I am starting to think Trump will run as an independent in 2024

Free Pillows for everyone.

My Pillow has firm competition from Rudy Giuliani and Lou Dobbs in 2024.

Seriously though, hopefully the Republicans move back to normalcy at least a bit over the next four years and go more for a Larry Hogan type than more conspiracy theorists.

I really do think if the GOP takes this election seriously, as they should and seemingly are starting to, that Trump or a Trump-branded candidate will run as an independent. It will crush the GOP, but might push for a Progressive independent to counter.

I will add to power rankings

1. Mike Pence
2. Ron DeSantis
3. Kristi Noem
4. Ted Cruz
5. Mike Pompeo
6 .Tucker Carlson
7. Don Jr
8. Josh Hawley
9. Nikki Haley
10. MyPillow guy

No Trump Sr. since he can't run for a 3rd term

I think it's time for Congressional privileges to be reevaluated (largely revoked). Why are they allowed to jump ahead to get the "emergency use" distribution of the vaccine, including members who have either downplayed the virus or even outright called it a hoax, before frontline and essential workers are fully taken care of, and before the general public has access to it at all?

This includes both parties, of course. Both have had members abusing their privilege to be among the first in line. Health Care workers should be refusing them all. Hospitals should be kicking them out the door. They've done the absolute bare minimum in providing any assistance this year, and as such, should get equal treatment in return.

Why can't they just pass a bill where the only thing in it is stimulus, instead of a 2.5 trillion, 5,000 page bill that they had hours to to read (and they will now be pressured to pass automatically cause of the covid relief folded into it, clearly by design) where about 200 billion ($600 per person) is stimulus? Including the other covid relief it's 900 billion, however that still leaves 1.6 trillion that's probably going to be going to things like bailing out the government and special interests.

This is a bitchslap to every American, and we all should be upset about this, regardless of who you supported for president. They’re not even trying to pretend to serve the American people.

It's...shameful, honestly.

I'm seeing Congress members now tweeting out (and proudly) totally ridiculous stuff like $5 million of it going towards building a Coastal Guard Museum in Connecticut... Umm....this was supposed to be a relief bill? Who the hell wants their money going towards that right now?

The Government has just been utterly ineffective and irresponsible. It's just outrageous behavior.

I mean anything is better than nothing, but yeah, pretty weak sauce

Americans: we need socialism so the government can regulate our economy and ensure everyone pays their fair share
Government: (takes billions of your money in the name of socialism, spends the majority on things that benefit them not you, and give you back $600 as thank you)
Americans: (in shock) it’s all capitalism’s fault!

And then the cycle continues

I think Trump will win in the next few weeks using one of these two methods

- The Supreme Court rules in his favor, using logic that the Democrats illegally changed the rules. He filed independently for the first time in PA a few days ago. With Wisconsin Supreme Court giving him a win in indefinitely confined ballots it's plausible he could go from 0 states to 2 quickly.

- Pence will tell the swing states to call special sessions to deal with contested electors, and the legislatures will decide to certify Trump's electors

The DOJ is too slow to act on election fraud, however they may act on Crossfire Hurricane investigation. No military unless it's like 1/19 and he has no other option but to use or it or give the country over to the bad guys in his eyes. Otherwise the goal will be for rules to win over rulers.

If he knew he was going to win his tweet "Big protest Jan 6th, be there, will be wild!" makes sense by sneakily referring to the left protesting against his win as the big protest, plus as I saw one person put it, it kind of sounds like a party invitation.

Trump doesn't want to sign the relief bill. I don't think he said he was going to veto it (not watching his fat ass for 4 minutes), but wants Congress to "amend" it. I don't exactly disagree. The bill is crap and was a last minute effort to get something done before this weekend.

However, since he didn't bother to participate in the negotiations (instead opting to tweet nonstop about the election he lost over a month ago, while not fulfilling his job's duty), and since we have an incompetent Congress that's behaved no better than a teenager waiting until the day of the deadline to begin an assignment, the bill needs signed before the end of this week to help people. It's veto-proof, too, so I guess he's just trying to remain relevant.

But if he waits as long as he can before issuing a veto, forcing Congress to then override it, I think it runs past the deadline for certain things. McConnell has said the Senate will return on Dec. 29th to override a last minute veto, but the irresponsibility and the pure failure of the Government right now is astounding.

ALSO, regarding the direct payments situation, I believe this bill is going to use 2019 tax information to determine the payouts... That was fine back in the Spring, but a lot of people are in entirely different financial situations this year, and using their 2019 tax information to determine whether they get $600 (...good lord) is ridiculous. This is yet another issue that could have been resolved with a proactive Government, not whatever the Executive and Legislative branches have become this year.

Trump is going to win in next few weeks.... Again!

This is obviously not enough. Biden said something to the effect of it's a start and we'll get more done after the transition. Most, except for some congressional Republicans, know it's not enough.

BUT, as ridiculous as it is, this is what they can get done now, so TAKE it, and demand more in a month. There are people who need help now.

It's not really what they "can" get done right now, but rather what they "wanted" to get done. They can obviously do much better. If that idiot Ron Johnson didn't block just the $1,200 payments that a number of other GOP Senators were fine supporting, then I imagine Trump would have signed it already if it was $1,200 again. Hopefully Johnson's feeling stupid right now. Vote him out in 2022 WI, please.

Pelosi has come out saying she agrees with Trump. And even Lindsey Graham (why is it gross just typing his name?) has come out now supporting the $2,000 proposal. But Graham supports every word Trump speaks, so I guess it's not surprising.

McConnell is probably furious right now, with possibly being forced into convincing enough Senate Republicans to jump on board (since not doing so probably damages them in Georgia in two weeks, and risks his/their majority), or maybe he'll just come back next week as was already scheduled to override a Trump veto of the current bill.

But again, ALL of this mess could have been prevented if they didn't wait until the last week out of the last 30 or so weeks to actually do something.

Yeah, this might be the best thing Trump has done and has given the Democrats a huge win if they can now pressure the Republicans into this.

Hate Trump’s stupid ass but demanding $2k stimulus checks and making every Republican look stupid is the kind of chaos I can actually appreciate on his way out the door.

Completely agree. Hell hath frozen over!

McConnell and his lackeys need to actually listen to Trump and immediately raise the stimulus payments to $2k. Americans are hurting and $600 is not even close to enough.

The Democrats put unanimous consent clause in the bill so all it would take is one person to vote against if for them to get their headline that the Republicans rejected it, which is what happened

I don't think they really wanted to pass anything when they could have both House and Senate in a few weeks

Lin Wood needs to eat a Snickers

Crazy that when you google liberalism you get:

"noun

1.
willingness to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one's own; openness to new ideas.
2.
a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise."

The current woke left has clearly hijacked the word and it now means the opposite of what the supposed definition was. Cancel culture is NOT liberalism.

It's more like there are two battles, liberal vs illiberal and progressive vs conservative.

Illiberal progressive <-------> liberal progressive <--------> liberal conservative <--------> illiberal conservative

The usual battle is supposed to be between liberal progressives and illiberal conservatives. For example when bible thumpers were against gay marriage and wanted to censor Eminem, or the guy in Footloose wanted to ban dancing, those were illiberal conservatives. However those two are the ones taking this fight off right now and instead you have a group that both deserves radical change and looks to censor people who disagree with it vs a group that wants the freedom to keep things the way they are. Yes... Donald Trump may be a "liberal conservative".

Cancel culture isn't a thing. Not in the real world. It's a loud minority that keeps the ball rolling against any and all past indiscretions. Aside from a few that deserve it, most cases are forgivable and can be apologized for and excused. Most people accept this because everyone knows we as people are flawed and make mistakes. The greatest stories are those of redemption. What point is there in this world if we can't redeem ourselves?

I think people should be called out for saying and doing shitty things, just like they have a right to learn from it and become better people. Only in extreme cases should it be open and shut (sexual assault, repeated offences even after being called out, etc.)

Unfortunately, it's not "cancel culturists" that are to blame but the companies and corporations that don't support the indiscretions. And it's more or less up to them, good or bad.

But cancel culture has become this boogey man to people on the right. It shouldn't be used as a tool to ruin people, but a tool to teach people to be better. Loud minority has it their way on social media. But most logical, reasonable people in the real world (the one we look up at occasionally from our phones) don't believe in it.

I'm rambling for no reason at all. I've become Shack.

The honeymoon between Trump and the Republicans appears to be over. Both sides are openly speaking out against the other now, with Republicans dealing Trump his first veto-override in his final weeks, and Trump lashing out at them for being weak.

And what a coincidence with Trump leaving office in a few weeks. They no longer need each other. The 2024 Primaries are going to be interesting with this evident divide now between the growing number of former-Republicans who switched to the Trump Party (like Gaetz saying he'd never return to the Republican Party) and the traditional Republicans.