Here's a long thread, because I have concerns.
Until now, I've never heard it argued that a sitting president can't be indicted or investigated or whatever. That's insane. It flies in the face of the ideals we strive to teach our kids.
Until now, I've never heard it argued that a sitting president can't be indicted or investigated or whatever. That's insane. It flies in the face of the ideals we strive to teach our kids.
Never in my life had I heard of a Supreme Court seat remaining vacant for months waiting for the outcome of an election.
I'd never heard of somebody just ignoring Congressional subpoenas with impunity until this year.
I'd never heard of somebody just ignoring Congressional subpoenas with impunity until this year.
I'd never seen a president declare a national emergency for an imaginary issue to score political points. When I was younger, that sort of thing was so transparent that it wouldn't have even been considered, but here we are.
I'd never heard a president openly call for the jailing of political opponents, or for foreign powers to interfere with his opposition. I'd never seen tacit calls for assassination from a presidential candidate. That sort of thing just didn't happen in a healthy republic.
The thing about these actions is, doing them opens the way for the Democrats to use the same arguments and tactics to make themselves into authoritarian monsters.
And while I may side with D's over R's, I'm not dumb enough to think that's a good thing.
And while I may side with D's over R's, I'm not dumb enough to think that's a good thing.
But I also don't think congressional Republicans are dumb enough not to realize how difficult it is to fight a political body using those tactics. After all, that's why the GOP is trotting them out in the first place -- because they're hard to fight against.
There are three options:
1) Self-deprecating naivete
2) Reactionary apathy
3) Sinister certainty
1) Self-deprecating naivete
2) Reactionary apathy
3) Sinister certainty
1: The GOP believes that the Democrats are just too bound up in integrity and honor to follow them into the mud.
This would require an awful lot of self-awareness about just how bad the Republican party has gotten, and a comedic over-estimation of the Dems as an organization.
This would require an awful lot of self-awareness about just how bad the Republican party has gotten, and a comedic over-estimation of the Dems as an organization.
I cannot imagine this as an actual belief. Too many opportunities for a "Are we the baddies" style revelation, and the Republicans would have to put the Dems on a pedestal to believe it.
It's "We're orcs, of course we're evil" level of farce. So no to option 1.
It's "We're orcs, of course we're evil" level of farce. So no to option 1.
2: The Republicans are reeling, and all the smug "I am the reaper" bullshit is just playacting to hide the fact that they've been off-balance since Trump won the primary.
It's comforting, yes?
It's comforting, yes?
It would be nice to imagine that our governmental norms are being dismantled as part of a comedic accident, that the GOP is fumbling and bumbling their way into the appearance of a dictatorship out of sheer ineptitude like a caucus of Mr. Beans.
But honestly, that would take a colossal amount of failure at ever conceivable level of the party, while simultaneously requiring everything to right for them by sheer chance. It would be like slipping and falling onto a slot machine and hitting the jackpot every day for a year.
In short, a whole lot of good fortune "just happened" even though they can't catch their breath.
Yeah, not too likely.
Yeah, not too likely.
And that brings me to option 3.
Why would you ever risk the possibility of your opposition being able to do these things to you?
You wouldn't, unless you felt like you had a good shot at ensuring they never could.
Why would you ever risk the possibility of your opposition being able to do these things to you?
You wouldn't, unless you felt like you had a good shot at ensuring they never could.
Now, I'm not convinced there is some kind of massive conspiracy going on to turn our government into a sham democracy.
I do think there is reason to believe that there is a small group for whom this is a recognized goal, though.
I do think there is reason to believe that there is a small group for whom this is a recognized goal, though.
Because, again, why endorse powers for Trump that you wouldn't have dreamed of giving Clinton? Why create a situation where Benghazi hearings could never happen again? Why spare him the scrutiny you gave Obama?
Easy answer: You don't think you'll ever be out of control again.
Easy answer: You don't think you'll ever be out of control again.
So sure, it's conspiratorial, but if you assign any kind of competence to GOP lawmakers, it's not totally crazy. All this talk about election interference benefiting the Dems is perfect groundwork.
"Election day as a holiday is a naked power grab" is perfect groundwork.
"Election day as a holiday is a naked power grab" is perfect groundwork.
The GOP has abandoned its principles in pursuit of power.
If you care at all about the principles of governance in the US, kick these bootlickers out of your party. Replace them with people who have integrity. And pay attention, because this shit is happening in the open.
If you care at all about the principles of governance in the US, kick these bootlickers out of your party. Replace them with people who have integrity. And pay attention, because this shit is happening in the open.
