Posts Made By: James Brown

Originally Posted by Steve Nugent

Trumps next tactic is obvious assuming he gets elected.  It's the same tactic that all authoritarian dictators do:  Change the Constitution so that he and his progeny can rule as long as they live.  We cannot let this happen.

On second thought, why would Trump even bother with an election if that is his end game?  

Jim 

Originally Posted by Steve Nugent

The checks and balances in the Constitution require that people follow the rules.  No one in the Trump administration is following the rules and never has. They don't abide by the separation in powers.  They have politicised virtually every branch of government, including the Post Office.  They refuse to obey subpoenaes. What President has ever done these things, except maybe Nixon, and look what happened to him.  It would not surprise me at all if Trump ordered the military to arrest most of the Congress and jail them.  The Congress is a thorn in his side, that is obvious.

We are seriously at risk of losing our Democracy.

If this was so far-fetched, then why are Jeff Flake, Mitt Romney and many other past congressmen and other retired officials saying this exact thing?

All presidents in our lifetimes have refused to obey subpoenas.  It is commonplace for the executive to assert executive privilege and to make the courts figure out who is right and who is wrong.  Clinton did this regularly.  Obama at least a few times.  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2012-jun-20-la-pn-obama-invokes-executive-privilege-over-fast-and-furious-documents-20120620-story.html

The Trump administration might push the edges of the separation of powers with executive orders, same as his predecessors all did.  You recall the famous, "I have a phone and I have a pen" speech?  The Supreme Court is good at blocking executive orders when the Executive goes too far.  This is Constitutional separation of powers in action, a beautiful thing.  The post office is not a branch of government, but I'll let that slide.  Everything has been politicized since forever.  I don't like it any more than you do, but it is hardly a threat to the union.

Trump is not going to order the military to jail Congress.  Also, the military is not going to comply if your most fevered imaginary scenario comes to pass.  Trump is a singularly disagreeable person in my view, but he is no threat to the union.  You are going to be just fine whether it is Trump or Biden who wins in November.  Our system transcends the man in the office.

Jim

p.s.  I might have missed it, but where are Flake and Romney saying that, "It would not surprise me at all if Trump ordered the military to arrest most of the Congress and jail them?"  or more generally, "We are seriously at risk of losing our Democracy."  Obviously those guys want Trump out, but they understand that the system is not going to fail if Trump wins.

Jim  

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

As the Trump supporters were chanting four more years today at the convention, Trump said, how about 12...

Can't wait for the WaPo to fact check an obvious joke and solemnly conclude that Trump's jibe is "false" under the 22nd Amendment.

Steve said:

It would not surprise me at all if Trump ordered the military to arrest most of the Congress and jail them.

It's gonna take more than that if Trump really wants to set up an authoritarian dictatorship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k8YpQKzl_k

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

Sorry to inform but your new buddy is "off the rails kooky". My apologies if that offends you.  

You kidding?  Offend me?  We haven't had a rabid lefty in these parts for years!  There used to be a few in the Bush years.  I remember this guy named Dimitri Zarkh (I think) and Xtopher Faris.  Before your time I suppose, those guys make Steve look like John Birch. 

Jim

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

I haven't heard you address that either.  I know you believe the gov't has strong separation of powers in place to act against such things, but tell me this, do you think it is Constitutional if the Democrats get this done the way they are trying, and go to the popular vote for Pres?  

What is your proposition to stop them?  

I gotta be brief, heading out of town.  I like the EC.  I like it winner take all, "as is."  As you know the democrats are trying to get an effective "popular vote" by convincing enough  states to apportion their electors.  I think that is not likely, but I think it is constitutional.  The constitution is silent on how electors are apportioned and one or two states already have some sort of apportionment system in place. 

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

I didn't say that. You attributed that to me.  You truncated my posting to say this:  

"Originally posted by Richard Davis"  

"It would not surprise me at all if Trump ordered the military to arrest most of the Congress and jail them.''

Please correct your posting # 28.  Thanks.  

Of course you didn't say that.  Steve did.  Simple fix completed.

Originally Posted by Steve Nugent

I rest my case...

Goodness.  Even Trump can joke, and he has a keen sense of what will spin up those who hate him the most.

Originally Posted by David Cotterell

I do not know the author.....

Use Google:


https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/three-cheers-socialism

"Three Cheers for Socialism"  by David Bently Hart, Commonweal, Feb 24, 2020, paragraph 8.


Jim

Originally Posted by David Cotterell

Jim, Thanks for the research.   The entire article puts my cherry-picked paragraph into a far more general context and very nicely states my argument that Democratic Socialism as practised in W. and N. Europe, Aus and NZ, Canada and a few other places is an admirable form of government. 
Dave

Hi Dave:

I certainly will not argue that Democratic Socialism as practiced in Scandinavia seems to work well for them.  Although, I think the word "Democratic Socialism" is being too broadly defined if it encompasses Australia, Canada and western Europe.   What are the main differences between the economic and social systems of CA and the US?  Centralized health care is the biggie of course, but other than that, the US and CA are a lot more similar than Canada and an actual socialist country.  You know more about Canada than I do of course, so I might be missing something fundamental.

I personally do not want Democratic Socialism, as it is being promoted locally by Sanders, AOC and the rest of our own Democratic Socialists.  Obviously most US voters agree with me, or Biden would not be the D nominee.  I am comfortable that our system is right for us, even if Sweden's system is right for Sweden.  This is one fundamental where I disagree with the author.  He ignores the benefits of our system entirely.   

Also, the arrogance and thick snobbery of his prose is a key factor in the election of Donald Trump.  Rather than try to understand those who feel differently about governance the author merely insults them/us/me.  "Americans are, of course, the most thoroughly and passively indoctrinated people on earth..."  Puhleeze.  The whole article is a "basket of deplorables" indictment of the US citizenry cloaked in academic language.  The article speaks to exclusively to those who deem themselves to be of a specific and vastly superior intellectual and moral class.  As such, it is a crummy starting point for any discussion.

Jim