... to be over the moon that Trump has been found GUILTY on all 34 charges?

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Whoop whoop!

Yes, although to be fair, I think that was partly because most people didn't understand the election interference part of it. Or how much corroborating evidence, outside of Michael Cohen, the prosecution had.

Sorry but of course it’s minor compared to his other transgressions. It’s the sort of offence that, no matter who committed it, is unlikely to result in a custodial sentence.

Compare that to Jan 6 and his theft, disclosure and concealment of classified documents. If anyone else had carried out similar crimes, they’d already have started serving a decades-long sentence.

I suppose I'm looking at it as sequential events playing out.

I mean he likely wouldn't have been able to do any of the other things he's going to be tried for, if he hadn't committed fraud to win in 2016.

In terms of severity of wrongdoing, I think the tens of rapes and cases of child abuse he has been accused of committing are the worst.

I suppose I'm looking at it as sequential events playing out.

I mean he likely wouldn't have been able to do any of the other things he's going to be tried for, if he hadn't committed fraud to win in 2016.
Although his campaign obviously felt otherwise at the time, I don’t think the Stormy Daniels story would have made a lick of difference to the election results. The other matters you reference (allegations of rape and child abuse) were public at the time of the election, as was the Access Hollywood tape, Trump University and a heap of other scandals and he still got in. Stormy Daniels.

Idk I suspect that some of his core vote, esp Christian women, may not believe rape victims necessarily, but they are not going to be happy voting for an adulterer who betrays his family to sleep with a porn star.

This reminded me of a conversation I had with one of the Church ladies about a married minister who had left the parish in disgrace when it was discovered he was having affairs with multiple parishioners. The church lady was very disappointed he wasn't replying to emails sent by her or the other church ladies. When I suggested he was too embarrassed to because of his bad behaviour she went on a lengthy diatribe about how it was all his wife's fault because she travelled too much. For a lot of people the woman is always to blame and the men are always excused. "Boys will be boys."

Ultimately a years house arrest with a once weekly trip to the local parole office would be suitable punishment. With appropriate restrictions on internet usage.

But, like with everything else, he’d just deny it, the right wing press would trash the allegations and his voters would believe it’s all lies.

Heck, even now, with all the evidence of the hush money payment, none of them believe he had an affair with Stormy Daniels.

One of the few things Trump has got right is when he said he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and none of his supporters would care.

Yup. That was pretty much the response when he was caught on tape talking about sexually assaulting women. Boys will be boys, locker room talk, etc.

It helps when the US’s most popular news network, by far, is a right-wing, post-truth propaganda machine. It’s hard to even blame the voters, they’re bombarded with lies from seemingly reputable news sources.

There are Russian troops billeted in the $100m base that the US built in Niger. The State Department had a nice lady visit to tell General Abdourahamane Tiani (leader following a coup last year) that he should organise some elections.
By contrast, it has been observed that every time China visits Kenya they get a hospital, every time Britain visits they get a lecture.

It's the 'why' that confuses me, why go to the bother of paying women hush money/lying about it, if you know your voting demographic don't care about you having affairs/one night stands ?

Also didn't he pay more in hush money to another woman ?

Karen McDougall is her name, I believe.

I must say that paying someone off to keep them quiet before an election looks pretty much standard behaviour in American politics.

Because at the time relatively normal conventions around politics were still in place.

How far the US has fallen.

The MAGA movement has degraded US politics beyond anything any of us could have imagined.

Evangelicals accept that Trump is a flawed human being AND they believe he is doing God's will - that God is working through Trump.

Many of us are worried about a Supreme Court decision giving presidents immunity for actions taken in office. The American press has been focussing on the way the swing justices are hinting they might favour this

DH has just pointed out that the NY conviction is for stuff preceding Trump’s term as president. The only argument the SC has shown it is leaning towards doesn’t apply

Presumably he is intending to send Melania and Barron packing as a migrant and child of a migrant respectively

yes it’s worrying. I need to check their campaign / election dates as I’m planning a trip there for 6 weeks at some point. I’d rather steer clear of their voting day.

As a Christian I find it shameful the way so many support him. When you realise what a lot of these more prominent and glitzy pastors are doing though (cheating, corruption, emotional abuse of congregation) it kind of checks out though.

Election day is Tuesday November 4. Each state runs its own elections with many polling places. If the election is very close, it's likely to be several days after the election before all the results are in as the counting of mail in ballots, which continues past election day, could change the outcome. It's not like there's one central location where blood will be running in the streets on that day.

@Losetowin

That's my contention. That one reason he's so popular with evangelicals is that so many of the leaders are running corrupt grifting operations, his style and operating strategy feels very familiar.

Wow! Can I have a ride in your time machine? The "Summer of Love" that I was talking about happened during the summer of 2020.

But hey, good try even if an epic fail. face palm

Well, George Lopez wanted Trump killed and Kathy Griffin held up a bloody Trump head. I think the liberals lost all ability to claim the high road on just about anything for the foreseeable future.

Everything that can be leveled at the conservative movement can be leveled at the liberal movement in kind. That is the major problem in American politics. No honest choices, no honest candidates, and a constant choice of "the lesser of two weevils".

That's an absolute steaming pile of horseshit.

Kathy Griffin is a comedian. I think George Lopez is too (?). They are private citizens with dubious amounts of power and influence.

Donald Trump was the President of the United States and wants to be again. He was the most powerful person in the world.

They two situations are not remotely comparable.

needed to be an underlying crime. And no one has specified what that was.

They were given four options, I believe, including false book keeping. It's not unusual, even in the UK, where, for example, a jury may be told that they can find for manslaughter, or murder.

The false book keeping certainly seems obvious, as he wrote the hush money in the business accounts as legal expenses. They were written off against tax liabilities.

The implacable IRS may now take an interest.

The immunity can of worms is now open, the Biden family companies, Bill Clinton's indiscretions, maybe Bush's war crimes.
The loss of the Senate majority may be illusory but $52.8m in donations in 24 hours mean that the Democrats will find themselves under increasing pressure.