During a two-hour oral argument, justices avoided wrestling with the contentious question of whether former President Donald Trump “engaged in insurrection.”
This was always going to happen. Leaving the enforcement of this very federal matter to the individual states would have terrible consequences. No one wants Abbot or DeSantis to have this power, because they would immediately abuse it by declaring anyone but trump unfit for the ballot based entirely on lies and fever dreams.
Of course the ultra shitty consequence is that we’re stuck with the equally fucked-by-insane-people Congress’s complete inability to act.
If bad faith gamesmanship has gone that far then we’re already in the pot and we just don’t know it yet. What’s better, finding that out with Biden in the White House or Trump? Because the rules are very clear and bending them in hopes that the bad guys will just magically stop being bad is ridiculous. If they’re willing the DQ all other candidates then they’re also willing to just declare him victor of their state and send his delegates to D.C. In which case nothing we do matters.
The best thing we can do is hew to the rules while we have a sane president and deal with the fallout now. It only gets worse the longer you push it off.
At this point, the best outcome would be for Biden to self-sacrifice, and go on the ultra-offensive:
"Oh, SCOTUS is supporting the fact a President can commit insurrection, and is absolutely immune, or at least can’t be prosecuted while or after being President?
Fine. I have just signed Executive Order #XXX, dissolving the SCOTUS and unseating each of this handpicked list of State and Federal Judges, effective immediately, replacing them with this other (waves big sheet of papers) hand-picked list.
Also, I have just signed Executive Order #YYY, calling for the immediate arrest and indefinite detention of this handpicked list (waves the thid, EVEN LARGER pile in his other hand) of Enemies Of The Republic.
Furthermore, I am resigning as President of the United States immediately, please stand and sing Our National Anthem to welcome President Kamala Harris to the Oval Office as the new Executive In Chief. Thank You and Good Night."
(Just in case there’s a way to veto these Executive Orders, he should send guards to discreetly lock Congress at nighttime so they can’t hold a vote just before he goes on TV.)
I think you’d see either some VERY quick backtracking by the entire SCOTUS, plus the GOP asking for an emergency meeting and a chance to make things right, or a short Civil War. Which is coming anyhow, by the looks of it, so might as well get it over with now.
He’s near the end of his life, so why not perform this selfless act for the good of the nation?
I really wish they could be made to answer questions rather than just ask them. I want to hear who they think does have authority to enforce the 14th amendment. It seems like they think they can effectively repeal a Constitutional amendment by simply not acknowledging that anyone has a right to enforce it.
Trumps lawyer and some of the judges were obviously of the opinion that Congress has to create some sort of system for dealing with this. But that’s nonsense because no other bar to office requires positive action from Congress. And the next argument they’re going to make is that if Congress proposed a system it would require a 2/3rds majority to pass and implement because that’s the threshold for removing the bar from a candidate. They know full well that’s impossible but they’ll pretend that’s the actual law until the day they die because words mean nothing to fascists, only results.
This is the truth. They were always going to rule to keep him on the ballot as a matter of law and the implications of that ruling. Just because people were trying to remove King Asshat today doesn’t stop a complete abuse of this tomorrow with an actually qualified candidate.
That said, ruling “for” him here gives them the opportunity to rule “against” him when Jack Smith’s case is pushed about Trump’s immunity from prosecution.
I’m wiling to put money on the fact that they will not even hear the appeal to that case.
This was always going to happen. Leaving the enforcement of this very federal matter to the individual states would have terrible consequences. No one wants Abbot or DeSantis to have this power, because they would immediately abuse it by declaring anyone but trump unfit for the ballot based entirely on lies and fever dreams.
Of course the ultra shitty consequence is that we’re stuck with the equally fucked-by-insane-people Congress’s complete inability to act.
If bad faith gamesmanship has gone that far then we’re already in the pot and we just don’t know it yet. What’s better, finding that out with Biden in the White House or Trump? Because the rules are very clear and bending them in hopes that the bad guys will just magically stop being bad is ridiculous. If they’re willing the DQ all other candidates then they’re also willing to just declare him victor of their state and send his delegates to D.C. In which case nothing we do matters.
The best thing we can do is hew to the rules while we have a sane president and deal with the fallout now. It only gets worse the longer you push it off.
At this point, the best outcome would be for Biden to self-sacrifice, and go on the ultra-offensive:
(Just in case there’s a way to veto these Executive Orders, he should send guards to discreetly lock Congress at nighttime so they can’t hold a vote just before he goes on TV.)
I think you’d see either some VERY quick backtracking by the entire SCOTUS, plus the GOP asking for an emergency meeting and a chance to make things right, or a short Civil War. Which is coming anyhow, by the looks of it, so might as well get it over with now.
He’s near the end of his life, so why not perform this selfless act for the good of the nation?
I laughed, but I’d rather not have this happen for one really good reason. What if he pulls it off and we just killed democracy?
I really wish they could be made to answer questions rather than just ask them. I want to hear who they think does have authority to enforce the 14th amendment. It seems like they think they can effectively repeal a Constitutional amendment by simply not acknowledging that anyone has a right to enforce it.
Trumps lawyer and some of the judges were obviously of the opinion that Congress has to create some sort of system for dealing with this. But that’s nonsense because no other bar to office requires positive action from Congress. And the next argument they’re going to make is that if Congress proposed a system it would require a 2/3rds majority to pass and implement because that’s the threshold for removing the bar from a candidate. They know full well that’s impossible but they’ll pretend that’s the actual law until the day they die because words mean nothing to fascists, only results.
You have full throated agreement from me.
This is the truth. They were always going to rule to keep him on the ballot as a matter of law and the implications of that ruling. Just because people were trying to remove King Asshat today doesn’t stop a complete abuse of this tomorrow with an actually qualified candidate.
That said, ruling “for” him here gives them the opportunity to rule “against” him when Jack Smith’s case is pushed about Trump’s immunity from prosecution.
I’m wiling to put money on the fact that they will not even hear the appeal to that case.
I’m hoping they do their fucking jobs when that case lands in front of them, but it’s a slim hope.