Donald Trump Is Leaving Behind Blueprints to End Democracy

Discussion in 'Current Events' started by Golem, Nov 20, 2020.

  1. Golem

    Golem Well-Known Member Donor

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    What’s unfolding now is an attempted coup by a con. It’s a bigger political scandal than Russian interference four years ago. And yes, it is likely to fail, and the system is likely to prevail. But the American majority cannot rest, nor rely on its sense of decency, until the election hooligans are beaten back.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/opinion/trump-blueprints-to-end-democracy.html
    This anti-democracy push by Trump is going to fail, of course. Not only because the difference is too wide. Or just because they have yet to produce a single shred of evidence. But because the people involved are not very bright. Trump... Giuliani... not the greatest minds.

    But one has to wonder what would happen in a future election? What if an unscrupulous character like Trump on either party, lost a close election? What if that person were smarter than Trump (not difficult to imagine at all), and they hired a team of real attorneys?

    Trump has managed to appoint a series of unqualified judges. You have to be corrupt to accept a position of such responsibility for which you know you are not qualified. So it's not out of the question that they could encounter one that would cater to their anti-democratic requirements.

    This is how Democracy dies. And Trump has set the table. Trump himself is unlikely to benefit from what he created. He doesn't have the brains. And it's much more likely that he'll be in prison for most of the next four years. But a more intelligent soulless character could very well take advantage.
     
  2. 9royhobbs

    9royhobbs Well-Known Member

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    And McConnell? What is his role with these judges?
     
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  3. Market Junkie

    Market Junkie Banned

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    The pathetic little righties would've literally been going BALLISTIC if Hilly had pulled this kind of sh*t back in '16.

    And she lost by WAY fewer votes in MI, PA, and WI than disgraceful dictator-wannabe trump did this year...
     
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  4. fullmetaljack

    fullmetaljack Well-Known Member

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    I mentioned this topic in another post. The circumstances for this coup by the Republicans and Trumpsters aren't right at this point ( THANK GOD !) but under different circumstances, like a simple majority by one party in both houses of Congress, this might actually work. At that point the only impediment would be the SCOTUS. Even that avenue could be blocked with a few friendly state governments participating.

    Ironic, isn't it ? A mighty country and society can be destroyed from within by those on a petty quest for personal power.
     
  5. Doofenshmirtz

    Doofenshmirtz Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Ha! Dems would never go against voters.

     
  6. The Mello Guy

    The Mello Guy Well-Known Member

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    I’ve got bad news for you, Jeb Bartlett wasnt really the president. He’s just an actor. In fact they all are!
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2020
  7. straight ahead

    straight ahead Well-Known Member

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    I hate Hollywood so much now I only know who the old farts were.
     
  8. Doofenshmirtz

    Doofenshmirtz Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    So it is wrong for electors to go against voters?
     
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  9. The Mello Guy

    The Mello Guy Well-Known Member

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    Wrong is subjective, but it’s illegal
     
  10. Doofenshmirtz

    Doofenshmirtz Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    In this case, illegal and immoral are covered.
     
  11. Libby

    Libby Well-Known Member

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    Yes, OH MY GOD, wanting an honest and transparent and fraud-free election is going to lead to the end of democracy :roll:

    Even the Democrats have given in and admitted they know there is fraud. At least Trump cares about trying to clean it up. It may not help him now, but maybe we'll have a more honest election in 2024.
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2020
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  12. HurricaneDitka

    HurricaneDitka Well-Known Member

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    Last I checked, if a total of less than 50,000 votes had switched in the right places, President Trump would have won re-election. By that metric, it's a narrower loss than Hillary's, which would have required more than 75,000 votes to be switched in the right states to change the outcome.
     
  13. The Mello Guy

    The Mello Guy Well-Known Member

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    There is always fraud, like that republicans who registered his dead mom. But why should millions of peoples votes not count because of that?
     
  14. HurricaneDitka

    HurricaneDitka Well-Known Member

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    Leftists, including Hillary, did try to pull "this kind of sh*t back in '16". As far as I'm concerned, leftists established this new norm four years ago, and richly deserve all the fight President Trump is willing to give them over the results, and then some.
     
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  15. squidward

    squidward Well-Known Member

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    Just provide the ballots with voter verification requirements as prescribed by state law. Easy peasy, problem solved.

    It aint a coup if you can't provide them.
    It's proper.
     
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  16. gnoib

    gnoib Well-Known Member

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    Reminds me of the Weimar Republik.
     
  17. Golem

    Golem Well-Known Member Donor

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    An honest, transparent and fraud-free election deciding who wins the Presidency is the last thing Trump wants. HIs own attorneys have admitted it.
     
  18. Golem

    Golem Well-Known Member Donor

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    Are you not paying attention? Trump's fight in the courts has absolutely nothing to do with verification or state law or... any of that.
     
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  19. Bluesguy

    Bluesguy Well-Known Member Donor

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    Since when is contesting election irregularities anti-democratic? I would think trying to stop any contest would be the anti-democracy push.

    Yes what will happen if in the future we continue to send out mass ballot mailings to voting list which are far from accurate and then do not verify who mailed it back? What will happen if we continue to allow judges and partisan officials change the rules as set by the state legislature at their whim?

    Absolutely unsupported nonsense his have been some of the MOST qualified at interpreting the Constitution and to hold the laws to the Constitution. It's the judges who believe they can violate the Constitution and change the rules of elections on their own who are unqualified.

    What I stated is how Democracy dies along. We we start saying we don't need to count every vote and discard every illegal vote that is when Democracy dies. When officials go behind closed doors, when verifications of who is actually voting is vacated, when even officials who are questioning a total are threatened and abused. That is how Democracy dies.

    What table they one where we try to ensure the integrity of our elections or the one where we just wipe all that off of it?

    And here is how Democracy dies. When the party in power loses and they hatch a plot to falsely accuse the opposition of treasonous acts, begins to use the power of our law enforcement and intelligence to spy on them and then bring phony charges using phony evidence and fake investigations in order to get them removed in a political coup and supports outside violence and threats to the citizens who politically oppose them that is how Democracy dies. Guess which side that is.
     
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  20. Scamander

    Scamander Well-Known Member

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    The debate on how to prevent someone like Trump ever getting elected again is a topic in itself.

    But let me just say this for starters; what's wrong with having some rules on who can run for President and who can not?
    (Apart from the obvious ones like age and nationality.)

    Speaking solely for the United States; anybody should have the chance to run for President. It's part of democracy.

    But if Billy from next door has such ambitions I suggest that, apart from having a lot of money, Billy has a resume that shows at least a few years of political experience in some office.

    Let him have served his apprenticeship to show he is at least bothered to go through the process.

    That might not eliminate every flawed individual but it might prevent an only good for burger-flipping, anti-democratic and outright fascist sh*t like Trump gaining power.

    It might help to save American democracy.
     
  21. Golem

    Golem Well-Known Member Donor

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    They're not contesting any irregularity. They just want to find a judge that will give Trump the electors of all the swing states. His attorney said so.

    The rest of your post is based on the same misconception.
     
  22. balancing act

    balancing act Well-Known Member

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    I've always thought that someone should be a governor of a state to run. That would ensure that they know how to govern and know how the government works.
    Some would argue that would keep the swamp creatures in power. But I don't think state governors are necessarily swamp creatures. In fact, it would tend to make sure that they were not part of the "Washington swamp".
     
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  23. The Mello Guy

    The Mello Guy Well-Known Member

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    Hillary conceded the next day! Lol
    Obama had trump to the whitehouse right away and started his intel briefings. Stop rewriting history to justify trumps coup attempt.
     
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  24. Golem

    Golem Well-Known Member Donor

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    Overall, I agree with the thought that we should find a way to prevent somebody like Trump to stay in power, even after having committed so many crimes. But I don't think there is a way to accomplish that by restricting who can run.

    I mean, imagine somebody like Trump, but with more brains and more education. They just might very well accomplish the goal that Trump was pursuing: become a dictator. Trump has demonstrated that this is possible. I would much prefer an uneducated dolt like Trump trying to become a dictator, than somebody with intelligence and education like ... Sebastian Gorka (who, fortunately, was not born in the U.S.), for example. Somebody like Gorka who is much more intelligent than Trump, but has the same lack of morals could have very well succeeded in perpetuating themselves in power for life. What we need to do is demand that the laws be amended so that the power of the President be limited, and oversight strengthened. We have relied too much on the "honesty" of the President, and Trump showed that this is a weakness.

    A discussion as to what laws should be changed will require a complete thread. A few would be limiting the power to pardon of the President. They should not be allowed to pardon a former President (or themselves, of course). Strengthening impeachment so a President who is impeached is mandated by law to attend his Senate hearings and respond to questions in a televised session, with no possibility to claim self-incrimination. Making it clear that a President can and should be prosecuted if there is sufficient evidence that they committed a crime. Making the Justice Department more independent by not allowing it to discuss with the President any case in which a high government figure is being investigated. And not allowing the President to fire the Attorney General except with authorization from Congress.

    Anyway... so many things that need to be done.... We might discuss them in a thread dedicated to this subject some time.
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2020
  25. zalekbloom

    zalekbloom Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Trump is the symptom. Almost half of Americans voted for Trump, and what percent of Americans believe that Democrats stole the election from Trump?
    With Trump or without Trump, the future doesn't look bright, specially when the best Democrats could offer is Biden.
     
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