Trump ordered to pay $350 million for fraudulent business practices in New York

Bedinsis

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You only think people here are civil because you spend so much time arguing with me personally.
When have I said people here are civil? I try to be respectful towards everyone, in the hope that it will foster a civil discussion no matter their temperament or opinion.
 

BrawlMan

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Republicans haven't been "the party of law and order" for decades. They've been the party of "we are the law, and we order you to comply, or we will punish you".
A political analyst said the other day that the Republican party does not exist, it is the party of Trump, who he took over as a Trojan horse.
AKA, The Bitches-in-A-Boxstand party.
 

The Rogue Wolf

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My 'favourite' part is when one of them cries "How did our party end up like this?". Which, ok, there's a little bit of self awareness there, but not much.
Trump is just the logical end stage of the Republican desire for a strong daddy-figure who'll make "those people" suffer and die for the unforgivable crime of "not being just like me".
 

dreng3

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I chose to be precise with my words, rather than accept whatever you want to put in my mouth, and you're accusing me of not understanding subtlety.

No, I understand subtlety quite thoroughly, which is why you're upset that I'm not saying the wrong things you want me to.
Well aren't you a good spineless little follower. Take a damn position on something instead of hiding behind the shield of not having actually said something.

Should Trump have an unfair trial which he, by your own comment, couldn't possibly get in Manhattan, or should the trial have been moved? That is the binary, either move or don't. You don't get to complain about the trial not being fair but also claiming that you don't have an opinion on whether or not it should have been moved.
 

Hades

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So how are people allowed to vote for democrats?
Probably because the Republicans don't have the power to ban that outright. Though during Covid they certainly discussed cutting aid to blue states to punish them for not voting Republican.

And while they can't forbid people from voting Democrat they can do all in their power to make such a vote toothless. Gerrymandering being an obvious example, as is doing a coup when the Democrats won. Project 2025 is also all about sidestepping elections whenever the result isn't what Republicans want them to be.
 

Agema

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A political analyst said the other day that the Republican party does not exist, it is the party of Trump, which he took over as a Trojan horse.
This is sort of true, I'd just modify it by pointing out that the Trump faction is really a right wing populist wing of the Republican Party which had been growing for 20-30 years, probably most notably in its guise as the "Tea Party". It had long looked liked that would eventually gain ascendance over the traditional, business-centric Republican Party, and Trump was the person who completed that.

Although this wing has often talked small government, freedom, etc. underneath they've always been a movement that would embrace an autocrat to enforce their view of the world on the rest of the country.
 

meiam

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This is sort of true, I'd just modify it by pointing out that the Trump faction is really a right wing populist wing of the Republican Party which had been growing for 20-30 years, probably most notably in its guise as the "Tea Party". It had long looked liked that would eventually gain ascendance over the traditional, business-centric Republican Party, and Trump was the person who completed that.

Although this wing has often talked small government, freedom, etc. underneath they've always been a movement that would embrace an autocrat to enforce their view of the world on the rest of the country.
I'd argue that wing as been there for longer than 30 year, they've had their share of populist candidate before. But with the rise of social media and the multiplication of niche media that can cater to extremist view, they've been able to grow stronger. Throw in the crazy primary model, and they've been able to transform 20% of the party into 100%.

I don't see them going away too, even Trump is gone for one reason or another, somebody else will be just as happy to use them to try and grab power. They might even be smarter next time around.
 
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Cicada 5

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Advance Democracy, a nonprofit that conducts public interest research, said there has been a high volume of social media posts containing violent rhetoric targeting New York Judge Juan Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, including a post with BraggÂ’s purported home address. The group also found posts of the purported addresses of jurors on a fringe internet message board known for pro-Trump content and harassing and violent posts, although it is unclear if any actual jurors had been correctly identified.

The posts, which have been reviewed by NBC News, appear on many of the same websites used by Trump supporters to organize for violence ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. These forums were hotbeds of threats inspired by Trump’s lies about the 2020 election, which he lost, and that the voting system was “rigged” against him. They now feature new threats echoing Trump’s rhetoric and false claims about the hush money trial, including that the judicial system is now “rigged” against him.

“Dox the Jurors. Dox them now,” one user wrote after Trump’s conviction on a website formerly known as “The Donald,” which was popular among participants in the Capitol attack. (That post appears to have been quickly removed by moderators.)
 
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Worgen

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Whatever, just wash your hands.
I'd argue that wing as been there for longer than 30 year, they've had their share of populist candidate before. But with the rise of social media and the multiplication of niche media that can cater to extremist view, they've been able to grow stronger. Throw in the crazy primary model, and they've been able to transform 20% of the party into 100%.

I don't see them going away too, even Trump is gone for one reason or another, somebody else will be just as happy to use them to try and grab power. They might even be smarter next time around.
I think when trump is gone it will certainly slow things down and maybe even kill them outright since so far no one has that weird charisma he does.
 

Dirty Hipsters

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I don't see them going away too, even Trump is gone for one reason or another, somebody else will be just as happy to use them to try and grab power. They might even be smarter next time around.
They've already been trying. DeSantis made the push, but the problem was that he was Trump lite running against Trump original recipe so Trump supporters didn't have a reason to pick him over Trump, and DeSantis also turned out to be an uncharismatic and unlikable weirdo, even by Republican standards.

The Republicans have already demonstrated that there isn't much room in the party for the Liz Cheney and Nikki Haley type politicians anymore, not if they want to cater to the loudest and angriest voices.
 

meiam

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I think when trump is gone it will certainly slow things down and maybe even kill them outright since so far no one has that weird charisma he does.
I hope, would be nice if "smart enough to be an effective threat to democracy" and "charismatic to the MAGA crowd" were somehow fundamentally incompatible

They've already been trying. DeSantis made the push, but the problem was that he was Trump lite running against Trump original recipe so Trump supporters didn't have a reason to pick him over Trump, and DeSantis also turned out to be an uncharismatic and unlikable weirdo, even by Republican standards.

The Republicans have already demonstrated that there isn't much room in the party for the Liz Cheney and Nikki Haley type politicians anymore, not if they want to cater to the loudest and angriest voices.
I dunno if Desantis would have fumbled had Trump not being there, my 5 cents is that if Trump legal trouble had taken a bit longer Desantis would be the nominee now and people would just pretend he was charismatic.

There might not be room for them anymore, but they're not leaving, Haley just endorsed Trump. I really don't get what so terrifying about Biden/moderate democrat that even the one who realize who Trump really is still endorse him.
 

tstorm823

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Should Trump have an unfair trial which he, by your own comment, couldn't possibly get in Manhattan, or should the trial have been moved? That is the binary, either move or don't. You don't get to complain about the trial not being fair but also claiming that you don't have an opinion on whether or not it should have been moved.
What end result do you want? "Should" implies an absolute correct result, but there are many consequences and many motivations to consider. Moving the trial out of Manhattan could have potentially seen him acquitted, or alternatively it could have lead to a conviction that would withstand scrutiny. Leaving it there with that judge and that jury gives us a quick, certain conviction that will almost certainly be overturned on appeal. If your goal is to have the decision survive appeal, then yes, it should have been moved. But that is not was the justice system was looking for here, so they didn't do that.

In my preferred counterfactual world, they would have charged him with the correct thing 5+ years ago when they found the improperly labeled payments in the first place. There is no ideal venue for bringing the wrong charges against someone.
 

Trunkage

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I (and anyone) can see the videos of the Rittenhouse case, it was obvious self-defense, even the plaintiff's own witness said as much.
It literally does not matter what the witness said. You can shoot anyone who yells and makes you feel scared in America.

It was clear that Rittenhouse was going to get off before any witness said anything. I personally was pointing this out ages before the case even started. The LAWS say this. Rittenhouse could have done the worst thing in the world, and he would have gotten off

It's the reason why no country follows American gun laws. They are that terrible. If Rittenhouse did what he did in any other country, he would be in jail for manslaughter
 

Trunkage

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If someone says they are for Law and Order, my automatic response is that they aren't. They (both Dems and Rep) pretended to be for Law and Order during the Civil Rights Era and were clearly lying. Biden's did nothing to improve Law and Order

What they actually mean is that they want to be the head of Law and Order and have targets in mind
 

Agema

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What end result do you want? "Should" implies an absolute correct result, but there are many consequences and many motivations to consider. Moving the trial out of Manhattan could have potentially seen him acquitted, or alternatively it could have lead to a conviction that would withstand scrutiny. Leaving it there with that judge and that jury gives us a quick, certain conviction that will almost certainly be overturned on appeal. If your goal is to have the decision survive appeal, then yes, it should have been moved. But that is not was the justice system was looking for here, so they didn't do that.
Look, I'm sorry, but this is bullshit.

The Constitution states that a trial should take place in the district the crime was committed. That is the fundamental standard expected. There is then provision to move trials, but of a very high standard: "so great a prejudice against the accused that the accused cannot obtain a fair and impartial trial there."

You have presented literally no convincing evidence or argument that Trump faces so much prejudice that he cannot have a fair trial, just hot air. As you haven't even been able to make that case, there's no point writing absurd fantasies about a change of legal venue.
 
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tstorm823

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Look, I'm sorry, but this is bullshit.

The Constitution states that a trial should take place in the district the crime was committed. That is the fundamental standard expected. There is then provision to move trials, but of a very high standard: "so great a prejudice against the accused that the accused cannot obtain a fair and impartial trial there."

You have presented literally no convincing evidence or argument that Trump faces so much prejudice that he cannot have a fair trial, just hot air. As you haven't even been able to make that case, there's no point writing absurd fantasies about a change of legal venue.
Why should I offer an argument for something you already know and believe?
 

Phoenixmgs

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Because the Republicans didn't want to be too overt in their voter suppression. One wonders if that will be the same if Trump wins again.
You guys are just ridiculous...

Probably because the Republicans don't have the power to ban that outright. Though during Covid they certainly discussed cutting aid to blue states to punish them for not voting Republican.

And while they can't forbid people from voting Democrat they can do all in their power to make such a vote toothless. Gerrymandering being an obvious example, as is doing a coup when the Democrats won. Project 2025 is also all about sidestepping elections whenever the result isn't what Republicans want them to be.
What aid?

Both sides gerrymander... And there's no real fair way to make district lines (even John Oliver episode said as much).

It literally does not matter what the witness said. You can shoot anyone who yells and makes you feel scared in America.

It was clear that Rittenhouse was going to get off before any witness said anything. I personally was pointing this out ages before the case even started. The LAWS say this. Rittenhouse could have done the worst thing in the world, and he would have gotten off

It's the reason why no country follows American gun laws. They are that terrible. If Rittenhouse did what he did in any other country, he would be in jail for manslaughter
No you can't...

What Rittenhouse did I would say is morally self-defense regardless of what the actual law says. The threat against him was high enough to merit using a gun.

Not really true...
Reddit Europe self-defense thread

Funny how when I say like every country did such and such with covid it's not a valid defense, but you can use it?
 

Dalisclock

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Well, the "Law and order" part applies to OTHER PEOPLE. Republicans get special pleading to lower the bar for them(In particular Trump, who apparently should be held to the lowest possible standard if any standard at all). It's pretty pathetic but that's what it is.
 
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