Trump is trying to impress moderates with his statements about not trying Hillary,

[pnwmom]

and KellyAnne's inane comment about wanting Hillary to "heal."



But the real reason is he knows it would just be a drag on his agenda and he would LOSE in the end, because Hillary broke no law.

[Siwsan]

1. Trumps's threat to prosecute Hillary was an irresponsible, angry outburst during a hissy fit.

He has practically no filter, which is going to cause major problems, for the duration of his stay. And I really suspect that most of what he says is just parroting the likes of Bannon.

[Vogon_Glory]

2. On the other hand, he might be thinking of his post-presidential years

I suspect that Thump already has reason to worry about what irate Democratic prosecutors would find in his high-level deals in the next four to eight (G•d have mercy on us and deliver us from our folly) years.

I suspect that the Democratic Party that throws out Thump and the Koch-roaches will be far less like Bernie in tone and more like Huey Long. If he does what Breitbart does, there won't be anyplace on the planet he can hide.

[spanone]

3. trump says whatever's expedient at the moment...no. moral. compass.

anything to get elected.

anything.

[JonLP24]

4. Turns Out, Everything Is Negotiable

All presidents break campaign promises, some more than others. President George H.W. Bush broke his "read my lips, no new taxes" vow, which contributed to his reelection loss in 1992. President Barack Obama kept most of his campaign pledges, with the exception of not closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, despite repeatedly saying he would.

But 10 days after winning the presidency, Donald Trump may be changing the rules on broken or scaled-back campaign promises. When he said everything is negotiable, he apparently meant it. Here's a list of promises Trump made during the campaign and backtracked on so far:

Affordable Care Act

Then: Trump repeatedly called for repealing and replacing Obamacare, starting on Day One in office.

Now: After last week's Oval Office meeting with Obama, Trump eased off this promise. He's now considering keeping two of the law's more popular provisions: letting 26-year-olds remain on their parents' insurance plans and barring insurers from denying coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. As he told the Wall Street Journal on Nov. 11: “Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced.”

Drain the Swamp"

Then: This leitmotif of Trump's candidacy reflected a disdain for Establishment politicians and the corrupting influence of special interests. By promising to "drain the swamp," he pledged he would get rid of the elite class of corporate lobbyists and Washington careerists.

Now: Lobbyists are sprinkled throughout his transition team. Trump says it's unavoidable because they're the only ones who know how the government works. He has, however, imposed a five-year lobbying ban on anyone who joins his administration.

Build the Wall

Then: Trump's most-repeated promise on the stump was to build a "big, beautiful wall" along the 1,900-mile border with Mexico. It would be at least 35 to 50 feet high, made of concrete, and Mexico would pay for it.

Now: In a "60 Minutes" interview on Sunday, Trump said he'd accept a fence, instead of a wall, along parts of the border. Aides also say Mexico's payments could be collected indirectly, such as by charging Mexico more to export its goods to the U.S. or by taxing money transfers

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-11-18/turns-out-everything-is-negotiable

He's not even President yet and has already broken his major campaign promises. I'm not even sure he believes most of what he says.

[Pathwalker]

5. It's not even up to him. Jason Chavettz has insisted otherwise.

n/t

[frazzled]

6. Obama probably had to explain to him

that if he tried to bring a case against Clinton, he'd be impeached in a New York minute. A president can not bring charges against someone (he's not the law) and cannot influence the Justice Department to do so. Such an act would be an abrogation of the Constitution. Plus, she didn't do anything.

Him saying he won't prosecute makes me even angrier than him saying he would: he never had any right to do so in the first place.

[lpbk2713]

7. He's a Banana Republican.

He implied it was OK to kill off his opponents.

[Vogon_Glory]

8. They're ALL Banana Republicans

Last edited Tue Nov 22, 2016, 09:14 PM - Edit history (1)

What the average chump-@$$ Republican voter has failed to notice is that not only has their party been refashioned to serve as a tool to serve the top ten percent, but its anti-constitutional methods for maintaining political control not only don't resemble the party of Lincoln, but no longer even resemble the party of Mark Hanna. Today's Republican Party political playbook resembles those of the right-wing oligarchical parties of Central and South America.

I don't say this lightly. The resemblance is REAL, and I invite any DU reader, poster, or even right-wing lurker to sit down and study the similarities.

[TrekLuver]

9. Oh golly gee what a swell guy he is !