add show trials to the list.
That frog in a saucepan of water is now approaching the point we might want to add seasoning, mirepoix and garlic, seeing as we are definitely going to boil it so we might as well eat it.
Menzo
4941
Well, to be fair, itās no more corrupt than all the Benghazi and email hearings in 2016, so Iām not sure this represents a new low, yet.
Trump ignores all polls with negative implications for him, so heās already assured he will win bigly in November. The biggest moment for concern would be the hypothetical period of time after a Biden victory is declared and before a concession has been made.
Trump might be an imbecile, but the rest of the GOP, top to bottom, is just as guilty and have even more to lose.
Declaring an unconstitutional state of emergency that does away with elections would require Donās decree, no?
As weāve seen in Georgia, yes he can.
Youāre comparing apples to oranges. There is no such language in the United States Constitution that would allow for him to cancel the election, as there was language in the Georgia State Constitution that allowed for the temporary appointee shenanigans to postpone the election of that state Supreme Court seat from 2020 to 2022.
KevinC
4947
I agree. But one thing to keep in mind is that the Constitution is just an old piece of paper. Itās only as good as the willingness of the people to uphold it.
How interested in restricting the President to the defined Constitutional powers does todayās GOP seem to you?
I donāt think weāre d0med. But I think we need to have clear eyes about what the Republican party is today and the threat they pose. Donāt count on a piece of paper to stop them.
Menzo
4948
Of course Trump could attempt to do all sorts of unconstitutional things. Heās already tried it multiple times.
Iād like to think that thereās a line even most Republicans wouldnāt cross though. Maybe thatās naive. But as you see from the article, the likely net result of Trump trying something so brazen wouldnāt be him as President, itād be chaos.
To paraphrase Frum: if conservatives canāt win elections they wonāt abandon conservatism, theyāll abandon democracy.
Trump has a majority on the Supreme Court and has subverted the bureaucracy and friendly state governments to his will. I donāt believe there is any measure the Trumpists wonāt take to hold onto power.
I mean, this is irrelevant. The states run the elections. Suppose Trump says they are canceled? No Blue states pay any attention. Some Red states do initially, then realize that they will have no representation in the House and no electors to vote for President and they quickly change their minds rather than cutting their own throat. How else could it play out?
Menzo
4951
What is most interesting is what happens on inauguration day if Trump refuses to leave the White House. Would the Secret Service drag him out?
I actually hope we find out.
If the law was on their side (i.e., DJT lost the election), I think theyād march him out at bayonet point. Most of them probably view him between shades of āmehā and loathing.
KevinC
4953
Talked about a thousand times so not really interested in going around the carousel again. Iām just saying, the Constitution doesnāt have some superpower to compel. It only holds any power if Americans choose to follow it. I donāt put it past Trump, the Republican party, and their cult to ignore or circumvent it if the alternative is Trump and the party being thrown out.
Iām not predicting they will do so or that theyāll necessarily be successful, but to quote Rule #3: Institutions will not save you. Hand-waving a threat away because itās unconstitutional just seems naive to me in 2020.
Iām not trying to be like Piggy from Lord of the Flies shouting āI have the conch!ā as heās stoned to death. I realize the Constitution only has as much power as we collectively ascribe to it. However, I donāt think one can point to what happened in Georgia and say thatās itās a foregone conclusion or likely that the 2020 Presidential Election will be cancelled.
KevinC
4955
Like I said, Iām not concluding or even predicting that. Iām saying thereās a pattern of the behavior with the GOP and I believe itās within the realm of possibility.
I didnāt mean to imply that you were, sorry if it came across that way.
Institutions other than states are largely irrelevant to the question. States will, in the end, act in their own interests, which means they will hold elections. If they donāt, they lose.
Sure, I think that horse is dead too, but if you suddenly declare it to be resurrected, you should expect the beating to begin again.
RichVR
4958
But the GOP are cowards. Do they back something like that knowing full well that if it fails they are screwed?
