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babylonsister

(170,962 posts)
Mon May 21, 2018, 01:53 PM May 2018

Pierce: The American Republic Is Fighting for Its Life

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a20772002/trump-qatar-meeting-constitutional-crisis/

The American Republic Is Fighting for Its Life
Trump has set in motion a constitutional crisis, having sold American foreign policy to the highest bidder.
By Charles P. Pierce
May 21, 2018

snip//

The president* has proceeded to up the ante. Over the weekend, on the electric Twitter machine, he hereby demanded that the Department of Justice launch an investigation into whether or not the Obama administration had used the FBI to submarine his campaign, a contention that would be laughable if it weren’t so serious. (It appears that, rather than be accused of political shenanigans, the Bureau kept the investigation into the Trump campaign on the down-low, a consideration that was not afforded the campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton.)

This outburst was clearly designed to put the DOJ, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, into an impossible small-p-political position. (Rosenstein handed off the request to the DOJ’s inspector general, which was the smart rope-a-dope play under the circumstances.) More to the point, it brought the president* right to the brink of a serious constitutional cataclysm. He is hereby demanding that the DOJ conduct an investigation of a political rival for purely political purposes. This is what Nixon did. This is why John Mitchell went to federal prison. And it is right there, in the open, on the electric Twitter machine. The Watergate crowd at least had the common decency to use code names.

Thus, the week begins ominously. We can only hope it ends the same way because, if it doesn’t, if there is not a constitutional crisis, ongoing and loud, at the end of the week, then we have determined through our system of government, and through our elected representatives, that we are willing to tolerate foreign bribes doled out to our president*’s pets, foreign sabotage of our national elections, and American foreign and domestic policy sold out to the highest grifter.


Clearly, the Republican majorities in the Congress will do nothing about this gathering threat to the constitutional legitimacy of the government as a whole. Therefore, those majorities have to be pushed and threatened to get them to move and, if they still refuse, they have to be replaced by majorities that will protect jealousy both the legislature’s legitimate powers and the general constitutional order. If neither of those courses is followed, then we have said as a self-governing people that we are willing to participate in a farce, a burlesque of constitutional democracy concocted by a passel of avaricious clowns, rather than fight for our right to a political commonwealth based on self-government.

There is a fight to be had here, and it is better that it be held out in the open, with every honest weapon available—including the current midterm campaign. It is not a time for irresolute appeals for civility and political politesse. Nothing honest is off the table. The American republic is fighting for its life and, as the old song goes, which side are you on?
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Pierce: The American Republic Is Fighting for Its Life (Original Post) babylonsister May 2018 OP
K&R Solly Mack May 2018 #1
Did I miss something? - When did the Oath to uphold the US Constitution asiliveandbreathe May 2018 #2
The Republic sure is fighting for its life blue-wave May 2018 #3
K&R! orangecrush May 2018 #4
Let's Step Back A Little Westcoast52 May 2018 #5
A couple of FU's to him from those statues in the GOP debates may have helped everyone...but....no dameatball May 2018 #7
Which side are you on? kentuck May 2018 #6
That was a lovely afternoon interlude. BobTheSubgenius May 2018 #8

asiliveandbreathe

(8,203 posts)
2. Did I miss something? - When did the Oath to uphold the US Constitution
Mon May 21, 2018, 03:32 PM
May 2018

change? -

The Senators and Representatives, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support the Constitution..

We must support the DOJ, FBI, and CIA employees, who uphold the their OATH to the US Constitution - Rule of Law - from intimidation...



From above article -

There is a fight to be had here, and it is better that it be held out in the open, with every honest weapon available—including the current midterm campaign. It is not a time for irresolute appeals for civility and political politesse. Nothing honest is off the table. The American republic is fighting for its life and, as the old song goes, which side are you on?

blue-wave

(4,313 posts)
3. The Republic sure is fighting for its life
Mon May 21, 2018, 04:08 PM
May 2018

"the Bureau kept the investigation into the Trump campaign on the down-low" The whole Trump mess is a serious national security threat. The intelligence agencies know it. Thus, they needed to keep the investigation quiet. It's my understanding they did so to gather as much as information as possible and not tip anyone off, so they run scared into hiding and/or destroy evidence. That said, I'm sure they have mountains of damning evidence by now. People need to start being held accountable soon, very soon. And the ratpublicans need to go down in every election for a very, very long time.

 

Westcoast52

(34 posts)
5. Let's Step Back A Little
Mon May 21, 2018, 04:18 PM
May 2018

Part of Trump's spell over others is he gets them to believe and act in the way he wants them to. Had Trump been smacked in the face forty years ago for harassing a woman, or one of the contractors he has stiffed took a shot at him, he would bully less. No one ever tells him 'Fuck you' because his spell of power is so convincing. Better men than him act helpless in his presence as he cons us all. He can convince himself Hillary and Comey and the FBI are all in on something, but America can pull the plug on this evil clown just by not humoring his delusions and turning away from him. Without constant attention he cannot sustain himself. He wants to meet with Mueller not to answer questions, but to browbeat Mueller into accepting his version of reality. Rosenstein can end Trump's existence with a simple 'Fuck you'. The resulting mental collapse will of course be ugly but the law will roll on. Trump is so close to breakdown it's inevitable he will get wheeled away before he's ever impeached. Trump is the ultimate Wizard of Oz. We are dealing with a brain-damaged fraudster on his last legs. He is not one of those comic-book elder gods rising up to devour us. There's nothing behind the curtain.

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