Biden could offer him a full pardon on all Federal charges including the dangerous SDNY but any State stuff would still go on. BUt I think most of the State stuff is more likely to end with a big fine than jail.

And i could see Biden making that deal. Even if Biden wins clearly and Trump steps down, I have said why I think Biden does not pursue anything against Trump and gets his AG to end it all.

It will be the 'America needs to heal and not see this dragged out for years' speech.

Would anyone here support Trump's attempts to remain in office if that particular person felt that the election was rigged against him?

If I thought that Trump likely would have won the election but for outright riggage, and there was some sort of legal determination by the Supreme Court that the election in fact had been rigged against Trump, then I guess I would be in favor nullifying the results of the election and having another election, if that would be constitutionally permissible.

But if Trump loses and claims that the election was rigged against him, the chances that the election actually was rigged against him would be approximately one in a one billion. So I'm not too worried about being put to the test on this question.

There is ongoing election rigging going on.

But it is by the GOP.

I said this over a year ago but whenever you hear the Repub's scream about some 'coming offense' and sounding the alarm it is beauce they are doing just that and know it will be exposed.

One of the best ways to not have all the scrutiny fall on you is to blame someone for the same thing prior. Get the focus on them and claim any pointing at you is just retaliation.

We saw Rudy do this when there was an expose about to be published on him and his actions in Ukraine. He then raced on to the Chris Cuomo show and pointed the same finger at Biden first. And it mostly worked. Few are really paying attention to Rudy and more paid attention to Biden.

You can hardly get air now to point out GOP election rigging as the screaming of Dem election rigging by Trump rules the airwaves.

You can mark these words down now and watch future declarations by Trump and his admin of Dem wrong doing and how in the weeks that follow it is shown Trump and his cronies were being investigated for same.

It is an effective tactic.

Republicans have been engaged in voter suppression for many, many years. Whether we call that election rigging or something else is mainly a semantic point, but we should all be able to agree that it is awful.

As for your observation that Trump and his cronies accuse others of the exact conduct they are engaging in, what can I say? You are correct. Ted Cruz made this exact point four years ago when he said, "whatever he [Trump] does, he accuses everyone else of doing."

Trump pouts and leaves? Not after a ton of incendiary tweets claiming he's being removed from office due to a fraudulent election, and then the fireworks start.

I'm voting by mail-in ballot and dropping it off at a polling station.

Getting ahead of yourselves here

Not if you've been paying attention for the last 4 years.

i'm scared

With the usual proviso that I'm opining from a "librul" perspective, I happen to agree with Speaker Pelosi's assertion that debating with Trump is pointless. Why should Joe Biden spend any of his time arguing with an imbecile who blabbers on about how big his hands are and recommends that people inject themselves with cleaning agents to combat coronavirus?

The "debate" I would love to see is the Vice Presidential debate. It will be true popcorn time watching Kamala Harris tearing out a new a**hole for Mike Pence. (All she has to do is quote Pence pontificating on a radio program about his strong moral values, respect for women, and how adultery is a terrible sin. She can then follow that up by asking Pence if his "strong moral values" also apply to his boss? If Pence gets on his high horse proclaiming how "Godless" Democrats are, hopefully Kamala will respond by asking Mr. Pence how much money his boss paid to Stormy Daniels and [former] Playboy model Karen McDougal? (I read [somewhere] that Stormy and Ms. McDougal were paid $150,000 each to "keep quiet" prior to the 2016 election - which Trump paid for from campaign donations.) It will be great fun if Kamala asks Mr. Pence if he approves of donor's campaign contributions being used to pay "hush money" to porn stars and Playboy models.

Refusing to debate Trump would be a strong statement, but it's probably a good idea. I mean, Trump supporters are not going to be swayed by logic or reason anyway, and they'll just assume Trump has "destroyed" Biden after he drops some childish insult or starts leading one of his fascist chants, much like that other poster was so impressed that Trump got his base all riled up when he called Rosie O'Donnell a fat pig or something.

I must confess, I'm a little jelly that I have neither the means nor the need to pay hush money to porn stars and playboy models though.

I kind of hope Biden does well in the debate and then the Trumpers hint that it was all video taped somehow or using a hologram, knowing their base will buy into it. Sad part is I am not really joking when saying this. The whole Trump campaign is suggesting only Trump can prevent the stuff that has happened in the past few years in the USA#1, so apparently Biden is the incumbent in that alternative alternative timeline to make America great again again.

Pelosi is an idiot. The base doesn't care - they're going to say Trump owned no matter what, but the people looking to vote Biden or stay at home will care if chooses not to debate.

Refusing to debate Trump will result in Biden losing the election. It is that simple.

Trump will just call Biden a "coward". Over and over. That will be the only message. The only ad. The only tweets. And that attack will play very well in the Rust Belt. "If Biden cannot debate me, how can he stand up to Chyna? How will he fight for you if he cannot fight me?"

Biden's best bet is just to stand there, respond to every Trump attack with "Your remark disgraces the Office that you hold. And I will not respond." And every moderator question with "I am the light. I will end the divisiveness." And yes, Biden will "lose" the debates, but he has an 8 point lead. Better to go into election day with a 4-5 point lead and pray he can win back the Blue Wall and squeak out an EC win than refuse to debate Trump and go into Election Day 4-5 points behind which is surely a defeat in the EC.

Thanks awval.

She's an idiot for many reasons.

Not wanting to expose Biden's problems is probably not one of them.

He's likely not mentally fit to do the job anymore. The fact that the Dems are trying to foist him on us in our time of peril is priceless though.

I mean, what could possibly go wrong ?

Slacker

I'm terrified that Trump will CRUSH Biden in the debates by just shouting lies and making idiotic statements but doing it in a "tough" manner that will be perceived by the simple-minded American public as "strong leadership".

This is EXACTLY what was parodied in the movie "Idiocracy" and I believe it was prescient.

If Biden is smart, he will go out of his way to speak clearly & calmly to sell the idea that he is the adult in the room. Unfortunately, Biden also sees himself as a "tough guy" but has a history of making "off the cuff" dumb remarks and can sometimes stumble over his own words.

I will NOT be watching.

So you don't want to hear Biden debate Trump and find out if he is mentally fit or not? They're both demented old people; the difference is Trump is dangerous.

I don't agree with your first part.

What Trump calls Biden has nothing to do with whether he shows up to debate or not. Biden may show up, do well and Trump will still say he was a 'coward' or whatever he wants.

So I would not be concerned with Trumps framing if your goal is to try and change it.

But if Biden does debate (and he is saying he will) I agree he should follow your script. Do not debate the non stop lies, dismiss and move on. Do not get dragged into trying to prove Trump wrong on a single lie. Just state its a lie and move on.

In the same way we all lose by simply engaging a flat earther as you just amplify their platform to spread misinformation, Biden loses if he tries to make actual arguments against Trump lies.

What I do fear is that Trump is so desperate he may hit extremely low. Likely in very careful ways but suggestions that a 'good father' protects his kids as a slight to the kids he has lost and Hunter's drug issues. Hoping to get a break down from Biden or a threat to fight so they can say Biden is irrational and crazy and not fit for the office.


Personally I think Biden gains zero in debating Trump. Trump is the only one with upside and Biden has nothing but downside. Had Biden stayed in bunker right up to election day and left this as solely a referendum on Trump we would not see this race tightening as we now do.

I've said it since the start. Trump cannot win, but Biden can lose. And the more he campaigns the closer this will get. And we are now seeing that in real time.

This inclination of the GOP and the Democratic Party to pick "old" (borderline senile) candidates for their Presidential nominees got me to thinking ...

I don't know if this is clairvoyance or a flash of intuition - or maybe watching too many episodes of "Shark Tank" - but I get the feeling Mark Cuban is bored. He's looking for a new challenge - something he's never done before. (After the excitement of making your first billion, cutting "deals" for a few hundred thousand becomes increasingly boring. I've seen Cuban [occasionally] yawning during Shark Tank episodes. He's either bored or not getting enough sleep. I think it's more the former than the latter.)

It's just a hunch, but I think Mark Cuban is seriously thinking about running for President in 2024. The only question is whether he runs as a Democrat or a Republican. (Maybe he'll decide to run as an independent insisting that neither of the two parties have demonstrated an ability to solve the country's problems - all they do is argue and point fingers.)

If we are in a huge economic mess by 2024, (i.e. high inflation, high interest rates, crushing debt, financial markets crashing, et cetera), I can see Cuban insisting that the country needs a younger candidate (like him) rather than the dinosaurs put forth by the GOP and the Dems.

Of course, I could be spectacularly wrong, but something tells me Mark Cuban wants to be President. The Presidency is one of those few (exclusive membership) "clubs" that huge egos aspire to join.


GREAT NEWS!! With this post I have graduated from being merely "adept" to being an "old hand". Of course, it would be wonderful if a significant cash bonus came with this elevation into the ranks of the truly gifted 2+2 wordsmiths. Hint hint Mason ...

Now that I've reached this milestone of quality punditry, I can dream of one day reaching the exalted rank of Grand Pooh Bah. (This is possible only in America. If we were living in Russia I would probably have been thrown in prison - or poisoned - long ago.)

Interesting that 66 years old (Cuban in 2024) is considered "younger." I suppose relatively speaking to the geezers this time around, but Cuban is a few years older than Obama, and pretty sure Cuban is not figuring out how to run in 2008.

There's no way Mark Cuban aspires to be President.

Monteroy:

That's news to me - I had no idea Mark Cuban was in his 60's. (He looks more 40-ish to me. He must have a really good plastic surgeon.)

Whatever his age, I think Cuban would be a more appealing candidate than the current crop of dinosaurs we have to pick from.

Biden is not going to threaten to fight Trump because he starts throwing shade at his dead kid at a debate. You've been watching too much Trump.

And yes, I'm aware of the bleacher comments a while back. Totally different situation.