The Evangelical Universalist Forum

How To Live Under An Unqualified President by John Piper

What’s new in the BBC today, relevant to this thread topic?

And since Trump does a lot for climate change, we should include these stories. :crazy_face:

I give a thumbs-up to almost any article that uses the term ‘imbroglio’. As in the following.

" As the House impeachment farce doubles-down on its buffoonery, many voices are calling for an alternative: Don’t impeach, but censure the president. This compromise will end the Dems’ effort to impeach on the basis of second- and third-hand opinion and an Orwellian torture of terms like “bribery,” yet still “send a message” that Trump crossed some line of presidential decorum by asking a foreign head of state to “dig up dirt,” as some pundits call it, on a possible political opponent. Perhaps such a bipartisan gesture will also contribute to ending the stark divisions between the parties, and return us to our bipartisan “democratic norms.”

This “solution,” however, solves nothing, and begs the central question of the whole imbroglio: that the president did something seriously wrong. That claim is not self-evidently true, and should be contested as yet another obsession with Trump’s undiplomatic––i.e. not weaselly––words rather than his actions."

I think accepting withholding vital aid to obtain a political benefit from a foreign power sets a bad precedent for future presidents, and thus agree with the compromise of Steve’s position that it was “wrong,” but that it should not be resolved by impeachment. I think the voters should decide if Trump’s approach is what they want to continue.

The problem is that we already do this in other areas collectively. When the UN does the same thing by a panel, is that really different? Sure, more people involved, but ultimately if the question is about using strongarm tactics being ethical, we already do this. If the issue is about one person being able to do this… Well, then I have to ask the question: If something is unethetical for one person, does having a panel do it make it more ethical? I’d suggest a panel makes it impossible to hold them accountable, they become above reproach. Easy to wage war against a single person than a committee.

All that said, I don’t agree with Trump withholding aid for political favors, but I also don’t agree with Biden getting a pass. Clearly ethics of both are questionable, as are probably every single person’s in Washington.

Trump did not withhold aid for political favors - I can find no substance to that particular caricature of what is a normal political strategem. DT does not need dirt on Joseph Biden - but as our past history with Ukraine has shown - and Obama was no stranger to this - it is a corrupt nation that wants our money. Obama and Trump saw the necessity of holding them responsible. People in the Obama administration saw it well before Joe was running for office.
*** can apparently read Trump’s mind. I cannot; but I watch what he did with Ukraine and say Well Done.

What’s the latest, from the BBC news? :crazy_face:

I see in the second article description, that the BBC put the word “nasty” in quotes. :wink:

I can’t see trying to steal an election from the American people by impeaching their President on the basis of reading his mind for his ‘true’ intentions. It takes real cojones to turn the nation upside down based on esp.

This song is for you, Dave. It’s from the film version of Jesus Christ Superstar.

But the PBS TV version, in the last week or so - is far superior.

P.S. It was very interesting, having Alice Cooper - do a song cameo - in the PBS version. :crazy_face:

Especially, the so-called lifetime servants of the United States, the ‘substantive personages’ of the State Department, full of ‘gravitas’ and great frowning appearance, giving their ‘somber’ judgments - please, I’m going to lose my lunch. DT upset their little kingdom, that has run independent of previous presidents, and apparently given them the gall to think that they can help bring him down - without talking to him, or hearing his phone call, or questioning closely the people that heard from someone that there was a phone call, supposedly etc etc. and if they DID hear the call, they THEN read his mind to tell us what he really was doing, and based on that tripe, we must bring him down. Arrogant b*****s.’

Yes, I think we moderates and even most defenders of Trump, recognize how unmistakable such corruption is. Our difficulty with Trump’s more extreme enthusiasts is the absolute denial that he does anything except “Well Done.” Such one-sided rhetoric reinforces polarization.

As I’ve often argued here, most GOP senators have no doubt about the events he is criticized for, but agree that it is not unique or impeachable, and I suspect we’d be better off if the president’s side would more humbly let them state this balance, and then move on to address our nations more urgent challenges, and leave it to voters to decide who should be president.

Bob, I guess I don’t possess the same powers of recognition that you apparently claim for yourself. Nor am I able to match the rhetoric being employed by the Trump haters.

You may think Dave’s rhetoric promotes polarization but he is expressing his true feelings and that matters most. Unity doesn’t TRUMP the truth as Dave sees it.
As I have mentioned Trump withheld aid for 5 weeks or so from the Ukraine either for a favor or perhaps Trump did believe Ukraine was corrupt, we simply don’t know for sure. It was wrong without a doubt , but since Ukraine got the aid the violation is in the end rather minor IMO.

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Steve, I always appreciate your inputs, but calling what he did ‘wrong’ suggests that it was, in some way. And I truly cannot see what that could be. Every transaction between nations or states implies a pro quid pro , but all the evidence points to that NOT being a part of the Ukraine transactions concerning Biden. If DT is wrong here, then every President has been wrong in foreign policy. We try to get our way. I think DT is innocent until proven guilty on this one.
And why was Obama being concerned about Biden’s troubling relationship and the abuse of power Biden used? Why would Trump be ‘wrong’ in looking into the same thing?
I agree with you that, if there was a ‘violation’ - it was so minor as to be silly to try and impeach our President on.
And why is it impeachable, for crying out loud? I just don’t get it.

As for ‘Unity’?? What? Who is going to compromise in order to get to Unity? How can we arrive at unity when for 3 years one of us cannot admit Trump has done great things for the country - geez at one time I begged for just ONE step in my direction, ONE simple admission that DT had done something for the US. And no. Is that a basis for Unity? No it isn’t and that’s what started me on my insane drum-beating to this day: I saw there would be NO compromise at all. And why is Unity even important? The Truth - yeah, that’s important - but if there is such a thing, 'consensus" is by golly NOT the way to deal with it. And I do believe in it, and it’s the only unity worth talking about.
I better make some warm milk and have a cookie and go to bed. I’ve estranged almost everyone here today.

I agree. You and Dave are the only two enthusiasts who consistently see no merit in any critiques. The forum has a number who love what Trump stands for and much of what he has done, but are clear-eyed about what seem other obvious realities as well.

Well said, nothing is more clear to me than his true devotion to expressing his real feelings! It is manifest that his passion is for the truth as he genuinely sees it. Eric Hoffer described what he called a “true believer,” and when some of Dave’s rhetoric gets ad hominem, I try to remember that it only comes out of sincere concern that the obvious truth he perceives is getting trampled by Trump’s opponents.

What’s happening with NATO?

And who in this BBC video, might be causing problems - I wonder? : :crazy_face:

"Think about it… why should Democrats in Congress be ignoring their legislative responsibilities, and wasting their time and the nation’s scarce resources with impeachment proceedings less than a year away from the next presidential election on November 3, 2020? And why would Democrats think impeachment a wise course to follow, particularly after putting the country through nearly two years of the Mueller investigation – which proved to be a hoax?

What many are now realizing is that Democrat Party leadership has lost its bearings by surrendering control to the extreme left – an amalgam of pro-Islamic and Marxist views as represented by the so-called “squad.” The impeachment effort is not just an attack against Donald Trump; it’s also meant to dishearten and disenfranchise nearly half the country who voted for him.

The American Republic established by the Constitution provided for a more stable system of government based on honoring the results of scheduled elections than the parliamentary form of democracy, where politics and a no-confidence vote could bring a government down and require a new one to be formed on an unscheduled basis. Relative political stability and continuity of the American Republic has been the chief contributing factor to the nation’s civility, as well as its meteoric economic rise over the last 240 years." - Scott Powell

The Banana Republic? We need a song, to emphasize this idea! :crazy_face: