DL Open Thread Tuesday August 22 2023

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Republican primary voters could care less that a handful of wingnut billionaires want someone other that Trump to win the Republican nomination. 

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Didn't ya take no civics  classes?!?!  This is how government is supposed to work: 
A bloc of hard-right Republicans released a memo threatening to shut down the government unless the Department of Justice stops its probe of former president Donald Trump. The House Freedom Caucus released a memo stating their official position as the House begins its negotiations for spending. The US government will run out of money on 30 September.

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Hey Court, good luck with that. 
A judge signed off on a $200,000 bond for former President Trump in the Georgia election case, enacting stricter rules than his co-defendants, on Monday, according to court filings. The order forbids Trump from intimidating any co-defendants or witnesses in the case as he awaits trial.

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I, for one, blame our extremely shitty for profit health insurance system. I didn't read for enought in to see if  the Delaware News Journal's  Krys'tal Griffin made the same point.  

Need to visit an emergency room in Delaware? Well, get cozy. Delaware has one of the longest emergency room waiting times in the country.

Delaware is the state with the second longest emergency room waiting time in the nation, according to a study conducted by medical expert Med.ro that compiled data from Johns Hopkins Medicine, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services, KFF and Definite Healthcare.

The study defines the average waiting time as the time it takes for a patient to be called for treatment after arriving at the emergency room.

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Trump hanging his co-conspirators out to dry means that thinks he will win all of his cases on appeal in the Supreme Court.  And that's actually probably a reasonable presumption.   

Trump ripping off contractors and the like has no downside for him because it would cost the marks more money to try to get and obtain a civil judgment than they would be owed. In this case, the co-conspirators do have some leverage: they can turn state’s. So presumably 1)thinks his traditional immunity will allow him to get off again no matter what or 2)omerta will prevail even if he stiffs his lickspittles. He may even be right, but this may not prove to be enlightened self-interest.

Last Week’s Poll Results and This Week’s Poll

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Of Trump's Jan 6 excuses, 44% of DL readers found  "If I earnestly BELIEVE I am President, then I am President"  the most ludicrous.

It is ludicrous, but it is all he's got.  Living in an alternative reality and inviting people to live there with him is his thing.  It is not something that will work in a courtroom, but he can't help it.   This conservative CATO institute puts it this way:
America has seen its fair share of lying politicians, but Donald Trump is in a class of his own. He appears to view literally any interaction with another human being as an opportunity to be exploited and a game to be won. In Trump’s world, rules are for chumps, norms are for losers, and the truth is whatever you can get another person to believe — nothing more. And of course, history makes clear that this approach has been quite effective at advancing Trump’s interests in certain settings — preening on the set of a game show, for example, or spinning up a fawning, frothing crowd at a campaign event. But not only will those antics not work in a courtroom, they will backfire. Given the nature of the allegations against him, Trump will have to take the stand even though he has a right not to, and given his nature, he will lie to the jury just like he has lied to everyone else his entire life.
Which brings us to our next week's poll.  (The last Trump poll for a while, I promise.).  

How many felony charges will Trump add to his 91 existing felony charges on Monday when he reveals his 100 page  "report" that he says will cause all charges to be dropped?

Trump’s Crazy Ass Tweet (or whatever) annotated

“I DIDN’T TAMPER WITH THE ELECTION!   [..if I had I would have won.  It would have been beautiful tampering. The most beautiful tampering ever.] THOSE [black people] WHO RIGGED & STOLE THE ELECTION WERE THE ONES DOING THE TAMPERING, & THEY ARE THE SLIME THAT SHOULD BE PROSECUTED. [They are as guilty as the central park 5.  remember them? Very guilty. Everyone is saying so] I MADE A PERFECT PHONE CALL OF PROTEST. [That would have worked if I wasn't dealing with all these 'too honest' fuckers.]  WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL THE FULTON COUNTY GRAND JURY THAT I DID NOT TAMPER WITH THE ELECTION. [My lawyers were supposed to tell them, but I can't find my lawyer anywhere.  Can someone tell my lawyer to call me?]  THE PEOPLE THAT TAMPERED WITH IT WERE THE ONES THAT RIGGED IT.” A Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT on the Presidential Election Fraud which took place in Georgia is almost complete & will be presented by me at a major News Conference at 11:00 A.M. on Monday of next week  [as soon as my pillow guy puts the finishing touches on it] in Bedminster, New Jersey. [Home of LIV golf tour, check it out!!]  Based on the results of this CONCLUSIVE Report, all charges should be dropped against me & others [this is how trials work, I send in a report and things go away.] – There will be a complete EXONERATION! [That's the good one. Exoneration.]  They never went after those [black people] that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that fought to find the R[N]IGGERS!  I'm pretty excited to see the news Monday based on Trump's previous promises of definitive proof of election fraud in November 2020,  when Giuliani held an infamous press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping.