Andrew Puzder likely to withdraw nomination

[Dalton]

Hearing rumblings that at least 4 and as many as 12 GOP Senators will vote NO on Puzder... likely his nomination will be withdrawn

CNBC

[Simon_Jester]

This and the Flynn scandal are good illustrations of what I've been saying about Trumpolini. Basically, he becomes vastly less dangerous in any situation where the congressional Republican machine is NOT something like 95% behind him. Literally 95%, too, because 90% of Republicans does not constitute a winning majority in either house of Congress at this time.

It's irrelevant what "the Republicans" viewed as some collective hive-mind mass would or would not do or tolerate from Trump. What matters is how far Trump can go before 10% of the party's senators and/or representatives stop and go 'okay seriously this is bullshit.'

In particular this limits his ability to just ignore basic constitutional restraints on his authority. It doesn't take many Republicans who are more loyal to the system in general than to him personally for his power to start breaking down. They don't even have to be people with what you or I would consider savory political beliefs, they just have to have, y'know, limits.

[SpottedKitty]

I've lost track of all the weird stuff in the last month, which one is he again?

[Khaat]

Puzder is the fast-food CEO, don't-want-to-give-my-workers-breaks-I-WANT-ROBOTS! nominee for Labor Secretary.

Well, was, anyway.
http://t.co/G6jroR1RbO
HuffPost
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/and ... a129f176f4

[FaxModem1]

I've lost track of all the weird stuff in the last month, which one is he again?

The Carl's Jr CEO who is all in favor of fully automated restaurants. His nomination for the Trump administration was for the Department of Labor.

[SpottedKitty]

Ah, OK — another of the nominated-to-a-position-so-he-can-destroy-it crew. Gotcha.

What a way to run a railroad...

[The Romulan Republic]

Glad to finally see some serious, effective pushback from Congress against the Orange Rapist. Too little too late, but its better than nothing, and hopefully only the beginning of a path that ends in impeachment as Trump keeps digging his hole deep and deeper with more scandals and narcissistic bullshit.

[Lost Soal]

They will never Impeach because impeachment doesn't just remove Trump, it removes everyone. The best you can hope is that they invoke the 25th amendment and then make it through two rounds of majority votes to put Pence in charge. Then there's all the legal challenges to that route.

[The Romulan Republic]

If the conspiring with Russia during the election were proved, hypothetically, I could see that being enough to get the three Senate Republicans needed to convict. Their are other possibilities, but that's the obvious one.

The bigger problem (which I won't say is impossible but is certainly unlikely) is getting enough House Republicans to vote to impeach in the first place. That's a bigger hill to climb.

Probably only happens if Trump becomes so reviled by the electorate that they feel their seats are more in danger from backing him than from dumping him. Very unlikely. Also (admittedly this is speculation), I wouldn't be surprised if Trump has blackmail material on some of his fellow Republican leaders who know full well all the dirt shit he's been up to and, yes, will go down if he does.

But as we see here, their are limits to Congressional complicity, thankfully.

[SCRawl]

If the conspiring with Russia during the election were proved, hypothetically, I could see that being enough to get the three Senate Republicans needed to convict. Their are other possibilities, but that's the obvious one.

Three won't be enough:

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

[The Romulan Republic]

My apologies. I believe I was aware of that, but it had slipped my mind.

That certainly makes it much longer odds. I won't say impossible- Trump might well do something mad enough to alienate, if not a majority, then a substantial minority of the Republicans in Congress. But certainly unlikely.

[SCRawl]

It would also be necessary to turn around a couple of dozen House Republicans just to get to that point. If you were at the point where a supermajority of the Senate could be realistically expected to convict, though, the vote to impeach ought to be the easy part.

[Broomstick]

They will never Impeach because impeachment doesn't just remove Trump, it removes everyone.

I don't know where you get this. Presidents have been impeached before.

[Lost Soal]

They will never Impeach because impeachment doesn't just remove Trump, it removes everyone.

I don't know where you get this. Presidents have been impeached before.

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. The Constitution, Article I, Section 3: The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.

25th amendment section 4 on the other hand allows a majority vote to remove the president and place the Vice President in charge

[DireApostasy]

Is impeachment something that can only be done to a president? Because if it can be done to any of those offices mentioned, then I'm reading that as "any of these people who are impeached and convicted for <stuff> will get the boot" rather than "if one of these people is impeached and convicted, all of them get the boot".

But that could easily be me misinterpreting, I'm not even remotely up on US Constitutional stuff.

[Terralthra]

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. The Constitution, Article I, Section 3: The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.

25th amendment section 4 on the other hand allows a majority vote to remove the president and place the Vice President in charge

That is saying the group of people who can be impeached, not that impeaching any one of them impeaches all of them.

[Flagg]

I don't know what's funnier, that The National Enquirer took some space from reporting about Bat-Boy, or that they opposed Putz's nomination because he was too weak on immigration.

[Flagg]

They will never Impeach because impeachment doesn't just remove Trump, it removes everyone.

I don't know where you get this. Presidents have been impeached before.

Yes, but never convicted and removed.

And regarding the 25th Amendment, it's about removing the President in the event that they cannot perform their duties, for instance if JFK had survived the assassination "attempt" but was effectively, a turnip. In that event the Cabinet would decide by majority vote if the President was fit to perform their duties and if they decided that the POTUS could not, the VP would replace the President.

[SCRawl]

And regarding the 25th Amendment, it's about removing the President in the event that they cannot perform their duties, for instance if JFK had survived the assassination "attempt" but was effectively, a turnip. In that event the Cabinet would decide by majority vote if the President was fit to perform their duties and if they decided that the POTUS could not, the VP would replace the President.

Yes, but root vegetables are not mentioned in the text of the amendment. If the cabinet (and, eventually, Congress, by a supermajority) decide that a president is incapable of discharging the duties of the office, then they could pull this off. Having said that, I really doubt that they would ever try.

[Flagg]

And regarding the 25th Amendment, it's about removing the President in the event that they cannot perform their duties, for instance if JFK had survived the assassination "attempt" but was effectively, a turnip. In that event the Cabinet would decide by majority vote if the President was fit to perform their duties and if they decided that the POTUS could not, the VP would replace the President.

Yes, but root vegetables are not mentioned in the text of the amendment. If the cabinet (and, eventually, Congress, by a supermajority) decide that a president is incapable of discharging the duties of the office, then they could pull this off. Having said that, I really doubt that they would ever try.

Thank you for clarifying the fact that a turnip is a root vegetable (and that calling Trump that should he get a severe head injury knocking a few cogs loose means brain death or close enough), that was very appreciated and in no way made you look like a smarmy douche .
But IMO, as long as Trump acts as a rubber stamp and doesn't get caught making more President Pussygrabber tapes, the GlOP will defend him.

[Lord Revan]

The thing with Trump seems to be that he's unable to stay away from the spotlight for good or bad (for him that is) so you're likely get bad or just frankly bizzare statements from him or his cronies. In a way he himself is Donald Trump's worst enemy.

[Flagg]

The thing with Trump seems to be that he's unable to stay away from the spotlight for good or bad (for him that is) so you're likely get bad or just frankly bizzare statements from him or his cronies. In a way he himself is Donald Trump's worst enemy.

Pretty much. I mean he became popular within the early days of anyone giving a shit what famous people say on the internet by calling Rosie O'Donnel a fat ugly pig, which is pretty funny coming from Donnie Douchebag, but it worked.

[SCRawl]

Thank you for clarifying the fact that a turnip is a root vegetable (and that calling Trump that should he get a severe head injury knocking a few cogs loose means brain death or close enough), that was very appreciated and in no way made you look like a smarmy douche .
But IMO, as long as Trump acts as a rubber stamp and doesn't get caught making more President Pussygrabber tapes, the GlOP will defend him.

I believe that I applied the appropriate level of smarm (level four, if you're keeping track). My only substantive purpose to that post was to point out that traumatic brain injury (or the like) is not actually required; the cabinet (with the presumed support of Congress) could make a sober judgment that the president is just not up to the job, is going to fuck up something serious sooner rather than later, and pull the rip cord built into the 25th. I would judge that that's a very unlikely scenario, but it's all there if they need it, its original purpose be damned.

[Ralin]

Thank you for clarifying the fact that a turnip is a root vegetable (and that calling Trump that should he get a severe head injury knocking a few cogs loose means brain death or close enough), that was very appreciated and in no way made you look like a smarmy douche .
But IMO, as long as Trump acts as a rubber stamp and doesn't get caught making more President Pussygrabber tapes, the GlOP will defend him.

I believe that I applied the appropriate level of smarm (level four, if you're keeping track). My only substantive purpose to that post was to point out that traumatic brain injury (or the like) is not actually required; the cabinet (with the presumed support of Congress) could make a sober judgment that the president is just not up to the job, is going to fuck up something serious sooner rather than later, and pull the rip cord built into the 25th. I would judge that that's a very unlikely scenario, but it's all there if they need it, its original purpose be damned.

If Congress was that determined to get rid of the president they wouldn't need to word-lawyer the 25th amendment. At that point they could just pass a "Arrest Trump and Don't Follow Any Of His Orders" bill.

[SCRawl]

If Congress was that determined to get rid of the president they wouldn't need to word-lawyer the 25th amendment. At that point they could just pass a "Arrest Trump and Don't Follow Any Of His Orders" bill.

I don't see how that would work. Without the 25th amendment you have no means to transfer the president's power under such a circumstance, and without a president it's really hard to pass any laws.