Eugene Robinson: "The constitutional crisis is here"

[Soph0571]

He has written this powerful column for tomorrow's Washington Post that begins simply enough:

Stop waiting for the constitutional crisis that President Trump is sure to provoke. It’s here.

This is not a column that I can easily summarize.

It is tightly written.

It starts with “the tweet” on Sunday as the immediate provocation, noting that

Trump’s only rational goal is casting doubt on the probe by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, which appears to be closing in.

and immediately following that with this paragraph, before quoting the tweet in question:

Trump’s power play is a gross misuse of his presidential authority and a dangerous departure from long-standing norms. Strongmen such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin use their justice systems to punish enemies and deflect attention from their own crimes. Presidents of the United States do not — or did not, until Sunday’s tweet:

Robinson notes the false claim, fully supported by right-wing media, about a spy” who was ‘implanted” into Trump’s campaign for political purposes, of which Robinson notes

This claim is completely unsupported by the facts as we know them. Trump wants you to believe a lie.

[link:https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/5/21/1766075/-Eugene-Robinson-The-constitutional-crisis-is-here|

This...

[KewlKat]

1. I just caught a glimpse of Robinson on MJ

[global1]

2. I Was Wondering When Somebody Would Call The Constitutional Crisis....

it's about time. Maybe something will happen to put a reign on Trump now. I sure do hope that Robinson's comments become big talking points now and things start to happen.

[PCIntern]

3. The "reign" unfortunately is

already there. Perhaps a “rein”?

😄

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

11. Leave it to Eugene Robinson to tell it like it is... should be an excellent read.

[gademocrat7]

4. This is a nightmare.

A treasonous grifter as president with willing treason weasels in Congress doing his bidding.

[bdamomma]

19. All of them

need to be voted out, or lead out treasonous bastards. When is it going to stop?? that POS needs his a$$ thrown out along with those accomplices who are helping him.

[Glorfindel]

5. That is an anti-Obama political cartoon. See the cuff link?

And he's left-handed. I wonder if Democratic Underground is the best possible place to post such a thing? Your excellent post on Eugene Robinson's column is powerful enough without that cartoon.

[raging moderate]

7. Good catch.

Also a good reminder of the right-wing over-reaction to Obama's executive orders, although they were fewer and more cautious.

[ornotna]

27. It sure is

Shame to open a thread on such an important matter and have to see that.

Here's a link to the original story, without that pic.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-constitutional-crisis-is-here/2018/05/21/deaf19b2-5d27-11e8-a4a4-c070ef53f315_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c8c31810b537

[dalton99a]

6. .

[ollie10]

8. People keep talking about the constitutional crisis in the future

....as if anybody in the spineless Republican Congress would do anything about it anyway

We need to elect a Democratic Congress. Period

[pangaia]

13. Call me pessimist but it is too late.

Yes, I will keep working as I can to elect a rep in my district but... I believe it is over. I have felt this for months.

[roamer65]

18. It's not too late, but the window is fast closing.

Everyday this persists, the remedy becomes more difficult and extreme.

[Cosmocat]

23. Yep

1/3 of the country is EAGERLY PUSHING for fascism.

1/3 of the country is in a clueless "they are both the same" daze.

I can't stop trying and doing what I can, but I don't think we are going to pull out of this ...

[spanone]

9. and the republican congress is deaf, blind and mute.

[MariaCSR]

12. ....and complicit.

[pangaia]

14. No they are not. They are cowards, grifters and gangsters

[bdamomma]

28. They are all of the above!!!

nt

[Botany]

10. It was treason and we had a coup

From the Post article.

Stop waiting for the constitutional crisis that President Trump is sure to provoke. It’s here.

On Sunday, via Twitter, Trump demanded that the Justice Department concoct a transparently political investigation, with the aim of smearing veteran professionals at Justice and the FBI and also throwing mud at the previous administration. Trump’s only rational goal is casting doubt on the probe by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, which appears to be closing in.

Trump’s power play is a gross misuse of his presidential authority and a dangerous departure from long-standing norms. Strongmen such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin use their justice systems to punish enemies and deflect attention from their own crimes. Presidents of the United States do not — or did not, until Sunday’s tweet:

“I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes — and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!”

[bdamomma]

20. "I hereby demand"

fuck you.

[Botany]

22. Grassly is going along with this march towards fascism too

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142064520

[notdarkyet]

15. We need to march on the Capitol and stay there till trump is gone. Blogging and bitching

Won’t help. We need bodies in the streets shouting “traitors get out. I’m just tired of this. Every day we suffer another blow to our constitution and do nothing. It is getting to late to save ourselves. Really, are we going to let a mad man destroy two hundred years of a democracy? They think it’s funny when they make us mad, they believe we will never stand up for the rule of law. T

[bdamomma]

21. it needs to stop

we can all see what is happening and we are the only ones to save ourselves. or do we really want this fascist pig to take us all down.

[PoliticAverse]

16. Apparently the author of that piece is too young to remember the Nixon administration. n/t

[maxsolomon]

26. He's not.

Have you truly never heard of Eugene Robinson?

[Nitram]

17. "Trump wants you to believe a lie?" No, he wants you to believe a narrative that is a string of lies

upon lies, upon lies. He is wielding the power of the state to support his family business. Qatar was punished for not extending the loan Jared needed for his idiotic real estate fiasco. Russia is rewarded for propping up the Trump organization with wads of cash that are laundered through Trump's businesses. North Korea is rewarded for briefly making Trump look like a brilliant diplomat. China is rewarded for pretending to make concessions to Trump's trade demands. Our European allies are punished for.....well, no one really knows why. Maybe to make Trump look like a tough guy.

[maxsolomon]

24. He's right, and the public isn't noticing. They're numbed by the chaos.

Moved on to graduations, kids dance recitals, vacation, home improvement projects, etc.

We're on a knife's edge.

[colsohlibgal]

25. The Road Back Hopefully Starts In November

I cannot believe there are more crazy wingnut types than decent people. But the right has more ultra wealthy people spending 100s of Billions to get their way. Read "Dark Money" by Jane Mayer and it will horrify you. They are now spending gazillions on colleges so they can stuff more conservative faculty in them to influence young minds.

This is a fight for our soul. Time is short, we need to stem the flow of conservative judges being appointed while hoping the Notorious RBG can hang in there long enough. BTW they not us figured out that appointing younger judges, like Roberts, was the smart thing to do.

It's no slam dunk we can reclaim the USA and I cannot remember thinking that in my lifetime.

But getting the House back is a start. Oh....and competing as hard as we can for all races down to school boards.