‘Lock Them Up’ Is Now the Republican Party’s Highest Goal

[robosmith]

‘Lock Them Up’ Is Now the Republican Party’s Highest Goal

Quote

The answer is that Republicans are genuinely obsessed with the potential for using the criminal-justice system as a political weapon. They are so obsessed they don’t even wish to imagine leaving behind a world in which prosecution is linked with political identity. Victory or prison is the political environment they affirmatively wish to inhabit. Trump’s predicament hands them permission to do what they have always craved. And now the campaign, which will be anchored around a series of criminal trials, will be framed around their desire not only to keep Trump out of prison, but to lock up as many of their political opponents as they can.

If you haven’t drunk deeply from the fetid waters of the conservative fever swamp, this impulse might seem incomprehensible. Trump’s legal jeopardy is easily explained: His private sector record was a long history of shady associations with gangsters and running scams. His presidency was a continuous procession of his own advisers pleading with him not to do illegal things while he complained that his attorneys weren’t as unethical as Roy Cohn, the mob lawyer he once employed.

Within the sealed world of partisan Republican-curated news, Obama was a criminal. Hillary Clinton was a criminal. Bill Clinton was a veritable criminal mastermind. (Conservative organs as respectable as The Wall Street Journal editorial page, not to mention its seedier competitors, routinely accused Clinton of murdering Vince Foster and running a secret drug-smuggling operation out of Arkansas.)

It is a strange twist of fate that years of hysterically accusing every leading Democrat of criminality culminated in Republicans falling behind a presidential candidate who came to politics from the world of crime. [Fortunately they had NO EVIDENCE. As detailed in the indictments, there is PLENTY against Trump]

For some Republicans, the ascension of a transparently amoral swindler precipitated a psychic break from their party. But for most of them, it served merely to deepen the belief system they already subscribed to. Trump’s campaign and presidency followed directly from a mentality that detached the notion of criminality from any actual behavior and turned it into a partisan identity. Trump’s mantra — The crimes are being committed by the other side — has become a partywide doctrine.

But this idea, which has tightened its grip on conservative minds over the last generation, is now the dominant theme of the campaign. Trump’s indictments have intensified their humiliation and created an insatiable demand for revenge. The party is no longer running on policy or even culture war. It is now consumed above all with turning the criminal-justice system into an instrument of revenge. 

[myata]

Extreme partisanship will lead only to a demise of democracy. There are no other exits.

[robosmith]

2 minutes ago, myata said:

Extreme partisanship will lead only to a demise of democracy. There are no other exits.

Of course. Putting Party before country is what gave us Nixon and now Trump.

A couple of years ago, on another forum, I was chatting with a conservative who, in response to my claim that civil war would not happen, insisted that it had already started and was inevitable that it would turn violent.

As David Frum (R) said: "If conservatives become convinced that they can not win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. The will reject democracy.”

Trump has epitomized that. And that is why he is charged with those crimes.

[Legato]

If the word Republican is changed to Democrat then one would have the current situation.

[robosmith]

30 minutes ago, Legato said:

If the word Republican is changed to Democrat then one would have the current situation.

You are mistaking targeting political identity for ACTUAL EVIDENCE of CRIMES. 

Republicans are now desperately SEEKING evidence for REVENGE. Even your fellow partisan Deluge admits they don't have it (but it's coming someday soon LMAO).

Grand JURIES have seen the evidence against Trump and THOSE CITIZENS indicted him.

[myata]

1 hour ago, robosmith said:

As David Frum (R) said: "If conservatives become convinced that they can not win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. The will reject democracy.”

But the whole divide of progressivism / conservatism arises largely or primarily due to the binary nature of the system that has to squeeze all variety into just two factions, is it not so? In a representative parliamentary system there would be many flavors of conservatives and liberals and the extreme ones would be a small minority. Even then it wouldn't be polarized to the extremes as we see now due to the need to maintain dialogue and vie for at least some representation.

[Legato]

23 minutes ago, robosmith said:

You are mistaking targeting political identity for ACTUAL EVIDENCE of CRIMES. 

Republicans are now desperately SEEKING evidence for REVENGE. Even your fellow partisan Deluge admits they don't have it (but it's coming someday soon LMAO).

Grand JURIES have seen the evidence against Trump and THOSE CITIZENS indicted him.

Why would anyone seek revenge if if there was no evidence of wrongdoing from the democrats. You scenario does not compute.

[Aristides]

Why would they? Where's the evidence?

[robosmith]

23 minutes ago, myata said:

But the whole divide of progressivism / conservatism arises largely or primarily due to the binary nature of the system that has to squeeze all variety into just two factions, is it not so? In a representative parliamentary system there would be many flavors of conservatives and liberals and the extreme ones would be a small minority. Even then it wouldn't be polarized to the extremes as we see now due to the need to maintain dialogue and vie for at least some representation.

It's not binary. Trump has proven that. That's why traditional conservatives abhor Trump. See Lincoln Project conservatives.

He is anti-American leadership in the world. AKA, isolationist, and helping authoritarian governments to flourish. And actually, promoting it HERE.

[robosmith]

24 minutes ago, Legato said:

Why would anyone seek revenge if if there was no evidence of wrongdoing from the democrats. You scenario does not compute.

Same reason Trump viciously attacks anyone WHO OPPOSES HIM. That is the nature of fascists.

It's all about power and has nothing to with "wrongdoing." It's like Trump co-opting RINO to mean anyone who does not back HIM.

[myata]

34 minutes ago, robosmith said:

It's not binary. Trump has proven that. That's why traditional conservatives abhor Trump. See Lincoln Project conservatives.

The system is though. They cannot have representation. Even in the primaries they have to compete with trampites. They have to vote for their binary opponent, or support insanity; or not participate in the election. In a representative system would could just formulate their vision and present it to the society.

[I am Groot]

3 hours ago, robosmith said:

As David Frum (R) said: "If conservatives become convinced that they can not win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. The will reject democracy.”

Republicans rejected conservatism years ago.  They've been floundering around screaming at people over hot button issues for years and now have a messiah to lead them into the promised land of guilt free criminality.

[robosmith]

1 hour ago, I am Groot said:

Republicans rejected conservatism years ago.  They've been floundering around screaming at people over hot button issues for years and now have a messiah to lead them into the promised land of guilt free criminality.

I believe the guilt will proven soon and not be free.

[West]

5 hours ago, myata said:

Extreme partisanship will lead only to a demise of democracy. There are no other exits.

There is no democracy in the US just an illusion like the nazis

[robosmith]

8 minutes ago, West said:

There is no democracy in the US just an illusion like the nazis

You just keep proving you're delusional. Even many Republican election officials like those in GA count the votes.

Not sure if they're still under-resourcing minority neighborhood polling locations like they have in the past to suppress the vote.

[ironstone]

4 hours ago, robosmith said:

It's not binary. Trump has proven that. That's why traditional conservatives abhor Trump. See Lincoln Project conservatives.

He is anti-American leadership in the world. AKA, isolationist, and helping authoritarian governments to flourish. And actually, promoting it HERE.

Those would be the same Lincoln Project conservatives that staged the white supremacist hoax in Virginia?

[robosmith]

1 minute ago, ironstone said:

Those would be the same Lincoln Project conservatives that staged the white supremacist hoax in Virginia?

What hoax? You believe the neo-Nazis marching with torches and chanting were not real neo-Nazis?

Or are you talking about something other than Charlottesville and Unite the Right?

[ironstone]

1 minute ago, robosmith said:

What hoax? You believe the neo-Nazis marching with torches and chanting were not real neo-Nazis?

Or are you talking about something other than Charlottesville and Unite the Right?

Lincoln Project Says It Planted White Supremacist Impersonators At Event For Virginia Republican Candidate (forbes.com)

[robosmith]

8 minutes ago, ironstone said:

Lincoln Project Says It Planted White Supremacist Impersonators At Event For Virginia Republican Candidate (forbes.com)

Apparently, it's the same group, yes. What of it?

They aren't the only traditional conservatives strongly opposed to Trump cause he's an ahole.

My best friend is a fairly extreme conservative, but he won't vote for Trump.

[myata]

49 minutes ago, West said:

There is no democracy in the US

Q.E.D.

[ironstone]

26 minutes ago, robosmith said:

Apparently, it's the same group, yes. What of it?

They aren't the only traditional conservatives strongly opposed to Trump cause he's an ahole.

My best friend is a fairly extreme conservative, but he won't vote for Trump.

You're not bothered by the fact that this group staged a stunt like this?

And I get the impression they are not traditional conservatives at all.

[CdnFox]

6 hours ago, robosmith said:

Of course. Putting Party before country is what gave us Nixon and now Trump.

And cilinton.  ALmost twice And that gave us the biggest world wide recession since the depression. 

The democrats are currently ONLY fixated on "lock him up".   Zero policy, zero thought - in many cases zero crime, they tried to string together enough misdemenors to somehow equal a felony, like pushing together slivers of left over soap trying to make a new bar. 

And where they do have some possible grounds it's for things biden and hillary did as well.

So of COURSE the revenge is going to be legendary.  It would have anyway but this is TRUMP.  And all the dems have done is give him enough free press and martyrdom material to win the next election

Everyone said at the very beginning of all this "Lock trump up" nonsense that they were opening a door to a future where the party in power spends all it's time prosecuting the opposition members.  And now they're going to live it, 

Typical bullies, they like to slap but they don't like getting slapped back.

[West]

7 hours ago, robosmith said:

Same reason Trump viciously attacks anyone WHO OPPOSES HIM. That is the nature of fascists.

It's all about power and has nothing to with "wrongdoing." It's like Trump co-opting RINO to mean anyone who does not back HIM.

The only person the Democrats denied bail to in Fulton was black. Predictable racist garbage from the lefties 

[robosmith]

4 hours ago, ironstone said:

You're not bothered by the fact that this group staged a stunt like this?

Not really. Are you bothered by ALL the stunts that Trump stages like using donor money for his legal expenses?

4 hours ago, ironstone said:

And I get the impression they are not traditional conservatives at all.

They are mostly advisors to traditional conservatives who have probably fallen on hard times because of MAGA.

Edited August 27, 2023 by robosmith

[Hodad]

3 hours ago, West said:

The only person the Democrats denied bail to in Fulton was black. Predictable racist garbage from the lefties 

 

?

Guess he shouldn't have assaulted those FBI agents when he was served federally.

"I do find that based on the open charge against you there are grounds for bond to be denied at this point,” Richardson said. “So I’m going to go ahead and find that you are at risk to commit additional felonies and a potential risk to flee the jurisdiction.”

She also told Floyd that the issue is ultimately "not going to be decided by me. It’s going to be decided by the judge who was assigned to handle your case.”