On Tue, 20 Aug 2024 21:58:29 -0000 (UTC), Brenda Hayward <X@Y.com> wrote:

>You shouldn't talk of Trump that way. He's a sad case. Accused Felon,
>Convicted Felon, confirmed Rapist, compulsive liar, selfish and a fraud,
>but be kind to the old fool as he's almost 80, his mind is slipping away
>and won't have much time.

Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel about Cadet Bonespurs.

>Guilty. The New York jury’s unanimous verdicts on 34 counts mean that
>Donald Trump is not only the first sitting or former US president to be
>prosecuted in a criminal trial, but the first to be convicted.
>
>Trump was found to have falsified business records to hide $130,000 of hush
>money paid to cover up a sex scandal he feared might hinder his run in
>2016. Before his entry into politics, it would have been taken for granted
>that such charges would kill a campaign. Yet Trump is running for the White
>House as a convicted criminal. If he is jailed when he is sentenced in July
>– which most experts think unlikely – it is assumed that he would continue.
>If anything, the prospect of such a sentence spurs him on.
>
>It is grim testament to his character that in some ways the most startling
>aspect of testimony in the five-week trial was about his fear of the
>electoral impact that the adult film star Stormy Daniels’ allegation of
>extramarital sex might have. It was a reminder of how far he has lowered
>the political bar. Eight years on, critics have been forced to acknowledge
>that no scandal or shame seems to weaken the attachment of his core voters
>or the craven bond of Republican politicians. Each fresh revelation has
>seemed to almost reinforce his aura of impregnability to political
>controversy.
>
>This trial too was in some ways grist to his mill, raising funds and firing
>up supporters. Some said they were more likely to vote for him if he were
>convicted. He continues to play the martyr: “Our whole country is being
>rigged right now,” he lied to supporters. He says he will appeal against
>his “scam” conviction.
>
>Yet no one doubts that his anger, and his glum post-verdict demeanour, were
>real. Polling suggested that some supporters would think twice if there
>were a conviction. The hearings have cost him time and focus ahead of a
>closely contested election. With the outcome hanging on turnout and a small
>number of waverers in a handful of battleground states this November, even
>marginal effects could prove significant. Joe Biden now has an opportunity
>– albeit one which must be used carefully, and which will not on its own
>erase shortcomings within the Democratic campaign.
>
>The three criminal cases Trump still faces – over the alleged mishandling
>of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 election – are
>graver by far, but are not expected to be heard before election day. While
>this may not have been the case that his opponents wanted, it has proved
>that he breaks the law for political advantage. Failing to pursue it for
>fear that he would exploit the charges would have meant tacitly caving in
>to his bullyboy tactics.
>
>Having wreaked devastation upon US politics, Trump seeks to undermine the
>rule of law too. He has assailed the prosecutor, the judge, the jury and
>the legal system itself. He broke a gag order 10 times. The damage he has
>caused must not be underestimated or overlooked. But the judicial process
>has held.
>
>While so many powerful Republican politicians have quailed and fallen into
>line, 12 ordinary men and women have held him accountable. Their verdict
>has confirmed once more that this man is unfit to run the country. Their
>peers should take heed when they issue their own verdict at the ballot box
>in November.
>

#NEVERtrump