It’s a Presidential Pardon Party! A virtual Pardon Palooza!
President Trump this week granted clemency to 11 miscreants convicted of various and sundry federal crimes. The seven pardons and four commutations came in a post-impeachment flurry of presidential prerogative, even as Attorney General William Barr publicly bemoans Trump’s interference in Justice Department cases.
Esquire scribe Charles Pierce chimed in on the nonsense:
Let’s face facts. Any president, even this president*, can pardon anyone he damn well pleases, and he doesn’t have to tell us the reasons why. (Yes, if he sells them, he can be impeached for it, but hey, really now…) So, when El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago starts handing them out like gumdrops … especially when you get a flurry in the middle of a president’s first term, and just as a re-election campaign is heating up, cui bono? is really the only question worth asking.
Rod (“Fckin’ Golden”) Blagojevich, former governor of Illinois, who got sent up for trying to sell Barack Obama’s old Senate seat for top dollar. I don’t think Blago does Trump any good politically, especially not in Illinois, where everybody, including all the crooked pols, hates him. In truth, Blago probably was hit too hard for what he was charged with, but the important thing to the president* about this pardon was, I believe, that it was another creative way of saying, “Feck off” to his predecessor.
The banana republic is a republic gone bananas.
Meanwhile, Trump is dropping hints that so-called Dirty Trickster Roger Stone — sentenced to more than three years in prison this week for obstructing a congressional inquiry in a bid to protect President Trump — might also get a pardon.
What the heck, let’s make it an even dozen.
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The NDP is giving away a pair of tickets to one of our faithful monthly donors to Second City’s “She the People” show on Feb. 29 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln!
The drawing will be Feb. 25. Sign up to become a monthly donor and be entered in the drawing!
You can also buy discounted tickets here.
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The NDP’s annual Salute to State Senators is coming up March 11 in Lincoln.
This year’s theme is The Art of Legislating
Get your tickets and tables here.
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If you or someone you know is thinking about running for office, the Nebraska Democratic Party’s guide gives you a step-by-step process to see what offices you are eligible to run for based on your address, how to see who currently holds the seat, how to file, and lastly, all the filing deadlines.
Our team can always meet with you to answer questions and to help you get started. Just email info@nebraskademocrats.org and a team member will get back to you.
See the growing list of 2020 Democratic candidates running in Nebraska!
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The Democratic National Committee has approved the NDP’s Delegate Selection Plan for the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
The NDP will send 33 delegates to the national convention in Milwaukee.
Automatic delegates are NDP Chair Jane Kleeb, First Associate Chair Richard Register, National Committeeman Ron Kaminski, and National Committeewoman Patty Zieg.
An additional 29 national delegates will be selected at the NDP State Convention, which will be held June 5-7 in Omaha at the Downtown Marriott.
Read the DSP here and see how to become a delegate.
Also, we are conducting Delegate 101 Trainings across the state for people to learn the process to become a delegate.
That includes March 5 in Columbus and March 7 in Elkhorn
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Join fellow Dems tomorrow in Gretna for a Big Blue Canvass to help Jen Day, the candidate for State Legislature District 49!
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NDP Chair Jane Kleeb will be on MSNBC with Ali Velshi (Saturday) and Joy Reid (Sunday) to discuss the 2020 Democratic Presidential race.
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Be sure to book your room and buy meal tickets for the State Central Committee meeting March 20-22 in Fremont!
The Working Families Caucus will be featured.
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We leave you this week with a rendering by Mike Luckovich on Trump’s interference with the judicial system,
. —By Kevin O’Hanlon/NDP Communications Director
NOTE: If you’d like to receive #NebDems News via email, just let us know by sending a note to: info@nebraskademocrats.org
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IMPORTANT DATES
Feb. 22: Big Blue Canvass in LD49 in Gretna
Feb. 25: 10th Democratic Presidential Debate
Feb. 26: Former Secretary of State John Kerry and former Sen. Chuck Hagel speak at UNO
Feb. 29: Block Captain Training: Leap into the 2020 Elections!
March 3: Super Tuesday
March 5: Delegate 101 Training in Columbus
March 5: NDP and the Lancaster County Democratic Party U.S. Senate Forum
March 7: Delegate 101 Training in Elkhorn
March 8: 2020 Omaha Women’s Day March
March 11: Salute to State Senators
March 20-22: March SCC Meeting (CD1) Fremont
