DUCKIN' DON, OFFICIAL COWARD OF THE GOP
Don't buy the big- lead - shouldn't - debate strategic argument; Donald Trump is just afraid to face Chris Christie. And the debate is not a VP audition.
Donald Trump, aka “Duckin’ Don,” GOP Coward-in-Chief
Photo courtesy Rolling Stone Magazine/Getty Images/Robyn Beck/AFP
TRUMP IS A COWARD AND AFRAID OF EX-PROSECUTOR CHRISTIE
Once upon a time Chris Christie and Donald Trump were best buddies, and it’s even been reported that the former New Jersey governor was known to hold Trump’s laundry and even buy him his fast food fixes at McDonald’s.
Then after Trump was elected and Christie was appointed to head the transition team and help with appointments, all plugs were pulled and Christie was out on his rather ample rear end. He received no appointment, no White House access, and was sent packing without a fair thee well.
The reason: when Christie was the U.S. Attorney for Northern New Jersey, he prosecuted Jared Kushner’s father Charles and sent him off to federal prison. (Years later, Trump pardoned him.)
Christie called the crimes “loathsome” and “disgusting.”
Old Man Kushner was convicted of tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign donations. Among the acts he committed were hiring a hooker to seduce his brother-in-law, who was cooperating with the feds, taping the sex, and sending a copy to the man’s wife, who happened to be Charles Kushner’s own sister!
Trump knows two things that keep him off that stage: first, Chris Christie is an experienced prosecutor who has been doing an excellent job going around America explaining that Trump’s indictments are not political but the natural result of his criminal behavior. Second, Christie knows an awful lot about the Trumps and the Kushners and he doesn’t like a single one of them.
If Duckin’ Don Doesn’t Have the Guts to Face Chris Christie, How Would He Do Face-to-Face with Putin or Xi?
(Sorry, I forgot. We already know.)
This Isn’t a Dog and Pony Show for the VP Slot
That is the official talking point of the self-appointed cognoscente, but it’s wrong.
At least four of the eight are not at all in the running.
Since Meatball DeSantis is a resident of Florida as is Trump, that’s the easiest one to rule out.
Former NJ Governor and federal prosecutor Chris Christie, Trump’s feared nemesis. Trump is to scared to get on the same stage as Christie.
I think we can agree Christie is out as a Trump VP choice. Christie understands he’ll never be nominated for anything by his party. He just want to make sure a criminal does not regain office.
Then there are three guys who don’t even rate photos.
Mike Pence: been, there, done that, and besides, there’s the “Hang Mike Pence” problem.
Asa Hutchinson has said Trump’s indictments mean he should drop out of the race, so scratch him.
I sincerely doubt ND Governor Doug Burgum would ever be under consideration, partly because he never heard of him, and partly because he helped finance primary races against hard core MAGA people in his state.
So who’s left?
Three minority candidates: Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Vivek Ramaswamy, an off-the-rails nutcase who thinks maybe 9/11 was an inside job. He’s more at home with a tinfoil hat than that red baseball cap he’s wearing to make you think Trump and MAGA. He’s the perfect candidate for the nut-cakes except for one thing: he’s Hindu, and they hate that! Image courtesy MSNBC.
The last one, Ramaswamy, is at first blush the perfect Trumpie. He is certain Biden stole the 2020 election and most of races in 2022, he does not think January 6 involved any criminal conduct and he would pardon all the convicted insurrectionists and of course, pardon Trump. He’s not convinced 9/11 wasn’t an inside job.He wants a White Christian Nationalist government, where the fundamentalist Christian Bible controls everything.
Oh, did I mention he is a Hindu? That doesn’t matter in the least to any decent American, but we’re talking Republicans. Many of the Evangelical pastors Trump needs to keep the religious kooks in line have publicly stated they would never support a Hindu for any office, Christians only. (How do you think you get to be a White Christian Nationalist?)
I recently posted about Jewish Republican Congressman Max Miller learning the hard way that he’s in a White Christian Nationalist party where Jews are told they better accept a certain savior or they are doomed and that this belief ought to frame all our laws. Vivek Ramaswamy is learning the same. Kissing ass is a one way street in MAGA World, as all of Trump’s lawyers and appointees learned. Miller and Ramaswamy stay with that party because they are men without any shame whosoever and without any real self pride.
That leaves only Nikki Haley and Tim Scott, both from South Carolina. Let’s assume for the sake of argument that unlike the Hindu Ramaswamy, the Christians Haley and Scott might be acceptable. Haley is too far to the right for any Democrat, but probably too moderate and sane for most Republicans.
Former SC Governor & United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. Courtesy Yahoo News
Nikki Haley certainly has qualifications. She was a governor, a UN Ambassador and was trained and worked as a CPA. Maybe that’s why despite her right wing culture war bent, she’s more willing to compromise than most Republicans. Besides being too moderate, Nikki Haley may be too exotic for Republicans. She was born and raised a Sikh, and while she converted to Christianity when she married, she hasn’t tried to hide or run from her background like former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal did. That’s hardly a plus in a party that would be asked to nominate a woman, a person of color and person who might actually still respect another faith! That’s asking a lot in today’s GOP.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-SC . Courtesy Fox News)
Tim Scott is a died in the wool, rock-ribbed conservative totally captive to the religious right, and a Black man who says there’s no systemic racism in America, certainly not in the justice system. He’s a clear possibility, but remember we are talking about a highly speculative race where Trump makes it to the convention. Assuming he does, every voter knows he is a 78 year old morbidly obese man facing life in prison at any moment. Voting for him means a substantial likelihood his VP will assume office. I do not believe the GOP is ready for a Black person as President or Vice President. (They don’t even want them to vote!)
I Don’t See Tonight As a VP Audition, and We Don’t Have to Think Who Trump Might Pick, Because He’s Not Getting that Far.
I am constantly shocked at the tone-track focus on how Trump is faring against the gaggle of lessers trying to stop him.
Were that the only factor, I’d readily agree it’s going to be Trump running against Biden. But it’s not the only factor. Let me lay out a few of the more likely roadblocks to Trump being nominated, more specific than just saying he’s go four indictments. that take up a lot of time and money.
He Could Be Locked Up for Violating the Terms of a Court Order, Including Terms of Release. In Fact, He Probably will
Donald Trump is subject to a finding of contempt by any of the four judges presiding over his four criminal cases. While US District Court Judge Aileen Cannon of the Southern District of Florida is a Trump-appointed enabler and would never jail him unless ordered by an appellate court, the other three judges will if they must. The judges in DC and Atlanta have imposed some very strict release conditions and pretrial behavior orders. Violation of any would be decided by the judge, who could impose jail terms of up to six months per violation plus fines.
They do it all the time!
Can Trump really refrain from discussing facts of the case he’s not supposed to mention? Will he cease attacking the courts and the prosecution? Will he cease threatening witnesses directly or by implication? Will he refrain from talk that a reasonable person might fear could lad to violence? Can he maintain this from now until July 15, 2024, when the GOP Convention starts?
My best guess: if Trump has not been tried and convicted by the Convention, I do not see any way he manages to avoid multiple violations of orders and is sent off to the hoosegow for what could add up to years. At that point, he gives up the ghost, cuts a no jail deal and the GOP is left to pick up the pieces.
He Could Be Convicted and Even Jailed Before the Convention
The New York case involving the illegal payoff to a pornstar is set to being in March. The Florida case involving stolen documents and obstruction of justice is set for the end of May. It’s almost a certainty that both the DC and Atlanta cases will be set before the convention.
It’s possible some continuances might be granted, especially if the reason is the defendant Trump is on trial elsewhere. The likelihood that Trump manages to delay all four criminal cases through the middle of July is next to zero. Based on what evidence has been released and the lack of any credible defenses offered, I cannot see him getting acquitted on any case, let alone all of them.
As I said, if convicted on the NY case or in Judge Cannon’s off-the-wall court, Trump would not be immediately remanded and would likely remain on bail pending any appeals. He might not get any jail time in NY. But if convicted in Georgia or DC, the nature of the crimes and the no-nonsense judges means he goes right into custody after a guilty verdict is delivered. I convicted on those charges, no appeal court will disturb the judge’s remand order. Trying to overthrow the government and obstructing justice are taken quite seriously in most courtrooms aside from Judge Cannon’s.
When Duckin’ Don the Coward Hears the Sound of a Jury Pool, He May Well Plead Guilty to Stay Out of Jail
If Duckin’ Don can’t postpone trials, get elected and pardon himself after convictions, and then get the governor of Georgia to pardon him as well, he’s going to prison for the rest of his life.
Unless he cuts a deal.
There is no chance of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp helping in Trump, who tried to oust him in a primary last year because Kemp agreed that the Georgia win for Biden was legitimate and had to be certified.
It’s quite common for a blustery but chickenshit scared defendant to plead guilty on the eve or even the day of trial. Trump knows that the desire of most Americans is to put him behind them even more than behind bars, and the system desires to avoid the divisiveness and logistics of Trump going away forever. This means he could probably bargain for no jail as long as he admits he is ineligible to run again under the insurrectionist ban of the 14th Amendment, based on the nature of his convictions. It’s sensible and in Trump’s case, the coward’s way out.
His knuckle-headed January 6 insurrectionists are doing some hard time for carrying out Trump’s order, but he, the mob boss, might never serve a day. “Too big to jail,” redux.
How ‘s that for the GOP? Do they really want to run a candidate who is in jail or en route shortly and may screw them by pleading guilty and disqualifying himself to remain free?
Do they think the whole country is as stupid and crazy as them?
Actually, that is exactly what they think.
They’re on the way to a rude awakening. Duckin’ Don is never returning to power. Their cult leader is either going to prison or he’s admitting he did it all.
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If I thought Trump's reason for not debating was that he was so far ahead that he saw no reason to give publicity to people who aren't getting it on their own, I'd say that isn't off the wall. If he said he refused to give air time to dangerous crackpots like Ramaswamy or DeSantis, that he didn't want a serious debate to deteriorate into crazy conspiracy talk and anti-science lies, fine. COVID denial, climate change denial, anti-vaxx lies are not p[art of serious debate and rational people do not want to har them. No one has a duty to present these loony views.
RFK Jr. and Marianne Williamson are not serious candidates and RFK Jr is not a Democrat; he has taken most of his money from Republicans, testified for the Jim Jordan committee that going after Trump was political witch hunt. He had denied the seriousness of the Holocaust.
Political parties are allowed to set their own rules and they aren't subject to the first Amendment either. So if a political party makes a determination that they are not going to require an incumbent President to debate two people who are just there to spread their own loony ideas, I say that's exactly what they should do.
Joe Biden doesn't have to justify to anybody who is sane why he should never be replaced by RFK, Jr or Marianne Williamson. I have yet to hear a real Democrat, one who would vote in a primary, say they demand a debate between Biden and those two fools. Republicans might enjoy a clown cart show but others do not.
There is a great debate as to whether or not Trump should be the nominee based on numerous factors, not to mention four criminal indictments and he lost the last few elections for the GOP. I don't think anyone in the GOP could beat him but if the opposition got behind one person it would be much tighter than 40 points.
So while you may say what's the difference, the difference is there's no serious roadblock to Biden being nominated and he doesn't have any non-crazy opponents.
I am on twitter. I see tons of Dems saying stuff like this but have no problem with the DNC coronating Joe eve though polling shows majority of Dems want him to retire. He refuses to debate however, Just like Donnie!