Election Interference or Prison Avoidance?

Election Interference refers to deliberate efforts aimed at altering the outcome of an election. These efforts can take various forms, including disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, and attempts to manipulate voters or election infrastructure. Here’s a concise definition:

• Election interference generally involves actions by one nation or group to disrupt or influence the electoral process of another sovereign nation. It can occur through various means, such as spreading false information, hacking, or attempting to sway voters’ decisions .

In the United States, there are legal provisions to safeguard the electoral process. For instance:

• 18 U.S. Code § 594 defines intimidation of voters as any act that aims to interfere with an individual’s right to vote or to vote as they choose. This includes actions like intimidation, threats, or coercion.

Now, let’s address the specific scenario you’ve raised regarding legal cases against Trump:

• Timing of Legal Cases:

 Most of the cases against Trump were initiated well before he announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. In some instances, these cases were filed years before his official announcement.

• If someone announces their presidential candidacy, and suddenly a flurry of legal cases is filed against them, it could be seen as a form of election interference. However, when cases were initiated long before the candidate’s announcement, they are typically not considered election interference.
• If a judge intentionally schedules court dates that interfere with election activities, that action could indeed be considered election interference. However, if the case was filed long before the candidate’s announcement, the case itself remains separate from election interference.

While the legal landscape can be complex, understanding the timing and context of legal cases is crucial in determining whether they constitute election interference. It’s essential to recognize that election interference has significant implications for democracy and national sovereignty.

 

Trump, the GOP, and “Election Interference” Claims:

When you hear Trump or some GOP operative cry out “election interference,” it’s essential to recognize that their claims often lack substance. Let’s break down the situation:

1. Timing of Legal Cases:
• If a candidate announces their presidential bid after legal cases have been filed against them, it’s not considered election interference. Instead, it’s often an attempt to avoid prosecution and jail time.
• While justice can still be pursued for someone running for office, there’s a possibility that legal proceedings may be put on hold during their term.
• Legal nuances aside, this scenario doesn’t fall under the umbrella of election interference.
2. Trump’s Motivation:
• Trump’s efforts to avoid prosecution and prison are evident. By running for office, he aims to pause the ultimate outcome of legal cases.
• If Trump were to become president, he could potentially wield significant power:
• Dictatorial Control: As president, he could consolidate power, remove individuals involved in his prosecution, and influence law enforcement.
• Self-Pardon: The ability to pardon himself would be at his disposal.
• In essence, Trump’s candidacy serves as a strategic move to potentially make his legal troubles vanish.

Remember, the intersection of politics, law, and power can be complex, but understanding the motives behind such actions is crucial. Ultimately, the impact on democracy and national sovereignty remains at the forefront.

Images used...

 Although I am not particularly a tightwad, I am fond of free stuff. So, images I use are typically from royalty-free sites, and I am very much into generative AI images (it is a lot of fun!).

My profile pic (and mascot), is Skunkie... generated using StarryAI image generator. I love these sorts of images. You might never get exactly what you want, but it is fun trying to figure out the best wordage that gets you closer to what you want.

The patriotic look of a flag, a nice wooden frame, and a cute little skunk to carry out the theme of politics having a particular odor (politics stinks?).

The background image is one that is designed to be a paper sculpture showing people and a flag.

I am also quite fond of memes and funny pics and graphics... so, you will see those here too.

The First Posting

Not that everything I say is of particular importance, but since I tend to have thoughts that exceed the limits of typical social media platforms, I decided to start a blog.

I am a geek. What I mean by this is that I tend to do a lot of reading of things that typical people do not bother to read (because of length, because it is boring, and because it is controversial... and any number of other reasons).

A good example of this is that I read the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or a.k.a, Obamacare). However, there is much more to this... I read the original. I read each of the changes. I read the final. This has led me to the conclusion that Obama deserves the credit for introducing the ACA, but what it turned into is an abomination that resulted from political factions arguing and changing it for their partisan or special interests. Obama does not deserve credit (or blame) for what it has become. Basically, if it is screwed up, it is NOT Obama's fault.

Often times, politicians blame their political opponents for a bill not passing, or they talk crap like, "all Democrats voted against this bill!" But, because I read the bills, the reasons for NOT passing a bill is often because of crap inserted into bills that should not be there.

Here is an example of that very thing...

There was a Covid relief bill that was hotly contended between parties. Lots of finger pointing and blame for it taking so long... that sort of thing. Well, come to find out, Republicans shrewdly inserted F-35 fighter jet funding into the Covid relief bill. From a Republican point of view, they were proud of themselves for figuring out a place to get funding passed. There was a problem getting the funding passed on it's own, and they knew Democrats were hot to get the Covid funding passed. The smart Dems spotted the F-35 and refused to vote for it. Republicans then blamed the Dems for the bill not getting passed. It is all a political theater game.

Understand, that I may not know ALL the details, but I often get enough from my reading and observations that I can tell who is being honest and who is trying to pull a fast one.

A professor in one of my doctoral classes pointed out that our Congressional leaders have not written any laws in more than 100 years. Naturally, we all grumbled and disagreed, but then he pointed out details of where special interests enter the equation. The special interests are the ones writing the bills, and then our elected officials sign their names to them (sometimes without even reading the bill). This was pretty much the impetus that got me reading bills like I do nowadays. The irony to me is that so often a politician says, "my bill," and come to find out that the ONLY reason it is their bill is JUST because they signed their name, and NOT because they authored the bill.

My opinions are offered free of charge 😁