Republicans censured Adam Schiff

[Moksha]

It would be an abuse of power to even contemplate using the law to go after him for poor or reprehensible personal qualities, or for those personal factors to play a part in decisions to prosecute.

So vitamin companies can advertise the ability to cure cancer and eliminate male pattern baldness.

[Gadianton]

So vitamin companies can advertise the ability to cure cancer and eliminate male pattern baldness.

No. But just because somebody is a pathological liar doesn't mean they've broken the law. And if somebody broke the law a hundred times last month, it doesn't mean they broke the law this month. Every allegation must be backed by evidence for that individual allegation. Penalties may increase in response to bad character, which translates to repeat offense, but aside from that, I can't think of any way in which the law judges character explicitly.

[canpakes]

Maybe I'm playing devil's advocate here for a moment -- I'm not sure exactly what you meant by this, but being divisive and disrespectful is not a crime. Trump has every right to be as much of an unhinged jerk as he damn well pleases. It would be an abuse of power to even contemplate using the law to go after him for poor or reprehensible personal qualities, or for those personal factors to play a part in decisions to prosecute.

(Bold mine)

No doubt, the thoughts of tens of millions of Americans.

Fortunately for all of us, none of Trump’s present or past indictments are for being divisive and disrespectful.

[ceeboo]

(Bold mine)

No doubt, the thoughts of tens of millions of Americans.

Fortunately for all of us, none of Trump’s present or past indictments are for being divisive and disrespectful.

You're missing the point entirely.

[canpakes]

Fortunately for all of us, none of Trump’s present or past indictments are for being divisive and disrespectful.

You're missing the point entirely.

I’m confirming your apparent agreement with Gad’s statement about how being ‘divisive and disrespectful’ isn’t a crime. You can take that any way you wish.

[Gadianton]

Binger is wrong when he says I haven't known very many right-wingers. I've known many, and I've received the sales pitch for Trump many times over the years. As I've said elsewhere, I think Trump is a negative hero for most Trump supporters. As KG has said, there are those who simply say, "vote with your wallet" (although I don't see the benefit for most of those people) and pragmatic types who just assume he still represents the party and better that than a Democrat, so those types don't count.

I have not had the sales pitch from anyone who isn't in the negative hero camp. But there is a spectrum for those, and there are differences of opinion here. For the most vocal supporters, the ones who go all the way, the divisiveness, crassness, or whatever, is a big selling point for them, they want to troll the Left and be divisive. Two of my co-workers in 2016 (who are still great friends) high-fived the more offensive Trump got. Neither of these guys were Christian nor had any religious background at all. When Trump would say something that apparently people found offensive, they'd say things like, "And the wall just got 2 inches higher."

I guess I'm speaking mostly to Gunner. Perhaps Gunner has not been surrounded by right-wingers the way that I have. For a large swath of Trump supporters, they'll agree he's rude, but that's a good thing, and so if somebody says that a lot of conservatives would agree Trump is rude, absolutely, and many of them glory in it. It's kind of the point. But there is also a large swath a step down from that. They don't explicitly glory in Trump's "rudeness", to your face at least, but rather laugh it off and give you the "plumber" analogy. They can't reconcile his persona with their Christian values (at least the Christians with any kind of self-awareness), and so they claim that Trump is like the expert plumber with bad personal hygiene and a foul mouth. You may not like his manners, but you're sure glad he's there to fix the problem. And there's the implication that you're the one who took the gigantic crap that won't go down and so deal with it; you may deserve it a little.

And so yes, Gunner, you need to ask some follow-up questions to get a better idea of what's really being said when a person who voted for Trump admits Trump is rude or divisive.

[Gunnar]

that that is a big part of the reason Schiff is so condemnatory of Trump.

Maybe I'm playing devil's advocate here for a moment -- I'm not sure exactly what you meant by this, but being divisive and disrespectful is not a crime. Trump has every right to be as much of an unhinged jerk as he damn well pleases. It would be an abuse of power to even contemplate using the law to go after him for poor or reprehensible personal qualities, or for those personal factors to play a part in decisions to prosecute.

The problem is not just that he is an unhinged jerk but that his divisiveness and bigotry is strongly reflected in his disdain for the law and constitutionally protected rights of any who oppose him in the slightest. He apparently sees nothing wrong with violating any law he finds inconvenient to him, if he thinks he can get away with it. He clearly thinks he is entitled to be above the law precisely because he claims the "right to be as much of an unhinged jerk as he damn well pleases." That's why he has so many indictments against him, and is certain to receive more.

[Gunnar]

Fortunately for all of us, none of Trump’s present or past indictments are for being divisive and disrespectful.

Thank you, canpakes. That is an important distinction. But it is not unreasonable to suggest or conclude that his divisiveness and disrespect for others have something to do with what laws he chooses to violate.

[Gunnar]

I guess I'm speaking mostly to Gunner. Perhaps Gunner has not been surrounded by right-wingers the way that I have. For a large swath of Trump supporters, they'll agree he's rude, but that's a good thing, and so if somebody says that a lot of conservatives would agree Trump is rude, absolutely, and many of them glory in it. It's kind of the point. But there is also a large swath a step down from that. They don't explicitly glory in Trump's "rudeness", to your face at least, but rather laugh it off and give you the "plumber" analogy. They can't reconcile his persona with their Christian values (at least the Christians with any kind of self-awareness), and so they claim that Trump is like the expert plumber with bad personal hygiene and a foul mouth. You may not like his manners, but you're sure glad he's there to fix the problem. And there's the implication that you're the one who took the gigantic crap that won't go down and so deal with it; you may deserve it a little.

And so yes, Gunner, you need to ask some follow-up questions to get a better idea of what's really being said when a person who voted for Trump admits Trump is rude or divisive.

Thanks, Gad. Points well taken. I may not be surrounded by right-wingers quite the way you have been, but a significant proportion of the people and relatives I love the most are (to my dismay) right-wingers. None of them (as far as I can tell) explicitly glory in Trump's "rudeness."

[canpakes]

Fortunately for all of us, none of Trump’s present or past indictments are for being divisive and disrespectful.

Thank you, canpakes. That is an important distinction. But it is not unreasonable to suggest or conclude that his divisiveness and disrespect for others have something to do with what laws he chooses to violate.

Or, for that matter, just a general disrespect for the law itself.

It would seem that this exact thing factored heavily into the course of events regarding these classified documents … no respect by Trump for the process or the people involved with proper custody.