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SanAndreasX on 28 February 2024
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Renamed said:
Machiavellian said:

People need to understand that the President is not king in the US.  Yes the president can do some stuff but a lot of it can be challenged in court.  A lot of stuff cannot be done unless you have both house and senate within your same party.  Maybe he will throw out a bunch of dumb EOs that will be immediately challenged.

Will Trump be a terrible president.  Hell yeah no doubt but always remember what he says he will do and what he can actually do are two very different things.

It's as I, and Sundin13, have noted.  Our checks and balances are not so balanced anymore, nor do they check as intended.  Just look what he's trying to do with the RNC. Look at his efforts to overturn the 2020 election with a combination of false electors, the GOP, public force, etc...

The guy gives away his whole playbook and we keep saying our institutions will prevent him.  They damn near didn't in 2020.  147 Republicans didn't vote to certify the 2020 election. Trump isn't in a vacuum.  His extremism enables others' extremism and vice versa.  Who is the 'acting' Speaker of the House now?  It's Trump.  Mike Johnson is just a mouth piece for him.  Oh, and he was one of the aforementioned 147 Republicans that wanted to overturn the election.

The Checks and Balances only work if they apply their roles of being checks and balances.  Instead, they are actively operating to enable him.

Take him at his word when he tells you who he is and what he wants and don't assume he will always be contained.  The stakes are too damn high.

I'd like to re-emphasize this point. It only takes 34 Senators out of 100 to acquit the President in an impeachment trial. "Executive privilege" has been so ill-defined to the point where the President is immune to any kind of government action as long as he is in office. If he tells the courts to go fuck themselves, then what? 34 Senators can acquit him and give him the stamp of approval. He can't legally be arrested, and it's technically illegal for his advisors to disobey him unless they can convince a judge that the order they refused to obey was itself illegal. And then what? He still can't be arrested until he is impeached and convicted by the Senate. 34 people out of 330 million are enough to make the President completely invulnerable. 

We're seeing a smaller-scale version of this playing out in Texas now, with Ken Paxton. He was acquitted by the Texas state senate in his impeachment trial. They've handed him a blank checkbook to abuse his power in any way he sees fit, and he is doing so, with the complicity of the governor, the legislature, the police, and millions of Texas voters. 

Last edited by SanAndreasX - on 28 February 2024