Trump loyalists in Congress to challenge Electoral College results in Jan. 6 joint session (Update: Insurrectionists storm Congress)(And now what?) (6 Viewers)

[superchuck500]

I guess it's time to start a thread for this. We know that at least 140 members of Congress have pledged to join the objection. Under federal law, if at least one member of each house (HOR and Senate) objects, each house will adjourn the joint session for their own session (limited at two hours) to take up the objection. If both houses pass a resolution objecting to the EC result, further action can take place. If both houses do not (i.e. if one or neither passes a resolution), the objection is powerless and the college result is certified.

Clearly this is political theater as we know such a resolution will not pass the House, and there's good reason to think it wouldn't pass the Senate either (with or without the two senators from Georgia). The January 6 joint session is traditionally a ceremonial one. This one will not be.

Many traditional pillars of Republican support have condemned the plan as futile and damaging. Certainly the Trump loyalists don't care - and many are likely doing it for fundraising purposes or to carry weight with the fraction of their constituencies that think this is a good idea.

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32717.pdf

 

[Nebaghead]

That's not quite accurate. If the VP and Cabinet invoked the 25th and declared Trump unfit he would immediately be stripped of his powers. If he opposed the declaration the VP and Cabinet have four days to respond. If they redeclared he is unfit then it goes to Congress, which then has up to 21 days to debate, during which time the President remains powerless.

So if Pence and enough Cabinet members invoked the 25th they could then just run out the clock on Trump's term. As someone else mentioned, I think the threat of this was made to him yesterday.

I misunderstood the four days. I know Congress has a responsibility to be called in to vote on the matter. Doesn’t matter if they are in recess or not.

 

[BayouSAINTJoe]

Ever last one that entered the Capitol should be prosecuted for sedition.

And Murder...don't forget.

That's how its done for a certain race of people that are involved in criminal activity when an accessory to their crime was killed. - Justsayin

 

[nolaspe]

Kinda late to be doing this, amirite Zuck?

 

[GMRfellowtraveller]

It is not binary.

Just seeing it as a slight improvement.

What if they stuck to what we assumed they'd do earlier? What if all of them were completely tone deaf of the moment.

It is a slightly better trajectory. More encouraged does not mean I'm satisfied.

P.s. have you seen America lately? The bar IS low.

slight improvement that presupposes actual advancement or the kind of lipservice that will disappear as soon as the coast is clear?

is centrism showing a way out of this or just enabling such petulant and undemocratic behavior?

 

[DaveXA]

and dotdotdot?
just stating the obvious is not enough - what is Barr, et al going to do about it??

Well, Barr can't do anything since he's no longer working for the DOJ.

 

[Roofgardener]

Hee hee hee... sorry to be lighthearted, but isn't "organizing a mob to pressurise congress" exactly what lobbying IS ?

 

[MT15]

Well, no, lobbying is funneling money, or trips, or other entertainment to an elected representative in order to extract a favor at a later date.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

And then...

 

[SystemShock]

Yep...causes the extremes to bubble up to the top. I long for the days where we thought Bachmann was crazy...scratch that she still is:

... and that's why I do what I do.

 

[BayouSAINTJoe]

And then...

And that...my good sir is why he needs to be removed today...he's still using his power to dole out retribution based on what he perceives as personal disloyalty

 

[Neworleansfan]

And then...

13 more days? This shirt ain’t over yet.

 

[Taurus]

Hee hee hee... sorry to be lighthearted, but isn't "organizing a mob to pressurise congress" exactly what lobbying IS ?

Well, no, lobbying is funneling money, or trips, or other entertainment to an elected representative in order to extract a favor at a later date.

Not sure you're going to make headway with someone who doesn't understand the difference between seduction and rape, MT.

 

[FullMonte]

The ceremonial objections of 2000 & 2004 are not the same as what was done yesterday. What occurred yesterday happened because the loser of the 2020 election demanded it and he had the support of the Senate Sedition Caucus, so for McConnel to claim that these actions were similar to what Democrats has done is just another example of justifying the unjustifiable.

Exactly. And if you look at the Electoral Count Act, and what led to it, it's quite clear that "we don't like the result" or "people believe there was fraud" was never the intention. In that year's (the previous year's) election, multiple states (I am pretty sure Louisiana was one of them) submitted multiple slates of electors. Congress was stuck. The Constitution said that they had to count ALL of the votes, but counting votes for two candidates for a single state would lead to huge problems. So, they came up with a process for someone in congress to say "Hey, I don't think that *THIS* certificate is the legitimate certificate for this state." If seconded, the two houses of congress could debate that certificate in an effort to determine if the certificate that was contested was the actual slate of electors that a particular state submitted.

Moving forward to this year, and using Arizona as an example. There is ZERO reason to believe that the certificate that was opened and read was not the certificate of electors that the state of Arizona submitted as their official slate of electors. Regardless of anyone's beliefs about what happened in the election, what changes were made to the law, or any other issues; that certificate was, with 100% certainty, the official slate of electors that the state of Arizona submitted. There was no reason to challenge it as being anything other than that.

A ceremonial objection to go on the record of having a problem with voter suppression (as in 2016), to highlight problems with the voting process (2004), or to address faithless electors (1968) are a completely different matter. Had a single member of congress objected to one of these states because of questions of the laws, and allowed the count to move on, there would be no issue.

But, these elected officials forced a debate that they knew would be a waste of time, not to make a point about election security, but simply to please the rabid individuals who support Trump; so that they will not face the wrath of those individuals.

 

[cuddlemonkey]

I dunno, Baldwin is a jerk too.

Fair, but it would piss off Trump and I'm just petty enough to be ok with that.

 

[Incumbent]

 

[SystemShock]

Not sure you're going to make headway with someone who doesn't understand the difference between seduction and rape, MT.

 

[Eeyore]

If the cabinet and VP invoked the 25th and Trump objects. Congress has 4 days to meet and vote on it. During that 4 day period, pence would be president.

As an indiana resident, I never would have imagined that I would be hopeful for Mike Pence to be President.

 

[superchuck500]

And then...

Jesus.