We've been saying this stuff since 2016, and it feels like some aerotherapeutic, self-convincing gibberish that a victim chained in the basement whispers over and over. And when the rapist comes kicking in the door, they be like "but, but... this ain't right..."
We should stop hypothesizing and assume he'd do the worst, because as the (recent) history shows, he'd do much worse than anyone ever expected. Because the guy is a psychopath. He doesn't care about laws, words, or ethical norms.
Hypothesizing? He has failed to pardon people convicted in state courts already, because he doesn't have the power to do it. This isn't some untested hypothetical. He issued a pardon for Peters in Colorado and it didn't stand. Why? Because she was convicted in a state court.
Checks and balances are working. He hasn't been able to achieve nearly close to everything that he would achieve if he was actually unrestrained. For example, the system didn't let him become President in 2021, since the system believed that he had not been elected. There isn't much reason to think that Trump will suddenly figure out how to get past the system.
What the fuck are you guys even talking about? Have you not following the news of the past (not even years, months and weeks)?
He's been routinely breaking the rules.
- Two impeachments landed nowhere.
- Mueller report - at least 10 episodes of obstruction of justice, DOJ gave him not even a slap on the wrist.
- Border wall national emergency declaration.
- Executive actions and shuttering agencies. USAID, the Department of Education, CFPB, USAGM/Voice of America. Several courts ruled these actions unlawful, and what? Where's USAID today?
- Challenging election results. He openly pressured Pence to reject certified electors.
- Illegally kidnapping sitting president.
- Illegal war.
- Illegal deportations.
- National Guard deployment in Los Angeles.
- cutting Harvard's funding.
- January 6 pardons and other pardons of allies.
- Firing sitting FBI director.
This isn't even a comprehensive list. Imagining just about any other president doing any of that, walking free and keeping the power seemed inconceivable before. Check and balances clearly not fucking working!
Nah, lol. The Constitution says "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice". So even if, hypothetically, he got cheated in 2020, the fact remains that he has already been elected twice. If it turns out that he has actually been elected three times and got cheated out of one of those times, he still clearly can't become President again.
Trump himself seems to acknowledge this but seems to be making the argument of "it's not fair I got cheated, they should make it up to me by letting me run again".
Well, no. The Constitution is very clear. If you want to run again you're gonna need a Constitutional amendment.
I think there are many, many more things people think he can't do that he hasn't actually been able to do. The number of things people think he can't do and that he has done is tiny compared to the number of things people think he can't do and that he actually can't do.
The vast majority of things that Trump does are things that people actually think he can do.
I mean, it is theoretically possible that he becomes an absolute dictator. But so many people would have to change their minds for that to happen that in practice it is very unlikely.
> But so many people would have to change their minds for that to happen that in practice it is very unlikely.
In his previous administration there were at least some checks and balances. This administration is completely unethical in all kind of levels. Frankly I won't be holding my breath.
The courts have ruled against a number of this administration's actions, that's the "checks" in checks and balances at work here. His power is not absolute despite what you may read in many HN comments.
Mmhmm, and here comes the media sanewashing….
Guess this’ll be the ultimate test of just how compromised SCOTUS is.
The local ultimate
words are words. i'm holding my breath until the national guard gets called out and they declare martial law.
given just how many felonies he's facing if he loses -- probably gonna happen.
What felonies? Per SCOTUS nothing he does in office is a crime. Also he can simply pardon himself.
That's not what the decision said, and the pardon is only for federal crimes. He doesn't have the power to protect himself from states.
> He doesn't have the power
We've been saying this stuff since 2016, and it feels like some aerotherapeutic, self-convincing gibberish that a victim chained in the basement whispers over and over. And when the rapist comes kicking in the door, they be like "but, but... this ain't right..."
We should stop hypothesizing and assume he'd do the worst, because as the (recent) history shows, he'd do much worse than anyone ever expected. Because the guy is a psychopath. He doesn't care about laws, words, or ethical norms.
> We should stop hypothesizing
Hypothesizing? He has failed to pardon people convicted in state courts already, because he doesn't have the power to do it. This isn't some untested hypothetical. He issued a pardon for Peters in Colorado and it didn't stand. Why? Because she was convicted in a state court.
Stop spewing nonsense.
Checks and balances are working. He hasn't been able to achieve nearly close to everything that he would achieve if he was actually unrestrained. For example, the system didn't let him become President in 2021, since the system believed that he had not been elected. There isn't much reason to think that Trump will suddenly figure out how to get past the system.
> how to get past the system.
What the fuck are you guys even talking about? Have you not following the news of the past (not even years, months and weeks)?
He's been routinely breaking the rules.
- Two impeachments landed nowhere.
- Mueller report - at least 10 episodes of obstruction of justice, DOJ gave him not even a slap on the wrist.
- Border wall national emergency declaration.
- Executive actions and shuttering agencies. USAID, the Department of Education, CFPB, USAGM/Voice of America. Several courts ruled these actions unlawful, and what? Where's USAID today?
- Challenging election results. He openly pressured Pence to reject certified electors.
- Illegally kidnapping sitting president.
- Illegal war.
- Illegal deportations.
- National Guard deployment in Los Angeles.
- cutting Harvard's funding.
- January 6 pardons and other pardons of allies.
- Firing sitting FBI director.
This isn't even a comprehensive list. Imagining just about any other president doing any of that, walking free and keeping the power seemed inconceivable before. Check and balances clearly not fucking working!
Nah, lol. The Constitution says "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice". So even if, hypothetically, he got cheated in 2020, the fact remains that he has already been elected twice. If it turns out that he has actually been elected three times and got cheated out of one of those times, he still clearly can't become President again.
Trump himself seems to acknowledge this but seems to be making the argument of "it's not fair I got cheated, they should make it up to me by letting me run again".
Well, no. The Constitution is very clear. If you want to run again you're gonna need a Constitutional amendment.
[delayed]
Everyone has been saying he can’t do most of the things he does on a regular basis. I won’t rule out a 4th term, either.
I think there are many, many more things people think he can't do that he hasn't actually been able to do. The number of things people think he can't do and that he has done is tiny compared to the number of things people think he can't do and that he actually can't do.
The vast majority of things that Trump does are things that people actually think he can do.
I mean, it is theoretically possible that he becomes an absolute dictator. But so many people would have to change their minds for that to happen that in practice it is very unlikely.
> But so many people would have to change their minds for that to happen that in practice it is very unlikely.
In his previous administration there were at least some checks and balances. This administration is completely unethical in all kind of levels. Frankly I won't be holding my breath.
The courts have ruled against a number of this administration's actions, that's the "checks" in checks and balances at work here. His power is not absolute despite what you may read in many HN comments.
The system has plenty of checks and balances that are outside of his administration.
Constitutions can be changed by other means. See Saddam, Gadhafi etc. Trump's story is heading in a similar direction.
No, it's not.
I wonder how much of it is his incessant spite vs trolling vs saying something to see himself in the news cycle