US Politics Thread 2021-24

[em2nought]

My thought for this Christmas season is that the Potomac isn't nearly as wide as the Delaware.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by em2nought

My thought for this Christmas season is that the Potomac isn't nearly as wide as the Delaware.

[bweiss]

Uh-oh, somebody's on Santa's naughty list, again.


Allegations of Procedural Missteps Surface Against Special Counsel John Luman Smith, aka Jack Smith

by Jim Hᴏft Dec. 24, 2023 8:00 am

Former Ronald Reagan Attorney General Edwin Meese, along with Professors Gary Lawson and Steven Calabresi, submitted a petition to the Supreme Court
last week seeking a writ of certiorari in response to Jack (John Lumen) Smith’s petition to expedite appeal of immunity ruling.
The former US Attorney General contends that Jack Smith, acting as Special Counsel, was not appropriately appointed.
Consequently, they argue, all legal actions undertaken by Smith should be considered null and void.

The trio, in their petition to the Supreme Court, argue that since Smith was directly hired by the current Attorney General,
Merrick Garland, the constitutional process of presidential nomination and full Senate confirmation was bypassed.
They state that Smith’s various legal actions, performed under the guise of law, should only be carried out by individuals
who have been duly appointed as federal officers to legitimately established federal offices.


https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/gateway-pundit-exclusive-allegations-procedural-missteps-surface-against/


Now that's the story, here's the red meat.

No. 23-624


In the Supreme Court of the United States


UNITED STATES, Petitioner,
v.
DONALD J. TRUMP


On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari Before Judgment
to the United States Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Circuit

BRIEF OF FORMER ATTORNEY
GENERAL EDWIN MEESE III AND LAW
PROFESSORS STEVEN G. CALABRESI AND
GARY S. LAWSON AS AMICI CURIAE
SUPPORTING NEITHER PARTY

QUESTION PRESENTED
"Whether private citizen Jack Smith lacks authority
to represent the United States, which jurisdictional re-
quirement must exist at all stages of litigation, and
which cannot be waived, in filing his Petition for a
Writ of Certiorari in this Court?"

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-624/293864/20231220140217967_US%20v.%20Trump%20amicus%20final .pdf


From Canto VI, XVII in the play “Marmion” by Sir Walter Scott.

"Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive"

[bweiss]

RFK Jr. Denied Secret Service Protection a THIRD time

by Benjamin Wetmore Dec. 24, 2023 9:30 pm

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/202...on-third-time/

"In a story broken by the Deseret News, Robert Kennedy Jr., son of slain 1968 Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Sr., and nephew of slain President John F. Kennedy,
is being turned down for any protection in his Presidential run."

"Biden’s Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told the Kennedy campaign in a letter that U.S. Secret Service protection for Kennedy is
“not warranted.” Last month, Kennedy obtained a restraining order against a stalker who broke into his house in late October."

"Mayorkas shifts blame to these members of Congress even though Secret Service guidelines make clear that the authority primarily rests with Biden’s Secretary of Homeland Security."

[bweiss]

Hamas
Democratic dark money giant behind anti-Israel protests has scored $81M in taxpayer dollars

by Gabe Kaminsky, Investigative Reporter

December 23, 2023 05:00 AM

"An influential liberal dark money group propping up anti-Israel activism across the United States has pocketed massive amounts in taxpayer-backed grants and contracts in recent years, according to a Washington Examiner analysis of federal spending records."

"The Tides Center, which funds organizations behind Hamas-sympathetic protests held after the terrorist faction's deadly Oct. 7 attack against Israel, has long helped shape the progressive agenda with the financial backing of billionaire philanthropists such as Bill Gates and George Soros. But the Democratic-allied charity sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in assets also retains another key supporter in the federal government, which directly or through subawards steered more than $81.2 million to the Tides Center between 2006 and 2023, documents show."


https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...ivism-millions

[bweiss]

Sen. Manchin to Appear at N.H. Event, Stoking '24 Presidential Rumors

By Michael Katz | Monday, 25 December 2023 03:25 PM EST

"Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who is not seeking reelection in 2024, has added to rampant speculation of making a run for the presidency
with a scheduled appearance next month at a New Hampshire event usually reserved for major party presidential candidates."


"Democrats are worried a run by Manchin, coupled with independent campaigns by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West,
will syphon votes from President Joe Biden and cost him a second term."

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/joe-manchin-americans-together-politics-and-eggs/2023/12/25/id/1147142/

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by bweiss

Sen. Manchin to Appear at N.H. Event, Stoking '24 Presidential Rumors

By Michael Katz | Monday, 25 December 2023 03:25 PM EST

"Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who is not seeking reelection in 2024, has added to rampant speculation of making a run for the presidency
with a scheduled appearance next month at a New Hampshire event usually reserved for major party presidential candidates."


"Democrats are worried a run by Manchin, coupled with independent campaigns by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West,
will syphon votes from President Joe Biden and cost him a second term."

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/joe-manchin-americans-together-politics-and-eggs/2023/12/25/id/1147142/

Your comment made me remember a question I had but forgot.

I have heard and read on several occasions that the Dems hasn't exactly full trust in their President to win a second term.

My question was

Based what I have heard and read, are there other Dems going to run for office ? I know the party, Rep or Dem use their President as the only candidate

And you gave me the answer in your comment.

Follow up question

Has it happen before, that one of your party have chosen an another candidate than their sitting President for some reasons ?

Markus

[bweiss]

Originally Posted by mapuc

Your comment made me remember a question I had but forgot.

I have heard and read on several occasions that the Dems hasn't exactly full trust in their President to win a second term.

My question was

Based what I have heard and read, are there other Dems going to run for office ? I know the party, Rep or Dem use their President as the only candidate

And you gave me the answer in your comment.

Follow up question

Has it happen before, that one of your party have chosen an another candidate than their sitting President for some reasons ?

Markus

Ain't my party(s), I'm independent, if not self-sufficient, self-reliant, and self-congratulatory.

If I understand the question correctly;


From Time:

"four incumbents who were denied the nomination in the 19th century — John Tyler, Andrew Johnson and Chester A. Arthur — had been Vice Presidents who rose to the Presidency following the deaths of their predecessors, perhaps suggesting they’d never won their parties’ full support in the first place."

"Both Tyler and Fillmore, who were Whig Party presidents, were denied the nomination because the political battles surrounding slavery: Tyler in 1844, over the annexation of Texas, which he supported but which would upset the balance of free and slave states; Fillmore in 1852 over his support of the Fugitive Slave Act. (Democratic President Franklin Pierce, who ended up winning the 1852 election, also lost his party’s nomination after one term, as many Northern Democrats felt his support for the Kansas-Nebraska Act was too conciliatory to pro-slavery Southerners.) Johnson was the first president to be impeached, in February 1868, so he didn’t get either party’s nomination. And Arthur, who succeeded President James Garfield, was denied the 1884 Republican nomination, though he didn’t actively seek it because he was suffering from kidney disease."

https://time.com/5682760/incumbent-p...ry-challenges/


From Newsnation:

"No sitting president has lost their party’s nomination to a primary challenger in modern U.S. history, but a few serious contenders have left their mark on presidential races. Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan was the last major opponent to do so. In 1992, he earned nearly a quarter of votes across state primaries, despite losing each of those contests to President George H.W. Bush."

"An incumbent president hasn’t lost a state primary contest since 1980 when Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy defeated President Jimmy Carter in several races before ultimately failing to win the nomination."

https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/incumbent-president-primary-nomination/

This ladder citation being the more recent of the two.

(Pointing to "modern" American history).

[mapuc]

^ Thank you

Markus

[bweiss]

[mapuc]

Made a search and found this article

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democra...poll-analysis/

There's also a Danish article about the same thing.

As it is written in the Danish version

Many Senators and Congress members seem to have little trust in Biden, but who could take his place and win over Trump.

Markus

[bweiss]

Originally Posted by mapuc

Made a search and found this article

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democra...poll-analysis/

There's also a Danish article about the same thing.

As it is written in the Danish version

Many Senators and Congress members seem to have little trust in Biden, but who could take his place and win over Trump.

Markus

2024 wild card: A banner year for third-party candidates
Dec. 26, 2023, 6:00 AM EST
By Alex Seitz-Wald

With the potential for an unusually long presidential ballot, Democrats are worried and analysts say the only certainty is uncertainty.
While their chances of actually winning the White House may be tiny, the likelihood of several extra candidates on the ballot could tip a
close election and will further complicate an already muddied picture of the divided American electorate.

That uncertainty is already troubling both parties, but especially Democrats, who worry third-party candidates could spoil the election
for them as they say Green Party candidates did in 2016 and 2000, though insiders acknowledge it may be impossible to predict what
happens in a five- or six-way race.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/2024-wild-card-banner-year-third-party-candidates-rcna129937


US election 2024: The longshot candidates who could swing the vote

5th December 2023, 05:21 EST
By Bernd Debusmann Jr BBC News, Washington DC

Nearly a dozen people are running to become president of the United States in 2024 - but not all are Democrats or Republicans.
Three candidates are running on their own or with a third party, and a fourth could soon join their ranks. None are considered serious contenders
for the White House. Still, they all have the potential to siphon off support from President Joe Biden,the presumptive Democratic nominee,
in what may be a narrow presidential race.

Whoever wins the Republican nomination could also have to contend with these longshot outsiders, as well. Opinion polls show
former President Donald Trump is currently on track to become Republicans' nominee.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67383271


More than three-quarters of voters favor age limits for pols: poll

By Social Links for Ryan King
Published Sep. 11, 2023, 3:58 p.m. ET

More than three-fourths of Americans want elected officials to be barred from serving once they reach a certain age, a new poll has found.
According to the CBS News/YouGov survey, 77% of respondents want a maximum age limit for politicians — despite an 80-year-old and a 77-year-old being on
track to meet in next year’s presidential election.A plurality (45%) of respondents who wanted an age limit put in place told pollsters the cutoff should be 70 years old;
another 22% said the age limit should be 60; 18% said it should be age 80 while 8% said the maximum age should be 50.

Support for age limits crossed party lines, with 79% of Republicans and 76% of Democrats in favor, according to the poll.

https://nypost.com/2023/09/11/three-...iticians-poll/

[vienna]

Originally Posted by bweiss

Uh-oh, somebody's on Santa's naughty list, again.


Allegations of Procedural Missteps Surface Against Special Counsel John Luman Smith, aka Jack Smith

by Jim Hᴏft Dec. 24, 2023 8:00 am

Former Ronald Reagan Attorney General Edwin Meese, along with Professors Gary Lawson and Steven Calabresi, submitted a petition to the Supreme Court
last week seeking a writ of certiorari in response to Jack (John Lumen) Smith’s petition to expedite appeal of immunity ruling.
The former US Attorney General contends that Jack Smith, acting as Special Counsel, was not appropriately appointed.
Consequently, they argue, all legal actions undertaken by Smith should be considered null and void.

The trio, in their petition to the Supreme Court, argue that since Smith was directly hired by the current Attorney General,
Merrick Garland, the constitutional process of presidential nomination and full Senate confirmation was bypassed.
They state that Smith’s various legal actions, performed under the guise of law, should only be carried out by individuals
who have been duly appointed as federal officers to legitimately established federal offices.


https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/gateway-pundit-exclusive-allegations-procedural-missteps-surface-against/


Now that's the story, here's the red meat.

No. 23-624


In the Supreme Court of the United States


UNITED STATES, Petitioner,
v.
DONALD J. TRUMP


On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari Before Judgment
to the United States Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Circuit

BRIEF OF FORMER ATTORNEY
GENERAL EDWIN MEESE III AND LAW
PROFESSORS STEVEN G. CALABRESI AND
GARY S. LAWSON AS AMICI CURIAE
SUPPORTING NEITHER PARTY

QUESTION PRESENTED
"Whether private citizen Jack Smith lacks authority
to represent the United States, which jurisdictional re-
quirement must exist at all stages of litigation, and
which cannot be waived, in filing his Petition for a
Writ of Certiorari in this Court?"

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-624/293864/20231220140217967_US%20v.%20Trump%20amicus%20final .pdf


From Canto VI, XVII in the play “Marmion” by Sir Walter Scott.

"Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive"

A bit of a yawn and a massive "nothing burger"...




The above referenced court filing is of no material substance as far as actual procedural challenges go; it is not an actual charge or indictment; it is what is referred to as an amicus curiae brief or an amicus brief, for short; amicus curiae is Latin for "friend of the court" and is used by persons or entities not actually involved in a case being considered for appeal to express their concerns regarding a case being appealed; virtually anyone can submit an amicus brief and whether or not it has any relevant impact on a case is up to the appellate judge or judges; it is not a formal charge or cause of action and, in may cases, is often ignored in the final judgement; it may be noted the filing includes the wording "AMICI CURIAE SUPPORTING NEITHER PARTY", which is more boilerplate language and a bit of sophistry since the intent of such filings is more often than not reveals the partiality of the filer...

In short, an amicus brief is little more than someone not involved in the actual appellant case give their "two cents", little more...


...and as far as Meese, Calibressi and Lawson are concerned, they appear to have a bit of a cottage industry, together or in various combinations, of filing amicus briefs for various entities and persons, usually of the Far-Right or Conservative leanings; Calibressi used to work for Meese under the Regan Administration; Lawson is an academic lawyer and had been a clerk for Justice Scalia (SCOTUS) for many years and a founder of the Federalist Society; impartiality is not a strong point for these guys...



<O>

[vienna]

This past Saturday, 23 Dec, Trump had his attorneys file an urgent motion of appeal to ask he U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rule that Trump has full Presidential immunity and to throw out his court cases(s); this is interesting given how Trump and his legal team were so feverish to have the SCOTUS not expedite a decision on his claims of full immunity...


Trump's lawyers ask appeals court to rule on immunity in late-night filing --

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-a...ling-immunity/


“Be careful what you ask for”: Experts warn Trump’s “immunity” filing could backfire with judges --

https://www.salon.com/2023/12/26/be-...backfire-with/


I suspect what Trump is hoping for is a very, very, very long-shot affirmation of his claim of "absolute immunity" by a lower court so that he can then rush to the trial court and demand the trial court use the appeals court ruling to throw out his case(s); fat chance, Fat Donny: likely the trial judge will allow the prosecutors their day in court to appeal Trump's team's motion and stay any action on a motion to dismiss, pending a higher appeal ruling; this may actually serve to invoke what Trump has been seeking to avoid: by making waves now, an expedited resolution may be the best way forward for the courts...




<O>

[bweiss]

Biden would be ‘too exhausted’ to give inaugural address if re-elected as President

December 21, 2023 - 1:09PM

Fox News contributor and former wrestler Tyrus reveals his prediction for who will be giving the inaugural address after next year’s US presidential election.

“It’s one of two things,” he told Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan.
“One, there’ll either be a representative for an incarcerated president Trump reading the inauguration speech, or two, there’ll be Kamala reading for Biden because he’s exhausted.”

Mr Morgan said Trump will either end up “in prison or re-elected or potentially both”. “Because the Constitution would allow him to be president even if he’s incarcerated.”

https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/p...fa1fda4a7f8f60