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Biden pushes unity two days before taking over; Trump considers 100 pardons

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By Sebastian Smith

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There will be healing and unity when two things happen: 1) The insurectionists who committed sedition against their legally elected government are held to account including those that funded and incited them. 2) When the 74 (now likely fewer) million that supported Trump realize that 81 million is more than 74 million and that they lost. They don’t have to like it, they have to accept it as a fact.

11 ( +24 / -13 )

 politically explosive finale to one of the most polarizing presidencies in U.S. history.

Trump PURPOSELY polarized. His legacy will include being the most divisive politician in modern history.

That along with being a failed war-president, a president who so badly bungled the pandemic hundreds of thousands of Americans are dead, millions have been sickened, millions more are out of work with no job prospects, and an economy that's in shambles - for all but the ruling 'elite'. While he played golf on the taxpayer's dime.

Then there are the two impeachments. And it could well be his legacy will include being the ex-president who had more legal problems post-presidency than any ever. One of those problems could be accusations of inciting a violent mob trying to overthrow the US government.

9 ( +19 / -10 )

If Trump gave himself or his children a pardon -- something currently not expected, ...

Trump has repeatedly used his political office to enrich himself and his family. Of course he’ll attempt to pardon himself and his family from future prosecution.

7 ( +17 / -10 )

The orange vulgarian will soon be gone. He's already irrelevant. Nice mess for Biden's team to inherit though...

4 ( +15 / -11 )

Lock 'em up, lock 'em up.

6 ( +16 / -10 )

Biden pushes unity 

But I observe many of his messages delivered in recent public speeches seem to become a bit more divisive and confrontational. The Biden administration should be careful as Trump supporters exist in varying orientations and are still integral part of the American society. Trump lost the election with the biggest ballot numbers. Inconvenient it might be, but it's a hard fact.

-4 ( +12 / -16 )

According to CNN and other outlets, Trump has a list of about 100 people he will grant clemency.

According to MSNBC Trump has a list of 350 people to give clemency.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

President Trump issued a VERY ODD executive order today.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-protecting-law-enforcement-officers-judges-prosecutors-families/

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Trump considers 100 pardons

MSNBC reports Trump, Ivanka and Jared are accepting bids for pardons in another attempt to get richer during Trump's waning hours in office.

To be added to Trump's legacy: the most corrupt politician in modern history.

As Trump's deadline nears, monied interests seek access for pardons

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-s-deadline-nears-monied-interests-seek-access-pardons-n1254580

3 ( +12 / -9 )

According to CNN and other outlets, Trump has a list of about 100 people he will grant clemency.

And they will be all Trump staff people and loyalists.

2 ( +9 / -7 )

I really don't know the path forward to unity.

What do you do with people like QAnon when they tell you pedophile satan worshippers are running the government and only Trump can save them? Do you say that you respectfully disagree?

Or white supremacists?

Newsweek is reporting that 75% of Republicans think Biden didn't win the election legitimately despite no evidence supporting that position. How do you reach someone who believes in something that has no evidence that it exists? What strategy do you use when Republican officials themselves are peddling the lies that add fuel to this problem?

Reach out to them for unity? Just like we tried to reach out to them to tell them Obama was in fact American and a Christian, which they still don't believe even after evidence was produced?

D.C. is in complete lockdown now as will most state government buildings on the 20th. Someone was arrested a couple of days ago with fake inauguration credentials with a gun and 500 rounds of ammo. Will a sit down conversation with him help to change his poisoned mind?

Even some Trump supporters are starting to jump ship....not because of what Trump did to incite the riots....but because they believe he abandoned them and their war. Again, exactly how do you reach someone like that?

The GOP leadership obviously isn't the way out. Only a handful of them will stand up to their base or face being primaried. Heck, they just elected a QAnon supporter who plans to file articles of impeachment against Biden on day 1. Crazy and unity are like oil and water.

Unfortunately, and I sincerely believe this, the only thing that can create a real measurable change is for some catastrophic event to happen by the violent fringe right before people finally start to back away. And it won't take millions of them. Just a handful. The FBI have already arrested many of them but they can't catch them all. Right now there are an insane amount of people discussing or openly planning open warfare in our country.

I support Biden's message because it's the only message he can give. But the GOP is such a toxic mess right now I think things will get worse, a lot worse, before things get better.

5 ( +15 / -10 )

Unfortunately for you, I am deeply interested in other viewpoints, just not inaccuracies and conspiracy theories.

And unfortunately at the moment the other viewpoint is drowned out by inaccuracies and conspiracy theories.

The hardcore now refuse to believe anything in an MSM source, particularly if it is liberal leaning, despite the source's record of fact checking and ability to keep factual reporting separate from opinion. This means that they are at the mercy of alt-right websites that happily print lies and they swallow them without question.

Much of the USA is at this point suffering from history's greatest collective delusion. In the future this period will be studied by historians and psychologists. And while I hate to compare things to Nazi Germany, you can see real parallels between the two - a large part of a previously sane population going temporarily insane through the madness of crowds.

6 ( +11 / -5 )

Thank goodness for words of unity and inclusion - instead of the last four years of constant hate, division, and victim-hood...

As for pardons, Trump will no doubt give them to his entire crime cabal, and to the Russian organizations and individuals indicted by Mueller...

One last favor for his Master Putin...

1 ( +8 / -7 )

He already pardoned a seal officer who actions were so wrong/ bad/ criminal that he was rejected by fellow seals. I have no trust in Donald. When professional first tear soldiers reject someone you should listen not pardon.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

 For all of Trump's fault, at least he embraced all Americans.

Don't make me laugh. Barely a day could go by without Trump dog whistling, mocking, bullying, and more. Whether it was referring to people as 'bad hombres' or 'thugs' or vowing to protect 'suburban housewives' and more, not a day went by without Trump trying to divide America into camps.

Embraced all Americans? Only if you are saying that Trump maliciously sees all Americans not named Trump as peasants who are beneath him, only to be separated by whether they believe his cynical garbage or not.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

There can't be any unity until Republicans fully repudiate the flat-out lie that somehow the election was "rigged" or "stolen". Trump lost fair and square, in both the popular and electoral college votes. Any attempt to create an alternate reality where that didn't happen will only lead to more division.

Of course, this division will get page views, clicks, retweets, book sales, and late-night infomercial sales, so I'm not holding my breath for people to do the right thing here.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

If interference is possible (I'm not saying whether it did or didn't happen) in one year, then it's also possible in another unless major reforms had been done to improve vote integrity.

You are confusing influence and interference. Russia influenced the 2016 election, it's a provable fact and all intelligence agencies agree on that. But nobody said they hacked or infiltrated the voting systems or compromised "vote integrity", because that didn't happen. They influenced the course of the election, but they didn't actively intefere with the actual voting.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

With Trump's self-interests, it is likely that he will pardon those who would return his favour after his last day in office.

It is interesting to see if Trump would pardon the rioters who faithfully responded to his call and now claim "Trump made me do it.".

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Hundreds of pardons....

Well, at $1.5 to $2 million a pop, that will make quite a dent in that $880 million in personal loans that are due over the next few months to "somebody"...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2020/10/19/trump-will-have-900-million-of-loans-coming-due-in-his-second-term-if-hes-reelected/?sh=76e87ecd5f37

2 ( +9 / -7 )

It’s just a matter of time before the physical break up of the USA.

Americans don’t want to see it but the fact is that both Trump & Biden and Republicans & Democrats, are as bad as each other and the division, hatred and pure contempt shown by both opposing groups isn’t going away.

1 ( +9 / -8 )

How can there be unity when the main instigator of all the problems Trump is still doing everything he can to cause more problems before he leaves.

He refuses to acknowledge the election was fair, refuses to officially concede, refuses and blocks smooth transition, is not even doing the minimum courtesies that Obama gave him (and that every other out going president did) despite what he started with the birther thing, he has added Cuba to the list of state terror list despite all security officials saying they aren't, just to cause trouble, now he has lifted the travel ban to counties with out of control Covid and new highly contagious stains like Brasil, etc... and more, just to give more problems for Biden. Trump is a sore loser, acts like a child that didn't get the toy he wanted but unlike a child having a fit, his actions will cause pain and suffering for millions. And sadly there are those that follow him and choose to use feelings over facts, science and reality.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Melania Trump in her farewell speech as First Lady, showed her true shallow colors. Melania broke 100 years of tradition in not welcoming First Lady Jill Biden to the White House. This, despite Michelle Obama graciously doing so four years ago despite the nasty, racist, and baseless birther conspiracy theories perpetuated by Trump and even Melania herself.

And Trump will supposedly fly out of Washington the morning of the official swearing in, a fitting final act by this most ungracious and petty of individuals. That Trump continues to garner such blind and fanatic support from his fan base speaks volumes to that fan base.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Noidall: Corporations get to violate free speech

For a group that talks constantly about 74,000,000 supporters, you don't seem confident in building your own platform.

Lack of money? Nah, that can't be it. Lack of technology? Nope. Lack of support? Heck no. So, what's the reason?

In fact, you can start it yourself. Call it NoidallsFreeSpeech.com. Allow people to come on to your site and let them post anything they want. If anyone challenges you, give them your lecture on free speech. And above all, don't delete or ban any members because naturally that would make you no better than Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. Back up your words and keep it all up for the world to see.

Rumor has it that Kushner had to talk Trump out of starting his own platform. Why on earth would he do that? I just can't think of any reason why he would be against such a home run moneymaker. Maybe Kushner convinced Trump that he shouldn't support free speech. That's all I can think of.

How about you?

7 ( +11 / -4 )

It’s just a matter of time before the physical break up of the USA.

And how will that happen.

It seems people think that the divisions are somehow along physical lines, because they see the electoral map and see clear red and blue states

The reality is that those maps show a distorted view and if one looks up best electoral map one will see a very different and more realistic view with as many red spots within blue states and blue spots with red states. The reality is that the electoral college map gives a very unrealistic view of the country and that their are nearly as many blue and red scattered all over the country.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

There will be healing and unity when two things happen:

There will be healing and unity only when the left also abandons its hateful and racist rhetoric. The fact that both left and right insist that intolerance has become a lopsided issue shows how much propaganda we have to cut through before arriving at the truth.

-9 ( +5 / -14 )

Trump supporters blame others, never themselves, as responsible for the attack on the Capitol. It's pretty bad to see all his supporters being complicit in the attack and not able to admit it.

It was 100% an act of sedition and insurrection. If they can't admit this, so be it. They may continue to split the nation, and as they choose to follow the path of the terrible divider in chief, their lives and legacy to the demise of democracy in the United States of America.

Against the Biden administration and lying in their false interpretations of and direct attack on our constitution is what they believe in. They need to own their lies as lies. If not, the unfortunate split of America is upon us.

It's democracy of a Biden led America vs. Trump supporting traitors. When I read Trump supporters attacking and promoting for Biden's failure, I know America's failing because of them.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Pardons granted by President Donald Trump.

https://www.justice.gov/pardon/pardons-granted-president-donald-trump

It must be informative and beneficial to review the outgoing President record on granting pardons and in effect amnesties.

Another political PR nightmare in the offering.

"Service is a fitting way to start to heal, unite, and rebuild this country we love," Biden said in a video marking the occasion.

The 78-year-old Democrat's fervent appeals for optimism and healing ….

Wired sent out a request from all the US Presidential candidates how each would heal and unit the clear political and economic divisions within a polarized US society.  

Presidential Candidates on the Disunited State of America 01.15.2020

https://www.wired.com/story/2020-election-us-presidential-candidates/

So how does the responses measure up to the realities a year on?

-9 ( +0 / -9 )

the fact is that both Trump & Biden and Republicans & Democrats, are as bad as each other 

...but they really aren't though, are they? Because one side tries to base its decisions, viewpoints and policies on actual facts, and the other one...doesn't. And only one side always wants to claim the two are equally as bad, because it helps their agenda.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

And how will that happen.

The same way it’s happened throughout history: violently and with huge upheaval.

Just because it hasn’t happened yet don’t think it won’t. Look at the language on this comments board alone - astonishing amounts of scorn and derision shown towards the other group.

The two sides literally despise each other. It’s not going to end well.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

Biden was marking the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday with a trip from his home in Delaware to Philadelphia to perform community service -- a gesture symbolizing his call for Americans to come together after four divisive years.

“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black." -Joe Biden

-6 ( +6 / -12 )

The two sides literally despise each other.

I personally don't despise Trump supporters. I feel bad for them because they have been and are still being played for suckers by a conman. Some have fallen so far into the rabbit's hole that it's close to a cultist brainwash. Most of them are victims and they need help more than scorn.

But I do despise nazis and racists though.

3 ( +9 / -6 )

Slaves hated their owners and the owners hated their slaves. There was a lot of hatred on both sides.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

Stop the Steal. Lie. Dangerous Lie. The Big Lie from which the violence flowed and will continue to flow.

This is how democracy dies.

Everyone and anyone who still mouths the Stop-The-Steal Lie should not be tolerated .

Those who told the lie, promoted the lie, must either recant or be shunned. They must say:

"Biden won fair and square."

Everyone from that gal you know from the store to your uncle, or brother or mother; from Ted Cruz to Tucker Carelson and Laure Ingram. They all must recant. Or be shunned.

4 ( +10 / -6 )

I really don't know the path forward to unity.

Fox News—not social media, not think tanks—is the primal source of racism, xenophobia, polarization, and reckless lying in American media. Until we somehow put a stop to this, it will be hard to ever recover the country we used to have. Not a perfect country by any stretch, but at least one where we all had a roughly similar idea of what was true and were willing to talk openly about it. Rupert Murdoch has earned billions of dollars for destroying American politics, and he’ll keep doing it until the money hose goes away. Let’s start turning it off.

-- Kevin Drum

4 ( +8 / -4 )

The whole debate surrounding unproven election fraud, stems from mail in voting and the competence of the USPS.

USPS fails to meet court deadline to sweep for remaining mail-in election ballots

https://globalnews.ca/news/7439539/us-election-postal-service-delayed-ballots-battlegrounds/

If ever there was a single moment/issue that sparked, and then compounded the chaos, disorder, anarchy it is the incompetent organization that failed to underpin the US system of mail in balloting.

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

none of Trumps pardons protect against state prosecution, yes NY and are number of other states are coming for Trump and his family

2 ( +7 / -5 )

The Legacy of Donald Trump's four years of hate and division....

In 2017 Baghdad had a Greene Zone to keep violent foreign terrorists away from key parts of the government...

In 2021 Washington DC has a Green Zone to keep violent pro-Trump far-right domestic terrorists away from key parts of our government...

So that's MAGA, huh?

0 ( +6 / -6 )

The whole debate surrounding unproven election fraud, stems from mail in voting and the competence of the USPS.

Oh, there is so much more....

-10 ( +4 / -14 )

Oh, there is so much more....

Such as, repeating baseless lies.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

But I do despise nazis and racists though.

The far left has become anti-white; tacit approval of them means being a racist sympathizer.

-9 ( +7 / -16 )

Headline says it all "Biden pushes unity." Pushing people does the opposite of creating unity.

-8 ( +5 / -13 )

The far left has become anti-white; tacit approval of them means being a racist sympathizer.

And this is what I mean by "cultist brainwash".

The only people complaining about an imagined "anti-white racism" are full-blown racists.

3 ( +10 / -7 )

26000 troops in Washington.  Tells you how politicians are - when they feel under threat (no matter how remotely) this is what we get.

All the hot air about insurrection and incitement and so on is just a pretext for showing you their true colours.

When police precincts and courthouses were being attacked and vandalised they were far less concerned, in some cases even calling for the police or national guard to stand down.

Hypocrites all of them.

As for unity, even on this site we see calls for anyone who isn't virulently anti Trump to be ostracised or whatever. 

I really think the US is in for a rough next 2 years.

-7 ( +6 / -13 )

Trump’s massive influence peddling operation in his last days. History will remember his treasonous administration. Slink off to Florida, your time is up.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

And this is what I mean by "cultist brainwash".

The only people complaining about an imagined "anti-white racism" are full-blown racists.

The far left spends all day, every day, complaining about white people. They call far right protests "white terrorism". They ask all white people to acknowledge their white privilege. They call for "decolonizing" everything from beauty products to cooking recipes and holidays. They say things about white people that nobody is allowed to say about 'BIPOC' people without being accused of racism. Entire sociology departments spend all of their time poring over facets of some sort of abstract 'whiteness' in new ways of breaking down this most oppressive of skin colors.

Tell me with a straight face that that's anything but race mania the likes of which we haven't seen since the heyday of eugenics.

-10 ( +6 / -16 )

Biden's dismal past record as a career establishment functionary has made him one of the usual suspects who over the past 50 years have gradually dragged the Democrats to the right and abandoned their blue-collar base for money politics and personal enrichment, which is why the 74 million rightly distrusted the tired rhetoric of the glib superannuated DNCman to make a real difference to their daily struggle with making a living while in their desperation wrongly putting their faith in a treacherous sociopath of little intelligence and low morals who naturally would be absolutely incapable of doing the job of president he had been entrusted with. The 500,000 American victims of Covid will be the most obvious tragic monument of Trump's legacy of incompetence, but the total lack of leadership and complete absence of managerial acumen leading to the hollowing out of government with Trump's dearth of policies have resulted in the meltdown of the economy, the destruction of people's livelihoods, the bankruptcy of the unfit for purpose healthcare system, the corruption of the judiciary and to the nadir of national self-confidence. This lamentable detritus of Trumpism now offers a unique chance for Biden to go down like FDR as a beloved effective president, as long as he does the right thing: end the pandemic, insist on accountability for all Republican enablers, make justice seen to be done, take Trump out of public life and make him do time, then restore jobs, introduce a welfare and healthcare system for ALL Americans because BLM and, MAGA for real

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Two more days before I crack open that bottle of champagne

7 ( +12 / -5 )

Green Zone indeed.

Another tell of how the political class views those it rules over.

As for background checking those being sent to "protect " them, how distasteful but also hoe "uniting".

-8 ( +3 / -11 )

There will be healing and unity only when the left also abandons its hateful and racist rhetoric.

> The far left has become anti-white; tacit approval of them means being a racist sympathizer.

> The far left spends all day, every day, complaining about white people. They call far right protests "white terrorism

So a bunch of white people rush the Capitol, beat up police, call for hanging Pence and every single one walks away and goes home.

Black peacefully protesting get gas, batons, surrounded 200 arrested and charged under a little used law, just so Trump can walk to a church and have a photo holding a Bible upside down.

Anyone that thinks black or any other colour protesters would have been treated the same as these white ones did is living in a fantasy or a Racist in denial.

If peaceful black protesters were treated to batons and tear gas, they would have faced a hail of bullets if they had charged the Capitol the way these white people did.

Let be realistic here.

6 ( +12 / -6 )

The far left spends all day, every day, complaining about white people. 

What exactly is "the far left" in America? Can you name their leaders and policy-makers? How many "anti-white" legislations have been introduced in the past ten years?

It is true that there exists a minority of crazy far-left people on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. But that's just what it is. A minority of crazy people on some social networks. It's not reality and you can't accept them as a representation of reality, not matter how big of a story fox news makes out of them. (It would be like concluding that everyone on the internet is a furry after spending one hour on 4chan.)

Thousands of people, a lot with confederate flags (=racists) and nazi tatoos (=super racists), invading the Capitol building really happened two weeks ago. That's a reality.

4 ( +12 / -8 )

more recently; all Orange man supporters are KKK. But we can't talk about that...can we. 

Ok let's talk about it.

After the war many in Germany said they didn't support the racist policies but supported the N gov, for the social and economic policies.

That was wholly rejected asva defense because by supporting the N gov, they were by default supporting their racial agenda.

The same applies here with Trump, he openly embraces racist groups refuses to condem their actions so by default he supports them.

And by default anyone supporting Trump is supporting the racist.

Simple logic something our parents and grandparents understood back in 1945 but people today have forgotten how to use.

4 ( +11 / -7 )

Biden is truly Amazing ...he calls for unity now he is president elect but for the last 4 years him and his cohorts have been trying to divide the country at every turn and at every opportunity.

They could have, and should have supported the elected president 4 years ago and shown UNITY then , perhaps the country and the community would not be in such a terrible shape now if him and his comrades had of !

Biden you will be an amazing president I am sure of that .............................!

-9 ( +8 / -17 )

There are 25,000 National Guard troopers in Washington to protect Biden because he was rightly elected and extremely popular ...hahaha.

Its some kind of joke isnt it ?

-10 ( +5 / -15 )

Tell me with a straight face that that's anything but race mania the likes of which we haven't seen since the heyday of eugenics.

OK: what you have described isn't a "race mania" the likes of which haven't been seen since the days of eugenics.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

There are 25,000 National Guard troopers in Washington to protect Biden because 

...because there was a violent Coup attempt two weeks ago when the Capitol was attacked. 5 people died. Maybe you missed it?

4 ( +10 / -6 )

“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

I look forward to that day too.

But it ain't here yet.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

The Proud Boys are indeed poised to take over the US government.  Just sill to event think so.

Also silly to think that these people are being somehow treated with kid gloves.  Daily details of their being arrested.

The Jamiroquai guy is being threatened with 25 years in prison......

Cops wouls not have opened fire on this bunch if they were more racially diverse.  Whole summer proves that.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

Mr. NoidallToday 01:24 pm JST

Over the many years, Biden has shown many gestures: he’s showed up to a funeral of a kkk grand cyclops,

Disingenuous and misleading.

Byrd referred to his membership in a 2005 memoir: “It has emerged throughout my life to haunt and embarrass me and has taught me in a very graphic way what one major mistake can do to one's life, career, and reputation. Paradoxically, it was that same extraordinarily foolish mistake which led me into politics in the first place.”

9 ( +12 / -3 )

@Kaerimashita

No one needs to prove anything, facts speak for themselves.

Thousands gased, batoned over 200 arrested despite a 100% peaceful demonstration so Trump could get his photo taken with an upside down bible.

Zero arrested after killing a police officer violently storming the Capitol.

Anyone that even hints that a group of black people doing the same wouldn't have been met by a hail of bullets is the definition of Racist.

4 ( +10 / -6 )

True.  Don't let facts get in the way of a good narrative.  All summer thousands were arrested for assaulting police and federal buildings and their fellow citizens.  Shot in the street even.

Whereas in this case they are all walking scott free.

And I am of course a racist for making the point.

Which is why I predict a dismal 2 years for the US.  Because even a mild dialogue is met with vile accusations.

-7 ( +4 / -11 )

Bjorn Tomention

There are 25,000 National Guard troopers in Washington to protect Biden because he was rightly elected and extremely popular ...hahaha.

Yes.

Its some kind of joke isnt it ?

It certainly is. Some far-right losers who were suckered into believing the lie that the election was fraudulent apparently have threatened violence.

And so the need for security.

A sad pathetic joke.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

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