Bill Kristol on Twitter:

[elleng]

'It’s pretty clear that what’s driving Trump now isn’t a governing strategy. It isn’t a re-election strategy. It’s a “hold enough of your base to stop the Senate from convicting when the House impeaches” strategy. Trump must expect that the Mueller report will be very bad for him.'

[still_one]

1. Interesting perspective

[redwitch]

2. I think this is spot on.

He’s terrified but still thinks he can bully his way through.

[SWBTATTReg]

3. It is an interesting perspective and possibly very true...I do get concerned that ...

impeachment will possibly happen and then the repug controlled senate won't follow through...

Personally, he's (rump) is a RICO candidate.

Far too many events/things are all tied back to him in all of the illegal crap that Mueller has found so far. If Mueller's report(s) indicate more of the same, and clearly implicate rump, then the Wash. DC police need to go in and arrest him.

Treat him like the criminal he is.

[tableturner]

4. 100% correct! Everything he does is to secure protection from his base....EVERYTHING!

[Wellstone ruled]

5. It is all about Donnie

and tonight is nothing more than a Campaign Event for reelection.

[Canoe52]

6. Wow Bill, like we needed you to state the obvious?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. We didn't, but there are masses all around who need to get the message.

If they don't start hearing it now, they'll be flabbergasted and mortified when Mueller's reports (plural) come out and House investigations really get rolling and there are hearings on the floor of the Senate after impeachment.

[KG]

7. piss on bill kristol anyway

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. Even when they are pulling on same rope in same direction as you, gotta piss on them anyway?

[KG]

10. he's never pulled on the same rope as me.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. He's pulling on the same rope as you are with his tweet in the OP.

You both want tRump gone and if tRump is desperate and headed out in a spectacular way then both of you will be glad on both points.

[elleng]

13. Thanks for the question.

Many can't/won't let go of their animus and recognize when it's in our best interest to say 'welcome.' TOO common around here.

[OnDoutside]

14. Well done for trying.

[BamaRefugee]

15. Kristol's not pulling in the same direction as us, EVER. He's the guy who acts like he's helping you

turn over your fallen bike, while secretly chuckling as you struggle because he's actually pulling it back DOWN every time you try to lift it!

The guy who hand picked Sarah Palin and subjected us to her moronic antics for years IS NOT OUR FRIEND

[Bernardo de La Paz]

22. You have confused Kristol with Steve Schmidt. . . . nt

[BamaRefugee]

25. How so? Enter "Bill Kristol discovered Sarah Palin" in a search engine and watch the results roll in

[Bernardo de La Paz]

26. Schmidt is the person responsible for convincing the McCain campaign to choose her. . . . nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

27. Thanks for the tip. Here's a link:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/08/bill-kristol-doesnt-want-any-more-credit-sarah-palins-career/311984/

The Atlantic often has excellent analysis.

[Mazeltov Cocktail]

16. Thank you

[BigmanPigman]

11. The people involved with Watergate say that getting the public opinion to turn on

Nixon was crucial and must be done this time too. Once the public knew of the Nixon tapes they pressured their reps. This is why it is so important for all the info found by Mueller be released to the public. Now that the Dems have the House there is a better chance that some info will be released to the public one way or another. The only way for tRump to stay out of jail is to get reelected, unless they decide that a sitting president CAN be indicted and more Dems are saying that he can be both indicted and impeached in the past two weeks.

[matt819]

12. If Mueller's report is very bad. . .

. . . and I hope it is, then I'm not sure impeachment will be the issue.

If it's really bad, then I would think they could scrape up, what is it, 19 R senators to vote for conviction. (Yeah, I know, they're republicans, they won't do it. But if it's bad, they may have more to lose by sticking with him.)

If it's really bad, then impeachment might not be an issue. At that point, Rs might insist on resignation. (And, yes, I'm one of those who harbors the fantasy of it being bad for trump and pence, and hope that both resign.)

If it's really bad, I'm hoping that Mueller puts the "you can't indict a sitting president" concept to the test. So you have a president under indictment still in office. Again, at this point surely even the Rs would insist on resignation or vote for conviction if the House takes the impeachment route.

I'm opposed to impeachment. In the country we have now, that will be seen as one party overthrowing the leader of the other party. Sure, it would be satisfying to see him go under any circumstances, but we'd be fighting the "coup" meme well into the future. I'd rather see the republican party devolve into nothingness, with resignations, half-hearted and foolish defenses of trump, etc.

[NewJeffCT]

19. If the report is bad for Donny and Pence

I don't think the Republicans would want resignation as that would give us President Pelosi and a VP that would need to be approved by both Houses of Congress. Even if she agreed not to run for president in 2020. (McConnell would then block any SCOTUS appointments by Pres Pelosi as well as any federal judicial appointments)

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. Impeachment prob necessary, but CONVICTION is key. You make many good points, esp last sentence.

Conviction is key, either in the Senate or Courts or in the public's mind.

If you have impeachment + resignation, then it is no coup.

If you have impeachment + conviction in Senate, then it is no coup.

But impeachment without resignation or conviction will make future impeachments of any President more difficult. That is why it is important to be reasonably sure of conviction in Senate before actually launching impeachment process. If tRump were to survive an impeachment vote in the Senate (as Clinton did), then he would regain strength and be even more dangerous.

We would only get one single attempt to impeach-convict tRump. It has to work or else setting it in motion could make things worse.

[Grasswire2]

30. Me too.

I want Trumps charged, convicted, adjudicated, assets seized, passports pulled, either prison or federal parole, restricted from doing business.....all of it.

OTHERWISE, the brand will sprout again like a noxious weed.

They must be rendered powerless and odious to everyone.

[Honeycombe8]

17. I agree with this. His base is the only thing he's got.

He needs them on his side, to exert pressure on their senators.

[malaise]

18. That is precisely what's going on

The biggest story today is evidence of collusion

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/08/manafort-russian-poll-share-konstantin-kilimnik-trump-investigation-2016-election-latest

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. Yes. Your link may be biggest news of the day.

It means that Mueller seems to have enough evidence to convince at least himself and his team that Manafort acted as a conduit for the Trump-Republican collusion with Russia (conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to subvert an election).

[Perseus]

21. The orange buffon is just following orders from his master, Putin

That is the strategy, continue to alarm, divide, destroy...he is a good puppet, he may not be smart but he can definitely follow orders from his master.

[Gore1FL]

28. While I largely agree, my concern is that it's Bill Kristol I agree with. He's usually wrong. nt

[elleng]

29. Right, he's been wrong often.

Maybe he's seen the light.

[PDittie]

31. Fuck Bill Kristol

and fuck all the rest of the GOP #NeverTrumper bloviating gasbags (Painter, Frum, etc.). They have demonstrably no influence whatsoever on McConnell, or anyone who might primary Trump in 2020.

Have they opposed the Federalist Society's vetting of judges? Did they cheer Trump's withdrawal from Syria, or criticize his now-slow walkback of that? Have they done anything but cluck their tongues, wring their hands, and tsk-tsk on CNN regarding the topic du jour? Yeah, they ain't Rick Santorum, so there's that for progress.

#Resist! Repeat, regurgitate.

They're not so much as popcorn farts in a hurricane AFAIAC.

[Hotler]

32. Go away Bill. Go away. nt