AL Project Veritas - Impeachment

Impeachment threatening to tear United States apart
Political civil war has been brewing since the election of Trump.

The impeachment of Trump is threatening all out political war, with no off ramp in sight.

Trump has tweeted about an actual civil war if he is impeached and removed from office.

In this fraught situation, Alabamians are being bombarded by extreme, one sided, slanted and misrepresented facts and characterizations coming from the pro-Trump and anti-Trump sides related to impeachment.

Many Alabamians don't know what to believe and have questions and doubts about whether there should be an impeachment or not.

Sources of conflicting information
Alabama's members of Congress are guilty of putting forth one sided, slanted and misrepresented facts and characterizations that contribute to Alabamians not knowing what to believe.

The Alabama Republican party is guilty of the same of putting out to their constituency one sided, slanted and misrepresented facts and characterizations, which are impairing the rationality of that constituency.

The TV advertising related to impeachment exacerbates the distorted and slanted characterizations about what is happening and further impairs the ability of Alabamians to know what to believe.

Most of Alabama's radio talk shows and online political news media are cheerleaders for the two political sides and only throw out to their respective bases slanted and misrepresented facts and characterizations. This is done to help the standing of the politicians in their political parties and for the radio shows and online political news media to have engaged audiences who support the existence of the radio shows and online political news media.

The listeners listen only to their side's facts (or purported facts) and their side's distorted and misleading interpretations and characterizations.

In the foregoing situation, there is little or no constructive conversation between the two political sides.

If there is no constructive conversation between the two sides, the political civil war about impeachment will get worse.

In the escalation that is happening, I see little or no sign of influencers in the Alabama political landscape who are trying to tamp down the erupting war, and all seem keen on building the escalation.

For two years I have pushed strenuously to get the two sides to talk to each other, with no success. See Can the two sides talk?

I have decided to try a new tack, which is to try to produce a statement of agreed facts that representatives of the two side are willing to sign off on. I propose to try to do this with the assistance of Alabama political commentators who more seek "fair and balanced" but don't draw audience from the bases on the two sides because the bases want to be riled and don't want "fair and balanced" because they can't get riled with "fair and balanced."

If no representatives of the two sides are willing to participate, I will infer they are more keen on raging and ratcheting up the impeachment political civil war.

I will see what I can accomplish.

I will start by sending solicitations to the two political sides in Alabama and also to more "fair and balanced" persons in the middle in Alabama, which solicitations will include a link to this webpage, where I will report my progress.

[to be continued]

Alabama TV news
Alabama TV news is different from the impeachment messaging done by the members of Congress, the Alabama Republican party, and the aforesaid radio shows and online political news media, which are cheerleaders for the two political sides.

Alabama TV news has much news to report of interest to their viewers and is limited in its reporting of impeachment news.

Its Trump news reporting seems to come off as straightforwardly factual (albeit the reporting may include video clips of persons saying extreme things), and Alabama TV news seems to do little editorializing (spinning) about Trump.

One staple of Alabama TV news is interviewing Alabama's members of Congress about legislation and other matters happening in Washington that are of interest to Alabamians, and that should go heavy on impeachment now.

Alabama TV news should endeavor to provide correction to the bombardment  that Alabamians are getting of one sided, slanted and misrepresented facts and characterizations related to impeachment.

Whether Alabama TV news can provide a meaningful correction to the foregoing deplorable situation is uncertain.

The greatest potential for providing correction would seem to be TV news reporters putting hard questions to Alabama's members of Congress and do what they can to force answers, including by somehow informing viewers when there is refusal to answer questions that are clearly deserving of answers.

The impeachment story is sprawling, with many, many elements that are arguably relevant to Alabamians deciding what they believe and what they ultimately think about impeachment.

This calls for TV news directors and TV news reporters having a good grasp and understanding of the potentially relevant elements related to the impeachment and to sort through them to determine what is more at the core of whether there should be impeachment and what has less bearing on whether there should be impeachment.

This will aid in developing what should be hard questions to put to Alabama members of Congress and to try to force them to answer.

Participation in "Project Veritas- Impeachment" by Alabama TV news reporters and staff would be welcome, but it may not be realistic to get that.

Even if there is not participation in composing a "fair and balanced" statement of impeachment facts, TV news directors, reporters and staff might be able to improve their impeachment reporting and particularly their interviewing of Alabama's members of Congress.


OUTLINE 
(commenced 10/13/19)
Numerous persons have been solicited to participate in this "Project Veritas- Impeachment". None have replied.

This outlines what I think Alabamians should consider in their deciding what they think about impeachment and suggests questions the Alabama's members of Congress should be forced to answer.


A. Trump's 12,019 false or misleading statements

The Washington Post has compiled a list of 12,019 false or misleading statements that Trump has made since becoming President (list is through August 5, 2019). See https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-claims-database/.

These 12.019 false or misleading statements are indicative that Trump does not believe he has an obligation to be truthful to the American people, and are indicative that Trump cannot be trusted by the American people in what Trump says.

It is also the case that millions of Trump supporters believe false things that Trump says, or they don't care whether the things are true or false. This seems to carry over to their beliefs about whether Trump should be impeached or not, and they believe Trump should not be impeached regardless of what the truth and facts are.

Question for AL members of Congress

Please respond to the above and, in particular, do you think Trump should not be impeached regardless of what the truth and facts are?

B. Trump's motives and intentions to serve self and not country

I think Trump's motives and intentions are relevant to whether he should be impeached or not.

As to any particular act, there can be a mixture of motives, with one motive being more dominant than another motive as reason for the act. Also, there can be plausible or possible motives for an act that are not the actual motive.

Only the actor has direct knowledge of his or her motive for an act. Other persons are relegated to inferring motive from a combination of the act, the surrounding circumstances, any statement the actor makes about the actor's motive, and the actor's nature and history.

Trump's 12,019 false or misleading statements evidence that Trump cannot be relied on to be truthful about his motives.

Also Trump's character and history of dedicating his life to a selfish pursuit of wealth, glamour and notoriety colors inferences about his motives while President.

There are numerous instances that may be in the articles of impeachment against Trump in which Trump's motive is relevant.

At the moment, Trump's says his motive in asking the Ukraine President to investigate the Bidens was to fight corruption generally. Others think that was not Trump's motive, and his motive was to help himself and hurt Biden in the 2020 election.

If the firing of Comey is in the articles of impeachment, there will be the question of Trump's motive.

Question for AL members of Congress:

Do you think Trump's motives are relevant to whether he should be impeached or not?

C. Trump's conflicts of interest; abuse of power; obstruction of justice

The way Trump, after he became President, dealt with his conflicts of interest created special risks for the United States as to whether Trump, as President, was serving his personal interests or serving the country's interests.

This handling of Trump's conflicts of interest called for Congress to do oversight to try to make sure Trump was not serving his personal interests over the country's interests.

During the first two years of Trump's presidency, the Republicans, who were in control of the House, failed to do oversight concerning Trump's conflicts of interest. I believe this emboldened Trump generally in a belief that as President he could do whatever he wanted and not be held accountable.

Apart from the special situation of Trump's business interests, abuse of power generally is a conflict of interest situation in which powers are used for other than public purposes and are wrongfully used for private purposes.

For example, Trump has not ruled out using his pardon power to induce witnesses not to cooperate with investigations of Trump. In articles of impeachment, there may be included an abuse of power by Trump of his offering to pardon witnesses if they hold off from cooperating.


D. Russia

In the time since Trump announced in 2015 he was running for President, and continuing to the present, many questions have surrounded Trump's connections to and relationships with Russia and Putin.

For 2-1/2 years Trump and his supporters have been calling the Mueller investigation a hoax and a witch hunt and a waste of taxpayer money.

Further, Trump and his supporters say the Mueller report exonerated Trump of any wrongdoing.

The scope of the Mueller investigation was limited to whether there was "collusion" between Russia and the Trump campaign related to Russia's interference in the 2016 election to help Trump.

In doing his investigation, Mueller was limited by not being able to interview Russians or obtain documents and other evidence from Russians. Also, Mueller was limited in not interviewing Trump himself.

A detailed timeline of Trump-Russia events running from 2013 to March 2018 is set out at https://www.politico.com/trump-russia-ties-scandal-guide/timeline-of-events

Millions of Trump supporters may have no doubts or questions about Trump's connections to and relations with Russia and Putin and are fully trusting in Trump protecting U.S. interests against Russia.

Equal millions of other Americans continue deeply suspicious about whether Trump is properly protecting U.S. interests against Russia.


E. Ukraine (added 11/18/19)

Edit 2/29/2020
See also the following blog entries:
Appeal to AL news directors, October 1, 2019
WVTM13 GOP Senate debate, February 27, 2020

Edit 7/3/2020
Further see
Dear Aunie,  May 8, 2020

Email to AL chambers of commerce

From: Rob Shattuck <rdshattuck@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Oct 6, 2019 at 9:33 AM
Subject: I normally communicate via Twitter
To: director <director@homewoodchamber.org>, lcooper <lcooper@birminghambusinessalliance.com>, info <info@shelbychamber.org>, <mlewis@montgomerychamber.com>, <info@mobilechamber.com>

TO: Homewood Chamber of Commerce, Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce, Hoover Chamber of Commerce, Huntsville Chamber of Commerce, Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, Mobile Chamber of Commerce, Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, Birmingham Business of Alliance, Business Council of Alabama [Sent via email or via online contacts or by other means]

Dear Sir or Madam,
I believe I make a constructive contribution to the political discourse in Alabama.
I am, however, getting tripped up by Twitter's shadow banning algorithms.
This morning Twitter shadow banned me again immediately after I sent the below tweet.
I am taking the opportunity to inform you of my shadow banned tweet, (for which I don't believe you will receive a Twitter notification) by means of copying and pasting the tweet into this email below.
Thank you for your forbearance in my contacting you by email.
I hope your chambers of commerce will consider what I say in my tweets and their links
Sincerely,
Rob Shattuck

Rob Shattuck

@RobShattuckAL06

AL business needs to react to Trump absolutism. #alpolitics @HomewoodChamber @TheShelbyCC @shopmtnbrook @hooverchamber @huntsvillealcoc @MGMChamber @MobileChamber @DothanAreaChamb @vhchamber @BHMBizAlliance
http://trumptweet.blogspot.com/2019/10/absolute-crux-of-impeachment.html…

Quote Tweet

Rob Shattuck

@RobShattuckAL06

· Oct 3

Corporations have taken a lead on guns. Maybe corporations need to take a lead on impeachment. @HomewoodChamber @TheShelbyCC @shopmtnbrook @hooverchamber @huntsvillealcoc @MGMChamber @MobileChamber @DothanAreaChamb @vhchamber @BHMBizAlliance #alpolitics …https://al6thcongdist-ihaveuntiljan13.blogspot.com/2019/10/appeal-to-al-news-directors.html…

5:35 AM · Oct 6, 2019·Twitter Web App

File info
Below message has been submitted via contact form to:
Hoover Chamber of Commerce
Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce

Huntsville Chamber of Commerce
Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce
Business Council of Alabama
"Please see email to you and other Alabama chambers of commerce that is set out at https://al6thcongdist-ihaveuntiljan13.blogspot.com/2019/10/email-

to-al-chambers-of-commerce.html. Thank you."

Appeal to AL news directors

To: News directors at Alabama TV, radio and online news outlets


The United States is in political crisis
Millions of Americans believe a traitorous legislative coup d'etat is happening against the President of the United States.

Other millions believe the President is dangerously violating the constitution and threatening national security, and must be removed from office.

The political crisis has been building for 2-1/2 years.

The move towards impeachment has now made it dire.

Just how dire is revealed by the President of the United States tweeting about civil war if he is removed from office.

Congress is profoundly divided, incapacitated to legislate about the country's important business, and now consumed by impeachment.

The extreme bases of the two political parties are in growing rage against each other.

Supreme damage has been done to the credibility of reputable news organizations and to belief of people there can be commonly agreed truth and facts on which politics can operate .

The trust of the American people in the intelligence community, the Justice Department, and the FBI is severely damaged.

The two political parties and their media outlets have power and make money by appealing to the extreme political bases, who want to be angered against the other side. Facts and characterizations are slanted and distorted to keep their extreme bases angry. The extreme bases won't think about what the other side is saying, and political discourse between the extreme bases is non-existent.

Most Americans are caught in the middle 
Most Americans are not extreme and are caught in the middle.

They are caught by the stark divide of a paralyzed Congress that cannot tend to the country's business.

They are caught by one sided spewings of distortions and slanted characterizations by the  vociferous extremes in the political parties and their media outlets,which dominate the political discourse and exclude moderation,

They are caught up in the middle of raging anger and hatred between the extreme bases of the two political parties.

These Americans have suffered passively in the middle because they are sidelined and powerless to get the two sides to moderate themselves, reasonably talk to each other, and reach agreements. These Americans are disgusted by the extremes that are in control of the politics and that create stalemate in the country's governance.

Now these Americans are being sucked into the vortex of the political crisis of impeachment, and they are fearful about what will happen.

Alabama politics is appalling in the political crisis
Most Alabamians are shut out of the political process.

There is impenetrable group think in the Alabama Republican Party, which is not open to critical thinking and different ideas and which is unwilling to talk to the other side about agreeing on things.

To gain and keep office, the Alabama Congressional delegation does not need to think critically or endeavor to educate their constituents about important national policies to be decided and acted on by Congress. Further, the Alabama Congressional delegation does not need to and does not talk to the other side in order to show their willingness to reach compromises and agreements that most Alabamians would be willing to live with.

The political media outlets in Alabama accept and willingly promote the one sided spewings of the Alabama Congressional delegation, and these political media outlets do not want anything to do with critical thinking, different ideas, and informing their Alabama audiences about important national policies to be decided and acted on by Congress. The political media outlets want nothing to do with promoting moderation and the two political sides talking to each other.

The foregoing "political business as usual" has been around in Alabama for years, is deplorable, and would not be expected to change.

In the current national political crisis about impeachment, that "political business as usual" in Alabama will contribute to the direness of the national crisis.

None of the Congressional delegation is willing to answer hard questions about impeachment, and their survival depends on Alabamians not understanding.

What Alabama news directors should do
First, Alabama news directors should do everything they can to ask the Alabama Congressional delegation hard questions about impeachment and to try to force them to answer.

Additional blog entries
See also the following blog entries:
AL Project Veritas - Impeachment, October 6, 2019
WVTM13 GOP Senate debate, February 27, 2020
Dear Aunie,  May 8, 2020

What AL can do about Big Tech, January 17, 2021

Open reply to Susana Schuler, January 24, 2021

The Dang Truth, April 4, 2021