reputation “on delivering the truth is a lot better than yours.”

The President wrecked him on a national stage.

Acosta, of course, struggled to recall the fact that his network had to settle a massive lawsuit with Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann after the cable news station smeared him as a racist for the crime of wearing a MAGA hat.

Or the fact that CNN once had a ‘journalist of the year’ forced to resign at another outlet after it was discovered he fabricated his stories “on a grand scale” for many years.

Or the fact that three of their reporters had to leave the network after the publication of a ‘fake news’ report on Russia that was later retracted.

Or the fact that they blatantly helped doctor a call transcript with Ukraine to help fuel impeachment.

Or the numerous other stories that were proven to be false.

There have been other reporters at other outlets that the President has had to put in their place.

A Yahoo News reporter in April was on the receiving end of a verbal tongue-lashing when he tried to corner the President with false data about coronavirus testing.

President Trump had to tell CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond that his network is “fake news” and explained to the reporter he was sorely lacking in a major area.

PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor was on the receiving end of several testy retorts by the President over the years.

A study conducted by the Media Research Center recently shows biased media coverage very likely tilted the election in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.

President Trump has repeatedly warned Americans that the media is the “enemy of the people.”

They’ve more than proven him right over the past four years.

The post Trump Snaps At ‘Lightweight’ Reporter: ‘Don’t Ever Talk to the President That Way’ appeared first on The Political Insider.

On Thanksgiving, I’m thankful my ancestors left Europe, and that America took them in

“I’ve got something I’d like to say.” That’s what I usually offer up as a preamble, as I try to get the attention of my kids and other family members gathered around the Thanksgiving table—although this year, due to COVID-19, it will sadly be just my wife and kids. It usually takes a couple of attempts, but once we’re all on the same page, I offer words of thanks for my ancestors. I talk about how brave they must have been to leave the communities of their birth—which were at least familiar, despite the hardship, discrimination, and all-too-common violence they faced—and come to a land where they didn’t speak the language, didn’t know the culture, and, in many cases, didn’t know a soul.

In this offering, I mention the family names of the people who came and the places they came from. We’ve done quite a bit of genealogical research—on my side and my wife’s side of the family—and are lucky to have as much information as we do. My goal is to give my kids a sense of who their ancestors were, and what they went through to give us a chance to have the life we do. One branch of my father’s family came from Vilnius, now the capital of Lithuania; another from Riga, Latvia’s capital; another from Minsk, capital of Belarus; and the last from Odessa, now in Ukraine. Growing up, I had learned that all my father’s ancestors were “Russian.” It turns out none of them came from places that are now in that country (at least as of this writing).

The story is similar on my mother’s side. One branch was described to me as Austrian; in fact they came from Skole in today’s Ukraine. The other was Hungarian, and came from Sighet (Elie Wiesel’s hometown) in Transylvania, now a province of Romania. During my Thanksgiving meal talk, I also thank my wife’s family, who came from Vienna, Poland, and Russia. In reality, the primary point of identification in terms of culture and identity for all these people was not the country of origin on their passport, but the fact that they were members of the Jewish people, irrespective of any particular level of belief or religiosity.

In addition to being Jews, the family ancestors I’ll be acknowledging were also, of course, Americans. And that’s the other part of the thanks I’ll give on the holiday. I’m thankful that my ancestors had a place to go, that they could become Americans and make a life here.

The last of them got in just under the wire, arriving a few months after the First World War and only a couple of years before a series of immigration “reforms” severely limited the number of immigrants our country accepted from outside the British Isles and northwest Europe. My wife’s grandmother’s family got out of Poland in 1937—and only because the youngest child had been born here (it’s a long story), one of the oldest living “anchor babies,” I’d surmise. Very few Jews were able to find refuge here at that point and immediately afterward—during the years when they needed it most.

I make sure my kids know about these restrictions on immigration, as well as the fact that Asians had almost no chance to emigrate and become U.S. citizens until the early 1950s. We also talk about how—although their ancestors and other Jewish immigrants certainly didn’t have it easy—they at least had opportunities that America denied to the large numbers of African Americans and American Indians who had arrived long before our family. America didn’t treat everyone living here equally, either on paper or in practice. Certainly, as the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others have reminded us, we’ve still got room for improvement on that front as well, to say the least, although we have come a long way thanks to those heroes who fought and bled to get us as far as we have come.

Over the past four years, the soon-to-be-former occupant of the White House has been making the process for coming here far more difficult, far more treacherous, for refugees and asylum-seekers. But hopefully, The Man Who Lost The Popular Vote (Again) will be shuffling off the stage in the very near future. That is something for which my family and I are deeply thankful.

Contrast him with the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society of Pennsylvania, who last year organized a Thanksgiving event in Philadelphia specifically for immigrants—the 11th year they’ve done so—although they won’t be able to do something similar this year thanks, if that’s the word, to the pandemic. Over 100 people shared the holiday meal:

Vanessa, who declined to give her last name, says the event is exactly what she and her family needed after being under the threat of deportation.

"We couldn’t miss it today, because recently my parents were in deportation court," she said.

Vanessa says she's thankful her family can stay together just in time for the holiday.

If that organization sounds familiar, it might be because of the wonderful work it does on behalf of immigrants, or it might be because the terrorist who killed 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh specifically mentioned HIAS in a post just a few hours before committing that mass murder:

A couple of hours before opening fire in a Pittsburgh synagogue, Robert Bowers, the suspected gunman, posted on the social network Gab, “HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.” HIAS is the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and Bowers had posted about it at least once before. Two and a half weeks earlier, he had linked to a HIAS project called National Refugee Shabbat and written, “Why hello there HIAS! You like to bring in hostile invaders to dwell among us?” Another post that most likely referred to HIAS read, “Open you Eyes! It’s the filthy EVIL jews Bringing the Filthy EVIL Muslims into the Country!!”

So while I’m thankful to our country for taking in my family, and so many others, I am aware that not everyone approves of America’s generosity. There’s another person, whose family is also Jewish and from Eastern Europe, who expressed a sense of gratitude that reminded me of my own. This person did so in the context of coming forward to testify in an impeachment inquiry focused on Donald Trump. He has faced anti-Semitism from Trump and his allies in retaliation for stepping forward and telling the truth. Here are the words of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, words that make me proud to share my heritage with this man:

Next month will mark 40 years since my family arrived in the United States as refugees. When my father was 47 years old he left behind his entire life and the only home he had ever known to start over in the United States so that his three sons could have better, safer lives. His courageous decision inspired a deep sense of gratitude in my brothers and myself and instilled in us a sense of duty and service. All three of us have served or are currently serving in the military. Our collective military service is a special part of our family’s story in America.

I also recognize that my simple act of appearing here today, just like the courage of my colleagues who have also truthfully testified before this Committee, would not be tolerated in many places around the world. In Russia, my act of expressing my concerns to the chain of command in an official and private channel would have severe personal and professional repercussions and offering public testimony involving the President would surely cost me my life. I am grateful for my father’s brave act of hope 40 years ago and for the privilege of being an American citizen and public servant, where I can live free of fear for mine and my family’s safety.

Dad, my sitting here today in the US Capitol talking to our elected officials is proof that you made the right decision forty years ago to leave the Soviet Union and come here to United States of America in search of a better life for our family. Do not worry, I will be fine for telling the truth.

Thanksgiving—at least in the form we celebrate in this country—is an American invention, and also a holiday about each of our relationships to America, and to our fellow Americans. It means different things to different people, depending for some on how their ancestors were treated. For me, America is my home, the only one I’ve got. It is the place that made my life and my family possible. My membership in the American people, the American national community, is central to my identity.

We are living in a time when, once again, demagogues are playing on our deepest fears to argue against taking in people fleeing oppression in their homelands, just as was the case in 1939. Demagogues are also casting doubt on the loyalty of Jewish Americans who were born elsewhere, just as was the case in the Dreyfus Affair over a century ago. I am truly grateful for what America did for me—taking in my ancestors when they needed a place to go. I know there are many others who will end up being far less fortunate. They are the ones we have to fight for now.

This is an updated version of a piece I have posted the last couple years on Thanksgiving.

Cheers and Jeers: Family Dysfunction Awareness Day

Before the election I predicted that, if he won, Joe Biden would call the Butterball Hotline at least once during his presidency. I stand by that. He just gives off that vibe. As we wait for our 46th president to prove me correct, here’s another POTUS—“Joe Bethersonton”—doing the deed:

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My annual list of thanks, a Molly Ivins bon mot, and a few more goodies below the fold. Then let's eat.

Cheers and Jeers for Thanksgiving 2020

Note: As for the rest of the C&J posting week, nothing formal tomorrow, although we'll post a "Who won the week" poll—the greatest ever—in the diaries at our usual Friday evening time (7:30ET). Back Monday.  Have a great holiday and may your end of the wishbone be the long one.

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14 days!!!

Days 'til Christmas: 29

Days 'til the National Menorah lighting in D.C.: 14

Date of Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation: 10/3/1863

Number of NFL games today: (Ravens-Steelers game postponed due to Covid-19)

Population of Turkey, Texas (hometown of Bob Wills): 384

Percent of Parade readers who believe calories don't exist on Thanksgiving: 69%

Number of Thanksgivings during which Eric Trump has gotten his head stuck in a can of cranberry sauce: 6

Number of Americans who intend to eat human brains for Thanksgiving dinner, up from 4,021 last year and spreading rapidly from northwest to southeast (stay tuned to your short-wave radios for updates and lock your doors): 5,641

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Your Thursday Molly Ivins Moment:

The Progress Report has come up with some dandy things to be thankful for, starting with American troops. It also lists:

  • Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., for showing it's patriotic to speak your mind.
  • The 90 senators who stood up to Cheney to say that torture is not an American value.
  • The 79 senators who demanded the Bush administration detail a plan for Iraq.
  • That Sen. Bill Frist is not our physician.

Consider these additional delights: Tom Delay is under indictment, Heckuva Job Brownie is no longer on the public payroll, and for some inexplicable reason, the administration found a Republican prosecutor in the Plame affair who seems to care more about the law than politics. […]

There's music in poor bleeding New Orleans again, Ted Koppel and his hair put in a commendable 25 years, some terrific new films are out, my puppy has not eaten a shoe for an entire month now, and the Mountain West is moving from red to purple. So let's all loosen our belts and get right down to the all-American tradition of overeating on Thanksgiving. It's still a great country, even if it is a little strange. I am grateful for all my fellow citizens -- how would we know it was America if we didn't hear regularly from the nincompoop faction? Happy turkey to you all.

Thanksgiving 2005

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Puppy Pic of the Day: Suck it up, Buttercup...

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And my world-famous annual…

Things For Which I Am Thankful: 2020 Edition

Our republic, which we've decided to keep for at least four more years

The 2020 Biden-Harris landslide

Red-to-blue flips Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona

Grassroots Democratic organizers and voters, especially in red states and doubly-especially women of color

Campaign volunteers, ride sharers, and polling place workers

Nancy Pelosi, preparing for her historic 4th term as Speaker of the House

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Katie Porter, and all the other kickass-style House Democrats

Having an astronaut (Mark Kelly) in the Senate again

The judges, legal teams, and elections officials who made Trump's attempted coup one of the clumsiest and inept debacles in American history

House Intelligence and Impeachment Committee chair Adam Schiff

The legacies of Rep. John Lewis and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Maine’s state government, which will spend another year with Dem control of the state House and Senate, and Democratic governor Janet Mills navigating the Covid-19 crisis with skill and compassion

The Congressional Black, Hispanic and Progressive Caucuses

Doctors

Nurses

Hospital administrative workers

Dr. Anthony Fauci

Essential workers

The Covid-19 tracers and trackers

The vaccine researchers sciencing the shit out of the virus

The governors and state health officials making difficult decisions and sticking to them as mobs of ignorant narcissists embrace superspreader events

Americans wearing masks (including over their nose), social distancing, and frequently washing their hands

New Zealand, for showing the world how to fight a pandemic together and win 

All the indigenous people of North America

Sadat Rahman, winner of Desmond Tutu’s 2020 International Children's Peace Prize

The Nobel and Pulitzer winners

The first responders and relief organizers who went above and beyond in the wake of this year's hurricanes, floods, and wildfires

Employers who give their employees Thanksgiving off

Employees who don’t get the day off so they can keep vital services running while the rest of us do

Teachers

Immigrants

Caregivers

Our troops over here and over there

Wind turbines and solar panels

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AMERICANS WHO VOTED

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Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and SNL for continuing the renaissance in late-night political humor

Randy Rainbow and Sarah Cooper for lighting up social media

Freedom of the press

Freedom of speech fuck Trump

The cardboard boxes that'll hold the stuff of departing White House maniacs Stephen Miller, Jared, Ivanka, Mike Pence, and the most destructive and corrupt cabinet in American history

The #5 thing on internet lists that actually SHOCK me

The Lincoln Project, for showing Democrats how to throw a punch

Ta-Nehisi Coates, Malcolm Nance, Joy Reid, Bishop William Barber, Joan Walsh, Charles Pierce, John Nichols, Howard Dean, E.J. Dionne, Eugene Robinson, David K. Johnston, the Kagro in the Morning radio show

Chuck Rosenberg’s zen aura

Naomi Klein, Marcy Wheeler, Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, Trump money-follower David Fahrenthold, Trump fact-checker Daniel Dale (who documented all 20,000+ of Trump lies), David Corn, Lawrence O’Donnell, Nicolle Wallace, Joy Reid

Atrios, Digby, Charles M. Blow, Americablog, John Cole, Joe Jervis, Michelangelo Signorile, Dan Savage, Leonard Pitts, Lizz Winstead

Media Matters, The Hispanic Federation, The Southern Poverty Law Center, PFAW, PFLAG, 350.org, RAICES, March for Our Lives, Indivisible, Black Lives Matter, Run For Something, Planned Parenthood, NAACP, IAVA, ACLU and the many other advocacy organizations that prevented the worst of Trump’s abuses, often in coordination with each other 

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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter

Bill and Hillary Clinton

Barack and Michelle Obama

Joe and Jill Biden

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My partner, Michael, for growing old with me

Obamacare

All of my bosses (if you’re reading this, you’re one of them) at Daily Kos

The front-pagers and diarists here, for explaining stuff I don't know boo about

My morning front-page blogger-neighbors: the Abbreviated Pundit Roundup, morning cartoonists, and Elections Morning Digest

The rest of the progressive blogosphere, for having the wisdom to follow all of the orders issued by “Keyboard Kingpin” Markos “Mouse Tits” Moulitsas

Netroots Nation and its organizers, for executing a flawless virtual convention when the pandemic prevented the in-person one from happening in Denver

Those amazingly upbeat Good News Roundups

Dirty Fucking Hippies. We must breed more of them.

M’ doggie. M' pootie. M’ squirrels.

Wineries

Distilleries

Breweries

Teriyaki sauce

Mayochup yes I said mayochup!

Taco Tuesdays

Excedrin Migraine. Next to the epidural, God’s gift to pain relief.

Blueberries

Candy corn

Snow

Evolution

Electric cars

High-speed rail

NASA

The expected return of net neutrality

The expected return to the Paris Climate Agreement

Unions

Diversity

The Resistance

Maine’s proximity to Canada

Peace. (Yeah, it's a word. Really. I looked it up.)

That magic moment every day at 6am when the Bacardi 151 crosses the blood-brain barrier.

Microwave ovens, which are excellent for re-heating food that gets cold because some idiot spent three hours listing all the stuff he was thankful for.

My excellent memory

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Pass the taters.

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Michigan County Board Throws Support Behind Impeaching Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer got some bad news this week when a county in the northern part of her state expressed support for a resolution to impeach her that was put forth by three Republican members of Michigan’s House of Representatives.

Michigan County Votes In Support Of Resolution To Impeach Whitmer

The Kalkaska County Board of Commissioners voted four to two in favor of supporting the impeachment effort, according to Michigan Live.

Whitmer has become known for imposing some of the strictest coronavirus lockdown measures in the country on her state. Commissioner David Comai stood by the board’s decision to support the impeachment effort, claiming that  Whitmer’s “unconstitutional executive orders” were to blame for Kalkaska County’s current economic crisis.

This comes days after Republican Representatives Beau LaFave, Matt Maddock and Daire Rendon issued the impeachment resolution, alleging that Whitmer was guilty of “corrupt conduct in office and crimes and misdemeanors” over her latest COVID-19 guidelines.

RELATED: Michigan Lawmakers Push For Impeachment Hearings Against Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan Speaker Of The House Defends Whitmer

Not all Michigan Republicans are behind this effort, however, as the state’s GOP Speaker of the House Rep. Lee Chatfield has spoken out against it. He described the resolution as a “distraction from the real things we have to get done in our state.”

“We’re not the party that impeaches someone because we’re upset with policies that they’ve enacted,” he said, according to Fox News.

“I thought it was shameful what the Democrats did to President Trump last year, and I would assume that any attempt by Republicans right now, with the current set of facts that we have to impeach the governor, would be on the same level,” Chatfield added. 

RELATED: Gretchen Whitmer Blames Her Strict Lockdown Orders On Trump

However, Maddock said last week that he has a “growing list of Michigan Legislators” who are planning to begin proceedings to impeach Whitmer, according to The Hill.

When asked why he feels she should be impeached, Maddock claimed that the Democrat has “ignored court orders. Violated our Constitutional rights. Completely ignored due process and the legislature. Weaponized contract tracing databases to aid democrat campaigns,”

This piece was written by James Samson on November 25, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Robert De Niro Warns Trump Supporters That They ‘Should Be Afraid Of What’s Gonna Happen’ When He Leaves Office
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein Steps Down As Head Of Judiciary Committee After Backlash From Progressives
Dershowitz Slams Dominion Ploy And Trump’s Chances

The post Michigan County Board Throws Support Behind Impeaching Gretchen Whitmer appeared first on The Political Insider.

Schiff Comes Unglued Over Reports Of Flynn Pardon – Says Trump ‘Acting Like An Organized Crime Figure’

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) came unglued on Wednesday over reports that President Donald Trump is considering pardoning former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.

Back in 2017, Flynn pled guilty to lying to the FBI about contacts he had with Russia, but he later attempted to withdraw this plea, according to The Hill.

Schiff Unravels 

While appearing on CNN’s “New Day,” Schiff accused Trump of “acting like an organized crime figure” because he feels that the president is trying to reward people who lie for him.

“It would send a message that at least as far as President Trump is concerned, if you lie on his behalf, if you cover up for him, he will reward you,” Schiff said. “He will protect you, but only if he thinks it’s in his interest.”

“There are others that lied for him that he’s not going to extend that kind of service to, but it just, frankly reflects so ill on our democracy, on the United States,” he added.

“Imagine what people around the world think when we have a president who’s acting like an organized crime figure,” Schiff continued. “But this is who Donald Trump is. It’s who he was on the way into the presidency. It will be exactly who he is on his last days of the presidency.”

RELATED: Hunter Biden Associate Bobulinski Says He Came Forward Because Schiff Accused Him Of Peddling Russian Disinformation

Schiff Admits Trump Could Legally Pardon Flynn

Despite this rant, Schiff could not deny that legally Trump has every right to pardon Flynn, “assuming that it’s not on the basis of some illicit quid pro quo.” However, the Democrat made a point of adding that he does not believe that Trump can pardon himself.

“There are other limitations on the pardon power, but it is very broad and subject to abuse as he has demonstrated,” Schiff said.

RELATED: President Trump Unleashed: ‘Watermelon Head’ Adam Schiff ‘Should Be Locked Up’

Schiff was one of the Democrats who led the impeachment witch hunt charge against Trump during his presidency. That’s why it would not be surprising if he’s planning to lead yet another witch hunt effort against Trump and those close to him, once the president leaves office.

The hatred Schiff has for President Trump remains nothing short of disturbing.

This piece was written by James Samson on November 25, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Robert De Niro Warns Trump Supporters That They ‘Should Be Afraid Of What’s Gonna Happen’ When He Leaves Office
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein Steps Down As Head Of Judiciary Committee After Backlash From Progressives
Dershowitz Slams Dominion Ploy And Trump’s Chances

The post Schiff Comes Unglued Over Reports Of Flynn Pardon – Says Trump ‘Acting Like An Organized Crime Figure’ appeared first on The Political Insider.

Cheers and Jeers: Wednesday

One Call Does It All

The Late Show makes special arrangements for the 45th president’s departure: 

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I’d be be happy to contribute some gas money to the cause. It’s a long road to Florida. 

Cheers and Jeers for Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Note: Here's the posting schedule for the rest of the week.  Special Thanksgiving edition tomorrow, and then no C&J Friday, though we'll probably post a "Who Won the Week" poll in the diaries at our usual 7:30 time. Back Monday for the ceremonial fighting over the leftover gizzards. Bring sturdy body armor. —Mgt.

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By the Numbers:

Starts in 15 days!!!

Days 'til the start of Hanukkah: 15

Percent of Americans polled by Harvard CAPS-Harris who say it’s time for Trump to concede: 58%

Percent who believe the vote-by-mail system was fair: 61%

Age at which Patrick Quinn, co-creator of the ALS "Ice Bucket Challenge" that has raised $220 million for research into the treatment of Lou Gehrig's Disease, died Sunday: 37

Average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for 10 people, the lowest since 2010 according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, with a 16-pound turkey going for $19.39: $46.90

Rank of "sausage stuffing" and "gravy", respectively, among Thanksgiving dishes searched online most often in Joe Biden's Delaware and Kamala Harris's California, according to Google Trends: #1

Sales of recreational marijuana during Maine's first official month selling it, with the average buyer spending $66: $1.4 million

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Mid-week Rapture Index: 182 (including 3 gogs and 1 pair of sinner’s glasses).  Soul Protection Factor 8 lotion is recommended if you’ll be walking amongst the heathen today.

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Puppy Pic of the Day: Hello…

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CHEERS to today’s top story. Ladies and gentlemen, this election is over. The greatest state in the union has officially certified its votes and, by god, it's a beautiful sight:

Maine has certified the results of the 2020 election, Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said Monday. … Dunlap said he handed the certified results to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills at 2 p.m. on Monday, the day they were due.

The final result: Joe Biden got 1 Electoral vote for winning the 1st district and 2 EVs for winning the overall state vote, and Donald Trump got one electoral vote for winning the pro-pussy-grabbing 2nd congressional district up north. By my math—and my math is the best math—that's a final count from the state of Maine of 270-1. Congratulations, President-elect Biden. I hope you don’t mind I took the liberty of activating your official transition site and organizing your inauguration in a pandemically-sensitive way. But now I have to take the dog out to pee, so you can take it from here. Good luck, sir. We're all counting on you.

CHEERS to confronting the XY-chromosomed bullies among us. Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. And like all events, the pandemic looms large over this year’s observances. The United Nations provides a little reminder that… 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified. UN Women provides up-to-date information and support to vital programmes to fight the Shadow Pandemic of violence against women during COVID-19.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today and remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it.

To further clarify, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women issued by the UN General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”

Just as pink is worn for breast cancer awareness and Red is worn for AIDS awareness, the U.N. urges everyone to wear and/or display orange between now and December 10 to show support for the fight to prevent violence against women.  On this site I don’t think that'll be a problem.

CHEERS to another crack in the glass ceiling. President-elect Biden, brilliantly generating momentum toward his inevitable January 20 swearing-in, released a flood of cabinet nominees this week. Among them is Janet Yellen, 74, who is now poised to become the first woman Treasury Secretary. In a preview of her overall approach to her job, President Barack Obama said this about Yellen when he nominated her to be the first person with lady parts to be the Federal Reserve Chair in 2014:

In Yellen’s plus column: she’s Brooklyn tough.

"The American people will have a fierce champion who understands that the ultimate goal of economic and financial policymaking is to improve the lives, jobs and standard of living of American workers and their families.

She understands that fostering a stable financial system will help the overall economy and protect consumers.

I am confident that Janet will stand up for American workers, protect consumers, foster the stability of our financial system, and help keep our economy growing for years to come."

Among the items on her agenda: unblocking Steve Mnuchin's misogynist logjam on the new Harriet Tubman $20 bill that was supposed to be released this year. But first, once confirmed, she'll spend a few hours rolling around in a giant pile of money shouting "Yippeeee!!!!"  (I hear it's a sacred tradition going back to Hamilton.)

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BRIEF SANITY BREAK

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"It's working!" Check out the critters big and small who are using Utah's first wildlife overpass to cross Interstate 80. The @UtahDWR shared this video on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/H7d896eiYs

— KUTV2news (@KUTV2News) November 21, 2020

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END BRIEF SANITY BREAK

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JEERS to Reagan's impeachment-worthy moment. On November 25, 1986, the Iran Contra "Affair" busted wide open when Captain Shining City On A Hill appointed the Tower commission to find out what the $#!!#$ was going on.  It later resulted in this public admission from Reagan:

"A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not.

Thankfully, he was finally impeached & convicted for wearing a tan suit.

As the Tower board reported, what began as a strategic opening to Iran deteriorated, in its implementation, into trading arms for hostages.  This runs counter to my own beliefs, to administration policy, and to the original strategy we had in mind."

Eleven people ended up getting nailed, but George H.W. Bush pardoned them before he left office.  Some of the Iran-Contra figures, like Elliott Abrams and John Negroponte, would pop up again in the Bush II administration despite the stains on their names.  Abrams is still stinking up the place as Trump's special something-or-other to Venezuela. And a couple years back the NRA tapped convicted felon Lt. Col. Oliver North to serve as president, a role he quickly left because that domestic-terrorism was too corrupt for him.  And George H.W.'s attorney general Bill Barr, who supported and encouraged pardoning all those criminals, became Trump's…wait for it…attorney general!  Because truly scurrilous help is so hard to find.

CHEERS to mostly smooth sailing. If you're traveling today in your 2020 Tesla electric jetpack, you might get a sprinkle or two in the middle of the country. But other than that, it looks fine. Meanwhile this is what the Turkey Day map looks like, according to CNN's Atari 2600 forecast computer:

Be very careful in the southwest & Lake Erie regions, where giant spinning lozenges may form.

The gays, feminists and pagans are quick to point out, by the way, that any weather messes this holiday are not their fault.  Responsibility rests solely on the homophobes, the Nazis, the KKK, and their cousins the conservative Bible thumpers. It’s residual from their huge 2020 election loss—their feelings are still delicate and tender. Hence the overall holiday outlook: scattered annoying snowflakes.

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Ten years ago in C&J: November 25, 2010

CHEERS to new rules.  Starting January 1, health insurance companies have to spend at least 80 cents of every dollar on actual health care coverage.  Not advertising.  Not lobbying.  Not junkets or bonuses.  Health care coverage.  Of course, the industry must be screaming about The Unfairness Of It All, right?  As usual...not so much, now that the fight is over:

[I]ndustry watchers said the final regulations wound up being more manageable than investors initially feared.  Analyst Les Funtleyder, who covers the industry for Miller Tabak, noted that HHS has wide latitude to adjust the rules to prevent market disruptions.  "From an expectations point of view, these are rules that managed care can live with in 2011," he said.

Not that it'll stop Republicans in Congress from pissing and moaning.  Which, coincidentally, constitutes at least 80 percent of what they spend their time on.

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And just one more…

CHEERS to sweet sounds. The Grammy nominations were announced yesterday and you can check out all the nominees here. I always go to the Spoken Word category first, because there's a good chance it'll have an Obama or a Carter or a Maddow on it. And this year…there is!

Flea: Acid for the Children

Ken Jennings: Alex Trebek—The Answer Is…

Her second Grammy nod. #1 was in 2013 for “Drift.”

Rachel Maddow: Blowout—Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth

Ronan Farrow: Catch and Kill

Meryl Streep & Full Cast: Charlotte's Web

President Donald Trump: White House Coronavirus Task Force Briefing—Bleach Injections Work Very Quickly, Almost Like A Cleaning

That last one isn’t officially on the ballot yet, but Rudy Giuliani is suing in all 50 states to get it added, and when has he ever lost?

Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga got their usual 150 nominations each, and my all-time favorite composer, John Williams, got his 72nd nod (for his Rise of Skywalker score).  Other notables on the Grammy list: James Taylor, Rufus Wainwright, Vince Gill, Ricky Martin, and a very posthumous one for Leonard Cohen. Trevor Noah hands out the awards on January 31st. And those kids better keep the noise down or I'm calling the police.

Have a happy humpday, and if you won’t be here tomorrow we'll say it now: Happy Thanksgiving!  Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?

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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial

Markos Moulitsas Fuming That the Cheers and Jeers Kiddie Pool is Filled With “Fools That Are Making Him Look Bad”: Report

Mediaite

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