Trump's "Day One" test

[Occam's Banana]

https://x.com/ReedCoverdale/status/1854053319846580734

Abolish the DOE?

End the war in Ukraine?

Let's see if Trump can keep his easiest promise, first ...

So bookmark this thread and check back on January 20th or 21st of next year.

Meanwhile, vote in the poll and/or post your thoughts, if you like.

If you think he will commute Ulbricht's sentence, do you think he'll literally do it on "Day One", or was that just hyperbole?

RELATED:

• Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht arrested, tried, convicted
• Trump Is Considering Clemency for Silk Road Founder
• Trump to address LP 2024 national convention
  
  (esp. wrt this post and this post, quoted below)​
• Trump pardons Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht
• Thomas Massie discusses Ross Ulbricht on Timcast

https://x.com/RealRossU/status/1794865086135521737

https://x.com/BehizyTweets/status/1794535665440342256

 

[nobody's_hero]

I do expect that he's going to fly out to meet with Putin fairly soon after taking office. Not sure what will come of that. (if Pompeo is in his cabinet again, probably nothing, just like w/ N. Korea). At most I hope they will agree not to start flinging nukes at each other as a starting point.

The thing about it is:

He has nothing to lose on a 2nd and final term, he could go full-blown statist and we're stuck with him for 4 years.

The other thing about it is:

He has nothing to lose on a 2nd and final term, he could fulfill those promises and they're stuck with him for 4 years.

 

[unknown]

Yo, that poll is rigged AF.

 

[Occam's Banana]

I do expect that he's going to fly out to meet with Putin fairly soon after taking office. Not sure what will come of that. (if Pompeo is in his cabinet again, probably nothing, just like w/ N. Korea). At most I hope they will agree not to start flinging nukes at each other as a starting point.

The thing about it is:

He has nothing to lose on a 2nd and final term, he could go full-blown statist and we're stuck with him for 4 years.

The other thing about it is:

He has nothing to lose on a 2nd and final term, he could fulfill those promises and they're stuck with him for 4 years.

That's why the Ulbricht question is so important now. It will be a significant indicator.

If Trump doesn't keep a brain-dead-easy-to-accomplish promise like that, then there will be no reason at all to think he'll put much if any effort into following through on any of his other much more difficult promises.

 

[GlennwaldSnowdenAssanged]

I voted he will.

 

[nobody's_hero]

That's why the Ulbricht question is so important now. It will be a significant indicator.

If Trump doesn't keep a brain-dead-easy-to-accomplish promise like that, then there will be no reason at all to think he'll put much if any effort into following through on any of his other much more difficult promises.

I think Assange would be easier.

(Seriously admitting ignorance on this: I didn't learn much about who Ulbricht even was until Trump went to the libertarian convention.)

 

[nobody's_hero]

Yo, that poll is rigged AF.

Not as much as Nate Silver's polls. Feel free to join in the Nate Silver bash fest on X.

Hoping to end the guy's career.

 

[GlennwaldSnowdenAssanged]

Will he commute or pardon the J6 political prisoners?

 

[nobody's_hero]

Will he commute or pardon the J6 political prisoners?

oooh.

That would honestly impress me more.

I mean, Ulbricht seems like a George Floyd martyr for libertarians. He doesn't strike me as the most worthy guy to rally around. Just sayin' there's better options.

 

[Occam's Banana]

I think Assange would be easier.

Assange is already free (see this thread).

But there's no question of which would be "easier" in any case.

Issuing a pardon is literally no more difficult than simply signing a document.

(Seriously admitting ignorance on this: I didn't learn much about who Ulbricht even was until Trump went to the libertarian convention.)

I provided a link in the OP for those who might not be familiar with the Ulbricht case (Why Trump should pardon Russ Ulbricht of the Silk Road).

But entirely regardless of whether one is familiar with the particulars of that case (and entirely regardless of whether one even agrees that Ulbricht deserves to be set free), Trump very clearly and explicitly promised that he would commute Ulbricht's sentence "on day one".

If he does not keep that extremely-simple-and-easy-to-keep promise, there will be no reason to have any confidence that he'll even try to keep any of his other promises.

 

[Occam's Banana]

I mean, Ulbricht seems like a George Floyd martyr for libertarians.

It seems like that because that is exactly what he is: a "martyr for libertarians".

In fact, that is precisely why Trump made the promise to commute Ulbricht's sentence when he addressed the Libertarian Party convention.

He doesn't strike me as the most worthy guy to rally around. Just sayin' there's better options.

None of that is relevant.

[E]ntirely regardless of whether one is familiar with the particulars of [Ulbricht's] case (and entirely regardless of whether one even agrees that Ulbricht deserves to be set free), Trump very clearly and explicitly promised that he would commute Ulbricht's sentence "on day one".

 

[nobody's_hero]

Assange is already free (see this thread).

But there's no question of which would be "easier" in any case.

Issuing a pardon is literally no more difficult than simply signing a document.



I provided a link in the OP for those who might not be familiar with the Ulbricht case (Why Trump should pardon Russ Ulbricht of the Silk Road).

But entirely regardless of whether one is familiar with the particulars of that case (and entirely regardless of whether one even agrees that Ulbricht should be set free), Trump very clearly and explicitly promised that he would commute Ulbricht's sentence "on day one".

If he does not keep that extremely-simple-and-easy-to-keep promise, there will be no reason to have any confidence that he'll even try to keep any of his other promises.

Snowden then. (or is he free too, WTF have I been?)

I checked out that thread as well and when it got into talk about Ulbricht putting out hits on people I was like, 'well, this is some fringe-ass sh*t.' (but then again, that's exactly what you'd expect libertarians to make their hill to die on, I guess). The only thing that sways me on that is Massie's support for him, and if he thinks the sentence is unjust, I'm gonna defer to his judgement.

But you're right, it is as simple as signing a document.

 

[Occam's Banana]

Snowden then. (or is he free too, WTF have I been?)

He is free, too. He is currently living in Russia.

Trump should still pardon him, but that's irrelevant here, because unlike as for Ulbricht, Trump has never promised to pardon Snowden.

 

[dannno]

I dunno about literally Day 1, but I imagine it will be very early on since he said that.

 

[TheTexan]

We shall see

 

[Occam's Banana]

I mean, Ulbricht seems like a George Floyd martyr for libertarians.

It seems like that because that is exactly what he is: a "martyr for libertarians".

In fact, that is precisely why Trump made the promise to commute Ulbricht's sentence when he addressed the Libertarian Party convention.

The LP kept up its end of the bargain Trump offered (e.g., see this thread, and this one).

Will Trump keep up his end of that bargain? I don't know. I hope so. We are going to find out.

[...] I was like, 'well, this is some fringe-ass sh*t.' (but then again, that's exactly what you'd expect libertarians to make their hill to die on, I guess). [...]

I get that it's fashionable to roll one's eyes at and/or mock libertarians. (Hell, I do that myself, sometimes - and I am a libertarian.) Some people really love to piss and moan and bitch about the LP and truculently "purist" libertarians - and not always without reason. But I think you are being more than a little unfair here. Trump himself chose to meet the LP on that "hill" - no one is "dying" on it [1]. So any complaints to the effect that "this is some fringe-ass sh*t" should be directed at Donald Trump, not at the libertarians who are simply expecting Trump to keep the easily-kept promise he chose to offer them.

If those who support Trump are going to tolerate or excuse Trump lying through his teeth right to the faces of the libertarians whose support he and they want (by explicitly making and then breaking simple and easy-to-keep promises) - or if they are going to shrug off those lies as insignificant or unimportant (because "this is some fringe-ass shi*t", or whatever) - then any such self-described "pragmatists" are merely going to prove that they are really just mealy-mouthed weasels if they continue to piss and moan and bitch about how "useless" the so-called "purists" supposedly are.



[1] I mean, come on! Really? The LP got Trump to clearly and explicitly promise to deliver on something they wanted, if he won. How does it make any sense to characterize that as "dying on a hill"? (It sounds more like "winning on a hill" - but maybe that's just me.). How is that not "practical", or "pragmatic", or all that kind of thing, that so many people are so fond of accusing libertarians in general and the LP in particular of not being?

 

[TheTexan]

If those who support Trump are going to tolerate or excuse Trump lying through his teeth right to the faces of the libertarians whose support he and they want (by explicitly making and then breaking simple and easy-to-keep promises) - or if they are going to shrug off those lies as insignificant or unimportant (because "this is some fringe-ass shi*t", or whatever) - then any such self-described "pragmatists" are merely going to prove that they are really just mealy-mouthed weasels if they continue to piss and moan and bitch about how "useless" the so-called "purists" supposedly are.

One could make the argument that getting a President to make, and then break, a promise, is a useful end in of itself.

 

[Occam's Banana]

One could make the argument that getting a President to make, and then break, a promise, is a useful end in of itself.

"Read my lips ..."

 

[Todd]

Cant imagine that's high on his priority list.

Maybe someone should put a list together of all political prisoners and get the ball moving for something really epic like a one-time F. U. to all the people government threw in jail for their selective prosecutions.

 

[Occam's Banana]

https://x.com/kurtmetzger/status/1854053593206145265