We're in for a turbulent future

[PJMcK]

Everything in Trump's orbit becomes a study in chaos and if VP Biden defeats him in November, I suspect we'll be in for a years-long drama, both in the legal/political world and the social/civil world.

When Trump loses, he will not accept the results as a statesman. You know he'll scream, holler, tweet and file lawsuits. He'll have several months to continue to use Barr's DOJ to fight his personal battles. He'll have several months to continue his dismantling of our civil and military services. He'll have several months to act out in ways our nation has never seen: Start a war, drop a bomb, declare martial law... who knows?

Then once he's finally out of office, President Biden will have a more complicated set of circumstances than even President Obama had in 2009. As bad as he was, W didn't dismantle the government so President Obama had a tool box to work with. President Biden will be severely limited at first because of the damages Trump has inflicted. The economy, foreign relations, governmental structures and the divisive partisanship of much of our country will be very difficult and complex issues that require exceptional solutions to reunite our nation.

Meanwhile, what to do about Trump? Following the criminality of the W years, President Obama decided to look forward and let the sins of the past fade away. After all, the man had a tremendous amount of work to do! Yet, it might have been a mistake to let Cheney et al. get away with their crimes.

Will President Biden rebuild a robust Department of Justice that will investigate and prosecute the vast criminalities of the Trump years? If he doesn't, our country will not have learned any lessons and a future dictator-wannabe could attain power.

However, such prosecutions would be almost unheard of in our country's history. Until now, presidents didn't generally use their awesome powers to attack their political rivals especially after the crook has left office. If you think the Mueller investigations were polarizing, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

An equally important decision the new president will have to make is what we should do about all of the flaws and holes in our Constitution and laws that Trump & Co. have so deviously exploited? As one example, Trump's abuse of his pardon power (and to a lesser extent, President Clinton's) requires a Constitutional Amendment to redefine that power. Trump's commutation of Roger Stone's convictions and sentences was clearly a quid pro quo for Stone's silence during the Mueller investigations. One cannot get any more corrupt than that!

Since I mentioned Constitutional Amendments, it's time to restructure our national voting mechanisms. The Electoral College is an out-dated artifact from the 18th century. In the 21st century, is the United States going to remain a country with an insulator between the voters and their presidents?

How will our people react to these difficult and divisive issues? We could very easily experience tremendous civil unrest.

There are so many problems we'll face with our politics and our society that I hope President Biden will have the strength and humility to find a healthy and productive path for our country.

[jimlup]

1. And for all this to happen...

Biden must win. All out for November 3rd!

[PJMcK]

3. Yeah, this is the most important election in my 62 years

Biden must win.

[rkleinberger]

73. The Senate people! The Senate!

The White House is NOT enough. The Blue Wave must wash out the Republican trash in the Senate and across state legislators as well! This is the only way anything can get accomplished. The coronoavirus must be brought under control, otherwise the I fear the stability of the US cannot be maintained over the long term.

[jimlup]

80. Yes yes and yes!

[uponit7771]

2. K&R, It will take Biden 6 months to stabilize once he gets into office. Trump wants to see it burn

[PJMcK]

4. It will take President Biden all four years to right the wrongs of Trump

The damages are so severe and institutional that it will take a long time.

As someone once said in a different context, "It took me 10 years to get lost in the woods. I'm not going to get out in 10 days."

[Nasruddin]

15. True but

He doesn't have 4 years or even 6 mos to get his sea legs.

Biden has got to be ready with an agenda, plan, & team on 01 Jan 2021. That new congress, particularly if the Democrats
hold the House & take the Senate, has to start moving even before he takes the oath.

After a few weeks the opposition will reconstitute and play hardball (what do they have to lose) like they always do.

[wnylib]

29. This is exactly why I favored Biden in the primaries

even though I lean more progressively toward Warren.

Biden has the experience of the executive branch and the knowledge of government structure that's necessary for the clean up. Plus he has close contacts like Obama for consultation. I am reasonably sure that Biden is already consulting with and strategizing with several people on how to repair the damage.

It is absolutely essential that the rest of us have Biden's back from the very start and stand solidly and openly with him throughout his term. After Bush II, too many people faded away once Obama was sworn in, as if the battle was over instead of just beginning. That allowed the Tea Party to gain ground. We canmot afford to make that mistake again.

[jmowreader]

38. The first thing the Senate will have to do is kill the filibuster

I would really like to see Congress have a half-dozen bills ready to transmit to the White House at noon on January 20. This way, President Biden could sign them during his inaugural address.

[DENVERPOPS]

63. If, by some miracle

Biden wins, you can bet your sweet ass that the RepubliCONs will go all out on a "scorched earth" trashing of the U.S.
If they are a chamber of horrors when they are winning, just think what they will be like if they are losing..........
I am worried sick about the night of November 3rd and the next day, but even more fearful of what the RepubliCONs will do during the lame duck period and after that regardless of whether they win or lose.

There is no other country to help us out like the U.S. did in conquering Hitler.........Even if there was, Putin would be all in on destroying that country......................

Katie Bar the Door!!!!!!!!!!!

WASF

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

5. The way I see it. I'm reminded of when we elected our first woman Governor in PR.

The previous (Rosselló) administration had fucked the country up so bad. That when 'Sila' Calderón tried to fix it. It seemed a near impossible task. Then 4 years later. The PNP scumbags came back like "See? These people can't govern!". Even though it was their fucking mess being cleaned up. Even worse, it worked. They were back in power after 8 years of looting the treasury and destroying the Healthcare system.

I have next to zero confidence in the people of The United States of Amnesia. This will take decades to fix. But I can't imagine a population with the attention span of a mosquito having the patience this will require.

[PJMcK]

7. Most days, I'm an optimist

To me, the glass isn't half-full or half-empty. It's full, half water and half air.

On other days, however, I share your pessimism because we have a nation of dolts who don't take their participation in self-governance seriously.

In the end, I'll always trust the Democrats. Republicans haven't done a single good thing in my entire life.

[LuckyCharms]

24. I'm what you call an "Ultra Pessimist".

The glass is not half empty.

The glass is not half full.

The glass is fucked.

[wnylib]

30. Such a contradiction

to the name, LuckyCharms.

[DENVERPOPS]

61. I'm with you LC

It is hard to be anything else. Especially considering the history of the last three and a half years......

Can anyone even begin to realize what would happen if the Dems tried to do anything like what the RepubliCONs are doing.

It is laughable that the worst they could come up with against Obama was that he wore a tan suit. Absolutely ludicrous......

I am kicking myself daily for not going having gone to Canada February 11, 1968.......

WASF

[Nasruddin]

22. US of Amnesia

You are right. We have to keep trying to educate, but the cycle you describe is likely.

I see the Fauci controversy as an example of how this process works.
Something similar in CA right now.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

23. I borrowed (OK stole) that

from Gore Vidal.

[Snarkoleptic]

6. It will take a generation to undo the damage done by this maladministration.

When Obama took office, R's accused him of going on a 'apology tour'.
This was, of course, utter horseshit, but Biden will need to do an actual apology tour.

[PJMcK]

8. An apology tour

That's something that will help with our foreign relations. The U.S. and the world needs the U.S. to regain its footing as the world leader. Rebuilding our alliances and ostracizing our foes will be a big part of President Biden's agenda.

But it will do nothing for the institutional damages Trump has wrought on our government. It will do nothing for the divisive partisanship that Trump has stoked during his years in politics. And it will do nothing to repair our economy, deal with Covid-19 or resolve the racial problems in our nation.

President Biden will have a full plate of problems! One thing that gives me hope is that Democrats hire smart people and Mr. Biden will have to find the best talents to save our country.

[wnylib]

31. I believe that Biden will have the

contacts and support needed for cleaning up the nation.

Look at the group we had in the primaries. And the people we have in Congress as well as our state governors standing up to Trump. The leadership, knowledge, and experience are there. It's up to us to back them and defend them against the inevitable fascist Republican backlash.

[PJMcK]

32. I concur

The tasks President Biden face will be numerous and difficult. I know he'll get support from Democrats and most Independents. It would be nice if the disaffected former Republicans would give him a couple of years' grace time to get things moving in the right directions. I suspect, however, that the criticism will start before Mr. Biden has done anything.

Such is the nature of Republicans and Conservatives.

[DENVERPOPS]

62. The first and best thing Biden can do

Is appoint Hillary Clinton as his Chief of Staff and Kerrey as his head of the State Department.

Between all three of them, they would come up with a kick ass group of individuals to jump in and run the Federal Government within a few days.................

I gotta tell you, after the Bullshit the RepubliCON party has pulled to destroy the U.S., our Constitution and our Democracy, they should be outlawed, much like Germany outlaws the NAZI party in their country........

[wnylib]

67. I agree about outlawing them like

Germany did with Nazis, but we can't do that in this country. Even the KKK and Nazis are not illegal in the US.

But we can and definitely should expose them and investigate and prosecute their crimes. It would seem like an unamerican witch hunt to some people. Think how we feel about Trump and R's investigating us as the opposition party. It's a fine line to walk in a democracy. Some things they have done are not ethical but are not crimes, either.

However, crimes against humanity, e.g. the ICE cages, taking children from parents, the horrific concentration camp conditions should all be prosecuted from the top down. That means Trump, Miller, cabinet members, and ICE supervisors as well as agents. Prosecute and imprison them.

There are enough financial crimes to lock up the entire Trump administration and Trump family. We must make examples of them and hold them accountable.

I am sure that a good AG could get investigations going and set up a commission for that purpose. Trumpists will scream witch hunt, but we must tell the American people what we are doing and why.

Treason charges for letting Putin kill our soldiers with impunity are suitable for Trump and anyone else who is complicit. Trace the money laundering for Russian mobsters and charge everyone involved.

There is so much crime that a commission under the AG office, composed of FBI and CIA, will need to focus just on that alone while other parts of the executive branch are moving on with current day to day issues, like restoring treaties, renewing commitment to WHO, cleaning up environmental destruction, etc.

A huge job that will need organization, cooperation, communicationn to the public, and good PR.

[DENVERPOPS]

68. Well said!!!!!!

The Hague could be involved for crimes against humanity x 1000.

[wnylib]

69. I'd be in favor of involving

The Hague, but the vast majority of Americans would oppose it very strongly. Americans will not accept the validity of foreign involvement in American criminal charges. Trumpists and other Republicans plus RW Independents would claim that it was the same as our complaint about Trump asking Ukraine and China to investigate Biden. It's not the same, of course, but the general public would not see the difference or nuances. They would hear the RW spin and believe it. For many people, it would be the same as surrendering our sovreignty to foreign powers.

This is something we need to do internally, ourselves. But we would need legal people of the quality that we had at Nuremburg. Ever see the film Judgment at Nuremburg? Spencer Tracy makes a point during the trial and emphasizes it in his summation, that the first time the defendents gave in to the demands and pressures around them was their first crime that led them into the rest.

I could see Adam Schiff in the role Tracy played in making the line between legal and illegal clear and significant in taking a whole nation down the wrong road.

[DENVERPOPS]

72. Sadly

you are right............I forgot that 99% of Trumphumpers probably couldn't even tell you what he "Hague" is, much less spell it.....

[rkleinberger]

74. Just reaffirm American values

Foreign policy will have to be a priority. First of all, put countries like Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Poland, and Hungary in their place and no longer tolerate erosion of democracies. Also, repair relations with the EU and forge a more sincere relationship with China as China cannot be ignored. Re-establish NATO as an important entity and if necessary remove Turkey, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary if they do not reform. Re-establish America's commitment to human rights across the globe.

[Ninga]

9. If you know this and we know this then I have faith that there are many proven successful

minds who know this as well, waiting in the wings to serve the American people during the Biden Administration.

Moreover, Biden knows this. He is a thinker who does not entertain illusions.

[IronLionZion]

10. 138,273 Americans dead as of today and douchebag thinks he'll be reelected

We've surpassed total US deaths in Vietnam and World War 1 already.

In a few days we will surpass Union Army combat deaths from the Civil War. (140,000)

So bringing back the 1918 pandemic, 1930s Germany mentality, 1960s political upheaval, and douchebag even wants to refight the civil war.

[wnylib]

40. So if he thinks he will have a

second term despite his failures, what makes him think so? Is it because he knows that Russia will come through for him?

[IronLionZion]

41. Voter suppression

Their delayed action early on in this pandemic was because of their idiotic and evil belief that it would mostly impact people in large diverse cities. They underestimated the breathtaking stupidity of their own supporters who have spread it far and wide across rural red southern states. So the virus is somewhat controlled in blue states but completely out of control in red states.

Their next option is to block mail in voting in some swing states.

[47of74]

65. I had my way voter suppression and electoral fraud would be capital offenses and...

...punishable the same as treason.

[rkleinberger]

75. There should be an ad to point this out.

[IronLionZion]

79. 140,526 deaths now

Florida alone has more deaths than all of China

[CanonRay]

11. I was thinking that the Biden transition team

will get zero assistance from the Trumpers. They probably won't even be admitted to the White House or agencies. Biden won't be able to hit the ground running.

[rkleinberger]

76. Who cares about Trumpers!

Why worry about what they think. Just get our agenda done! Simple. No one should be concerned about Trumpers in any way if Biden wins.

[CanonRay]

77. They will still be in control until January 23rd.

That's why

[paparush]

12. He will never let this country heal.

Even if he leaves office, Trump will be heard from virtually every day. No conspiracy theory will be too grotesque for Trump to tweet or agree with Hannity/Ingraham/Carlson. He'll spew non stop for years about how the system was rigged, about how he was cheated, about how he did nothing wrong. He will cry his vicitimhood tears and lash out unfiltered to 30-something percent of the country who want to revert back to the Confederacy.

I pray that Twitter shuts down his account and that mainstream media refuses to cover him.

[llmart]

26. +1

[Cosmocat]

58. Yep

IF he loses and actually leaves, ge will be a relentlessly malicious presence and likeky 2024 nominee.

[roamer65]

13. ...and the large elephant that still remains in the room.

Global climate crisis.

[cayugafalls]

39. +1000

There are so many problems on the table, you can't see the table.

[Evolve Dammit]

14. it might have been a mistake to let Cheney et al. get away with their crimes.

Yes it was, and paved the way for more, and greater GOP abuse of power.

[DENVERPOPS]

71. No one ever asked how Cheney

got a heart transplant......

#1) He was way too old to be considered

#2 He was put at the top of the list

#3) He had un-healthy habits which removes you from consideration

Besides, the Doctors faced an unsurmountable challenge finding one that was the same as the one he had:

A Cold Black Titanium Heart................

[BannonsLiver]

16. This is really disappointing. I thought it was going to be a cakewalk

[WinstonSmith4740]

17. It's going to take years.

Possibly generations. Undoing the damage is going to be Biden's biggest challenge. I've supported him from the beginning, but the fact he's willing to take on the clusterfuck that Trump has created in less than 3 years makes me admire him even more.

We've proven that regardless of how intelligent, caring, and rational our current President is, we're never more than 4 years away from putting a stupid lunatic in charge. And with the right "supporting" players, even our Constitutional checks and balances don't work. A lot of us have friends and family members who voted for him come to the light and realize their mistake. We have to keep reminding them that he couldn't have done any of the damage he did without a compliant Congress, and that voting to keep Republicans in charge of ANY branch of government will stop any and all progress. Never forget what they did to Obama. We can't expect Joe to get anything done if we don't take back the Senate, and keep the House. We also need to take a look at all of the unqualified people Moscow Mitch rammed through as judges...not sure if anything can be done about them, but we need to check it out.

[Nasruddin]

20. Justice Dept

And with the right "supporting" players, even our Constitutional checks and balances don't work.

The main thing is the Justice Dept. If you have control of that you can do whatever crimes you want - it makes Mr Trump's comments about article 2 of the constitution come true.

Secondarily you have the federal court system, which the Republicans have been managing the past decade. It seems a little more unpredictable but it's also corrupted. Neither side should really want that.

[WinstonSmith4740]

25. True that!

Neither side should want that, but it seems the rethugs do. They've reveling in this chaos...they love the idea of an authoritarian as long as he comes from their side of the aisle.

I really am counting on a normalized Justice Department to take on this mess. I'm torn between Kamala Harris as VP or as AG. II think she'd be a huge boost on the ticket (she'd eat Pence alive in a debate), but she'd also be a damn pit bull as AG. But, since we're Democrats, and blessed with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to qualified people, we always have Adam Schiff in line for AG. That would be fun to watch, too.

[Ingersollman]

33. I'm

with you on that. But my #1 is Schiff and #2 is Harris. I think Tammy Duckworth for VP. I would love to see her smack around Pants and Dump.

[Initech]

28. Even if we do win, there's still the right wing media machine we have to deal with.

And they will be watching Biden's every move like a hawk and then scream and cry when they don't get their way, like the spoiled toddlers that they are. The GOP is like the kid that you see in Target screaming because his mom won't buy him an action figure. Under a Biden administration, especially if the Dems take the House and Senate with it, we will be seeing a lot of this happening. Think the Benghazi scandal and the endless amounts of shit that were thrown at Obama and Hillary, only on a much larger scale. Trump is the president by and for AM radio talk show hosts, and if they don't get their way, well, they will be the screaming toddlers.

[BComplex]

46. That's why the Fairness Doctrine HAS TO BE reinstated. It has to be!

When Reagan trashed the Fairness Doctrine is when fox propaganda knew they had the country by the short hairs, and they have almost single-handedly created a really fucked up cult of the republican party.

[Initech]

50. No arguments here!

[NoMoreRepugs]

18. Investigating and prosecuting criminal wrongdoing is NOT

going after ones opponents - it’s upholding the Rule of Law.

[Nasruddin]

19. A difficult problem

Will President Biden rebuild a robust Department of Justice that will investigate and prosecute the vast criminalities of the Trump years?

This is a really difficult problem. What step in the Prisoner's Dilemma do we want to be at?

Does the Justice Dept really belong in the executive branch? Should the president have absolute control over its personnel, agenda, and actions? Should all the USDAs be political appointments?

Likewise, the federal court system and the supreme court are hopelessly politicized and corrupted. It doesn't matter which side you are on, this system is broken and supreme court as it currently functions creates problems it doesn't solve them.

If Biden wants to leave a lasting legacy he could work on fixing these problems.

[Bondor]

21. Accountability!

I so strongly agree with this OP. We have seen the results of "looking forward not back" under Obama - the cockroaches scuttle away and reemerge with the same tricks a few years later. I really hope Biden has the stomach to prosecute ALL the unbridled corruption of the present crop of Republicans... and even Democrats when it comes to it. The Republicans will scream that they will do the same when they return to power, but the truth makes a real difference. If, as I believe, it is true that Kavanough lied in one or more of his confirmation hearings, then he must be impeached. Barr has to go down for abuse of power. Trump needs to go down for treason, along with others who are provably guilty. ANYONE in government who played the stock market with inside information needs to go down. When you play nice with others who operate and argue in bad faith, you lose. I realize we cannot prosecute mere incompetence and stupidity, of which there is plenty, but we desperately need to cleanse and refresh if we are to have any hope of ... anything. We might or might not be able to remove unqualified lifetime judges... but I hope we can. While we are at it, lets make gerrymandering illegal and elevate intentional voter disenfranchisement to the level of kidnapping. The local election staffer or volunteer who "loses" votes needs to go to jail. Make democracy sacred, and punish the heck out of Republicans or anyone else who screws with it. If we fail to do this, then those who claim the Dems are not much better than Republicans are right.

[Ingersollman]

34. Exactamundo!

[Initech]

27. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

[DENVERPOPS]

70. It is mostly

the old white Republican men who want the scorched earth...............?????????????????????

Their worthless lives are almost over and they don't want anyone else to have anything...............

[BobTheSubgenius]

35. The short-to-medium term effect of these damages will definitely be a big hindrance.

As to any on-going histrionics after his term is up? He could die, so there's that.

[DENVERPOPS]

36. Everyone is forgetting

that it is not just Trump that needs to go, it's the Republican Controlled Senate that needs to go away.
Without the Republican Controlled Senate, trump would have had Zero Power.....The RCS has enabled him every day during his administration........................

[BComplex]

47. Yep. There's that. The republican Senate has been russia's enablers all along. The $$

from russia, channeled through Ukraine (lev & egor) went to all the republicans. They've been "dancing with the one that brung 'em" ever since.

[panfluteman]

37. Really and Truly, the Trump Presidency Has Been Like a Second Civil War

Instigated by a Russian cyber attack on the 2016 election. And I believe that the total damages, once they are all tallied up, will equal or exceed those caused by the Civil War. And just as a Reconstruction period was needed after the first Civil War, so will it be needed after this second Civil War.

[Toorich]

42. Between the time Biden wins the election

and Democrats win a Senate majority and their taking office, a lot of real smart people will have
stacks of Executive Orders and proposed legislation ready to go on Day One. This mess can be straightened out
fairly quickly. Of course, smarter folks than me will have to figure out the priority of the problems and their solutions.
As for me, my first act would be Ordering Lt.Col. Vindman back to active duty as a Brigadier General.
The second act would be to appoint an ass-stomping Attorney General and a pack of blood-hounds to bring down
so much hell that no reThuglican would even risk jaywalking. The thieves and grifters would pay a heavy price for stealing
from the public, selling out to Putin, caging babies et cetera, ad nausaum. Then I'd take a break for breakfast.

As always, lobbyists and influence peddlers will be circling like buzzards. There must be an end to legally bribing politicians
with campaign contributions.

[rkleinberger]

78. I wouldn't hold my breath in Dems stepping up to fight back! They never do.

[smirkymonkey]

43. There is only one solution.

And I can't say what it is here.

But it's something we all hope for every morning when we wake up.

[BComplex]

48. True that.

Shh.

[smirkymonkey]

49. Yes, you know what I mean.

[hamsterjill]

52. I'm glad someone finally didn't say it!

Thanks. Glad I’m not the only one!

[PJMcK]

54. Good one but that's too easy

I want Trump to experience his downfall in real time.

I want Trump to experience his humiliation.

I want Trump to be brought to his knees.

I want Trump to lose everything.

Then he can die for all I care.

[smirkymonkey]

55. I would like that too, but it might be too complicated and take too long.

He can do too much damage before he is brought to justice. Given a choice, I would rather see him gone.

[PJMcK]

56. Okay, may tonight fulfill our fondest wishes! (n/t)

[lpbk2713]

44. He'll get a regular prime time spot on Faux.

Where he can be seen lying and pissing and moaning just like OxyRush does on AM radio.

[BComplex]

45. I totally agree with everything you said.

Those are some laws we need to make. And while we're at it, we need a constitutional amendment that says simply: "CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE."

[PJMcK]

53. We also could use the ERA (n/t)

[Dan]

51. My dream

is that the next DOJ will investigate Trump (and his enablers) and determine that Trump has been acting as an agent of Russia, while POTUS.

[Jack-o-Lantern]

57. We still have to endure six more months of this monster burning the country down.

I hope America will still exist by January.

[mshasta]

59. President Biden will need a Senate starting now

We work together, we will get our Nation back by working all of us as one

[Firestorm49]

60. I agree with your premise.

We have a number of issues that may/will unfold in the coming months.
1 A virus situation like few of us have ever experienced.
2 High unemployment which leads to stress and anxiety.
3 A lunatic president who will incite violence if he loses. Not much doubt on that one!
4 A proliferation of guns of all sorts in the hands of idiots who are itching to shoot the place up.
5 Racial unrest that is bringing the scum of humanity to the surface.
6 Election interference, a given, considering Trumps love of Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Ji.

Yup. This election and it’s aftermath will more likely than not, be ugly.

[47of74]

64. Too late - damage is done

No matter what happens in November I will never be able to muster the same level of good feelings I had for this country when I was younger. Anyone - especially on our side - who thinks I should forgive Fuckopotomus and his willing groupies should check the temperature in Hell first. Our government turned its back on us in our hour of need and that is something I do not forgive or forget.

[HotTeaBag]

66. When Trump loses, I agree that he'll raise Hell and call it stolen etc., etc.

But I think he'll be doing it with a wink - he does not want to President anymore, he knows that he can't possibly fix the mess he's created and like every single other time in his life he'll just walk away from the wreckage he's caused.

I do worry though about how much of the country (and world perhaps) he'll torch on the way out though because he is truly a psychopath and couldn't care less how much destruction he causes.