I don't think Trump would do run for the House with an aim of becoming speaker. But it isn't because the job requires actual work. The job of president required actual work until Trump decided that it didn't.

I doubt that Trump's ego would allow him to run for the House. That would be too much like conceding that he lost the presidential election.

This is pretty good. It's based on the "backwards pants" mystery/ incident.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/trump-...-move-n1272248

https://www.thedailybeast.com/oan-go...election-fraud

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-...ories-n1272509

Trump implicitly conceded that he realizes his core business may soon face criminal charges
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-...utors-n1272590

Trump demonstrating his "big brain" and his masterful use of his "best words"!

Watch from the 4 minute mark to 6 minutes and 20 seconds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XJlAQscVbI&t=263s

Saw that, yet Fox News is questioning the cognitive ability of old Joe. Both sides should probably keep there mouth shut but Joe isn’t that bad.

It's not symmetric though. If Biden was out there bragging about being able to identify a picture of an elephant or claiming that political opponents and journalists would not do well on tests where failure means you need constant supervision it would be irresponsible not to point out what that must mean about his own cognitive abilities.

The next presidential election I believe will be the end of the American ideal. Not that it isn't already over -- it is -- but that will destroy any semblance of it. It's not all one side's fault, of course. Afraid it's going to be scary and permanent horrendous dysfunction and oppositionalism.

Fair point.

Good stuff.

https://www.msnbc.com/ayman-mohyeldi...k-115851333626

As much as Trump may be guilty as sin this is a political prosecution and nothing more if they seek jail time.

Funny I remember Obama's admin giving a sweetheart deal to HSBC with no jail time under what I think they call preferred prosecution

I assume you know that none have served time for similar infractions of the law, lozen.

I mean, who doesn't have a spreadsheet with columns titled "Compensation I've Received From My Employer" and "Compensation I've Received From My Employer That We're Gonna Report to IRS" that differ by 7 figures?"

No. The initial investigations were probably politically motivated as were federal investigations into the Clinton Foundation, Hunter Biden's consulting firm and Bernie Sander's wife's land deals. Charges are being brought in Trump's case because it is the only one with such obvious law breaking. Looking the other way after you find such clear evidence of illegal behavior would be politically motivated.

And I should say the Hunter Biden case is ongoing and of course if he is just blatantly lying to the IRS like the Trump Org was he will get charged criminally.

I am not so sure I agree with that.

I think that Trump Co has got away this long without charges was political.

I think any normie in his spots would be charged much easier from this stuff to the attempt to coerce/Intimidate election officials, etc.

In the specific instance when Trumps Lawyers are proclaiming 'this is unprecedented' I saw it explained that is because typically when you have a corporation so dead to rights guilty of these types of tax fraud, then the company, its Officers, cooperate and plead guilty in a deal that is typically fines and penalties and some sanctions.

Think of Trump University and Trump Charity, pleading guilty, accepted fines, but ALSO accepting that they will not do those types of things, including accepting prohibitions on Boards of charities, being an Officer or Director, etc, or creating new such Charities of companies.

So yes you avoid going to jail but you agree to a range of other sanctions.

In this case Trump Org would agree to NOTHING. Acknowledge NOTHING, accept no deal for those things and yet still seems to be saying 'we should get the same type of sentencing considerations'.

Why? Because to avoid Jail, as likely could be agreed to, many of those pleading guilty may be required to step out of business, (no Officer or Director status) and give up licences (Allen's C.A.), etc.

Trump would never agree to that and so would be telling Allen W and everyone, 'if we all refuse any cooperation the worst happens is we pay some fines and penalties. It only gets worse than that if one of us breaks'.

That is best for the corporation but as we see poor advice to Allen, which is why the Prosecution HAS to charge him with the full extent of the law. To not do so proves that non cooperation is the best strategy as you only end up at the same place anyway (as Trump's lawyers are calling for) which is just pay the fines and penalties.

It is important for the Prosecutors to not let that be the case. Non cooperation must extract a higher price than cooperation.

That is why I still thing there is a chance Allen W does flip.

I think he was told by Trump Co Lawyers, who represented them all jointly to this point, that the best strategy was non cooperation and worst is 'we get fines and penalties' but carry on.

What they did not tell him is, if he does the hard core non-cooperation thing to the end (ala Roger Stone or Manafort) , yes the company will carry on and no one above him (Trump family members) will get indicted, but he, Allen, will take the fall so they don't have to.

I think both Roger and Manafort were willing to do so, knowing a pardon was coming and any jail time they served up to that point would have almost certainly been required in any plea deal regardless. Allen W, if he has a good lawyer now who truly represents his, and not Trump Org interests, should be advising him, he should consider cooperation if they are offered the right terms.

I mean, very few people are so truly altruistic that they will say "I will go to jail so you don't have to" as they that is really what is at stake.

If I am in that exact same situation and really, really don't want to turn on my boss/partner then I fully expect my boss/partner would be saying to me "I really don't want to see you going to jail for me when you could get out of it. Let me talk to my lawyers and see if we can find a deal to keep you out'.

If I did not see at least a base offer from my Boss/Partner to try to consider options to saving me from that, then I would turn based on that.

Trump Ranks 41st Of 44 Presidents In Survey Of Historians As Obama Cracks Top 10

Former President Donald Trump came just short of being ranked dead last among America’s presidents in a newly released survey of presidential historians as his predecessor, former President Barack Obama made his way into the top 10.

- Trump was ranked 41st overall out of 44 presidents in a C-SPAN survey of 142 “historians, professors and other professional observers of the presidency,” coming in last or near-last on categories such as “moral authority,” “administrative skills” and “international relations.”

- Trump fared slightly better on metrics like “public persuasion,” “economic management” and “vision/setting an agenda,” in which he ranked in the 30s.

- Trump’s ranking puts him just behind William Henry Harrison, who died of pneumonia 31 days into office, and John Tyler, who spent his final days as a member-elect of the Confederate House of Representatives.

- The only presidents who ranked behind Trump are Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson, all reviled by historians for their seeming culpability in the Civil War or racial segregation.

- Obama moved up 2 spots to number 10, edging out Lyndon Johnson, remembered for his role in shepherding civil rights legislation and expanding entitlement programs.

...“Each cycle, we reach out to past participants and add new names to the list to maintain a well-rounded list of invited participants,” C-SPAN says of the survey’s methodology. The survey has been conducted at the end of each presidency since 2000.