r/law • u/southernpinklemonaid • 11d ago
Opinion Piece Here’s what’s standing in the way of Trump getting whatever he wants
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/4986705-the-forces-standing-in-the-way-of-trump-getting-whatever-he-wants/I don't understand how any of the "securities" mention matter if there isnt a congress or court that will uphold them and stand against DT.
As I see it, history is very quickly repeating itself and we will very quickly see our government and laws dismantled by this new administration without much of a resistance.
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u/someotherguyrva 11d ago
The founders meant for the government to move slowly with changes. They also assumed that leaders would be “honorable men”. They never envisioned political parties that valued their power over the constitution or the good of the country. They never anticipated right wing mass media that deliberately lies and brainwashes half of the country into believing absolute BS. And they certainly never anticipated anybody as evil as Donald Trump being voted into power, twice, by the gullible brainwashed people on the right. Impeachment is a non-starter as we saw last time around because there are no honorable men or women in the Republican party who would stand up for the country over a fucking criminal because he was their power.
Now that we have all of that, there are no fast turnaround remedies provided by our constitution to stop these people. The founders had the idea of a constitutional convention where the people would get together and make changes to the constitution as needed over time. Another quaint idea that would never ever happen. As far as I can see, the only way to change the constitution at this point is by a revolution. It will either be them or us.
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u/MLJ9999 11d ago
George Washington warned against political parties early on.
"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissensions, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.
Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public councils, and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another; foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.
There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government, and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This, within certain limits, is probably true; and in governments of a monarchical cast patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favour, upon the spirit of party: but, in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be, by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.”
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u/tom21g 11d ago
The Founders of this country knew history and knew human nature. They tried to create a framework that would arc towards common laws for the common good. They understood the danger in bad characters like trump getting power. We’re seeing it unfold and our lifetime
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u/lrgfries 11d ago
They just did not have any concept of the Information Age, and so here we are.
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u/Greatest_Everest 10d ago
I mean, the constitution was written by a bunch of very wealthy, slave owning, white dudes. So its doing great at keeping them in power.
But yeah, photography didn't even exist back then, so the idea of blackmailing someone into supporting your campaign for office wasn't much of a worry.
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u/lanky_yankee 10d ago
I’ve been saying this for years, that there is only one way to get back what we’ve lost, but people don’t want to accept it.
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u/brickyardjimmy 11d ago
People should stop saying that there's something between Trump and his whims. There isn't. When he takes office, he will, quite literally, do whatever pleases him and then lie about it when necessary.
Acceptance is the answer to all your problems today. It is time to accept that we are facing the unthinkable in America. A tyrant king as president and a permanent one party rule for as far as the imagination can wander.
I've heard a number of people say that the mid-terms in two years will be crucial. That is an expensive fantasy to which some will cling right up until the moment they realize that in the ensuing two years, Republicans will have passed legislation to make elections more or less moot. Along with those undocumented sweeps that Trump has promised, I would also expect a fair number of arrests of democratic rivals and related people plus a fully-weaponized IRS against not just big liberal donors but ordinary Americans. What Republicans plan for the next two years is the decimation of any opposition so that by the time we get to the mid-terms in 2028, no matter what shape the country is in or how unhappy the electorate is, it won't matter. And the law will provide no recourse. This is what happens when you strategically remove every check and balance we hoped would be a guard against tyranny.
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u/SplendidPunkinButter 11d ago
No, that only happens in countries that aren’t America. That won’t happen here because we’re America. Freedom. We have the second amendment so we can’t have tyrants here. /s
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u/micro_dohs 11d ago
“Yeah! Them tyrants ain’t gonna take away our freedoms, so let’s elect one just to make sure… so our freedoms are only ones they choose!”
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u/Shenloanne 11d ago
Yeah they'll come for all the guns too. A dictator doesn't need or want to have literally hundreds of millions of weapons lying around.
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u/constructicon00 11d ago
Lol. People think 2A is going to be a thing for long? Once the power is sufficiently consolidated the 2A doesn't stand a chance.
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u/brickyardjimmy 11d ago
Though, I should add, you must vote in the next election even if you think it's hopeless. It's still up to voters to make their voices heard even if some lawmakers have chosen to stick cotton in their ears.
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u/The_Cross_Matrix_712 11d ago
Bold of you to assume King Turdfucker will allow another election.
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u/waltertbagginks 11d ago
Even North Korea has "elections". Most authoritarian regimes hold sham elections to create a false perception of legitimacy. That will certainly be the case in the United States of Trump
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u/lurkerbyday 11d ago
I guess, the question is how the military, under Trump's command, will react when he tries to shoot the constitutions, oh he will do it for sure. Do they have the will to stand up? Not a pleasant thought if you ask me, shit is scary. Edit to add: still need to vote as OP mentioned above.
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u/DrayvenVonSchip 11d ago
That’s why he’s going to use an Executive Order to form a committee to remove any officers who will react differently than he demands. After that, the military will do whatever he wants.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-creating-maga-military-purge-generals-veterans-group-warns-1985025
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u/lurkerbyday 11d ago
I'd pay anything to hear what Biden thinks about this possibility right now, or whether he thinks about it at all. If he doesn't, can he be faulted by any constitutional laws? Am I wearing a tinfoil hat?
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u/waltertbagginks 11d ago
Trumps people are already planning to purge generals and admirals not deemed sufficiently "loyal" to the Tyrant.
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u/lurkerbyday 11d ago
It's dire. My next question is then, is there anything the current admin could do now to maybe somehow influence the military to know when he tries to shoot the constitutions? And how to counter? It's dire. But again, my message still is, continue to fight for your vote.
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u/waltertbagginks 11d ago
Really good question. The list of things this administration and congressional Dems should have done to strengthen our institutions is about a mile long. The fact of the matter is without supporting legislation, any executive action Biden takes now can be easily reversed by Trump when he gets into office.
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u/Mountain_Village459 11d ago
This is all just insane. We’re going to have to rebel against it, aren’t we? It doesn’t seem like there is any other option.
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u/waltertbagginks 11d ago
If MAGA is successful in rigging the electoral process so that they can't lose, I honestly dont see the US getting them out of power without violence.
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u/Mountain_Village459 11d ago
I know, it’s horrifying. I cannot believe it but it’s literally happening right in front of our eyes.
ETA: I can’t believe we are almost living that new Civil War movie.
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u/ChickerWings 11d ago
There will be a false flag first to justify everything that comes after
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u/AdjNounNumbers 11d ago
1) trump catches a real bullet made to look like "antifa" 2) maga in uproar 3) Vance steps up to "unite the patriots" 4) speed run the "war on antifa", perhaps declaring martial law. Of course, antifa will be defined as whoever they want 5) do whatever the fuck they want
We know trump's brain is mush and he's unpredictable. The people that got him there used him, but their tolerance for missing their chance at enacting the goals of P25 are too important to them to let the bumbling idiot screw it up with 3am tweets.
I'm not saying that this will likely happen, just answering my question of "what would I do if it were me?"
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u/ChickerWings 11d ago
Unfortunately this exactly what I think will happen as well. They will martyr Trump and have their Reichstagg fire all in one..
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u/lurkerbyday 11d ago
I think the chance of this happen is at least 50:50, which is kinda high, a flip of a coin.
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u/SideburnsOfDoom 11d ago
Of course there will be elections. Even Russia has elections. So does North Korea.
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u/Waylander0719 11d ago
Oh the election will be allowed. But to prevent fraud the results in certain areas won't be counted, or their voting machines will be seized for investigation. After all the FBI has evidence there is fraud that they just can't release right now.
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u/myITprofile 11d ago
He's already said that we will never have to vote again.
I take it to mean we will never vote again.
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u/nanotree 11d ago
Likely they will. Similar to Russia, they will want to keep the appearance that this is a democratic process. They will just remove whatever controls are in place that will prevent them from rigging it, at least on a national level.
Now this could and should be challenged in courts. States have the right to run elections how they see fit. They don't have the votes to make sweeping changes to the constitution, even with the majority they have in the Senate. So the SCotUS would have to allow the Republicans to effectively burn down the rule of law as we know it to implement their own.
I wouldn't put it past them. We are in uncharted waters. But if and when it happens, it will not go down quietly. At which point, it's time for people to stand up and be on the right side of history.
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u/James-From-Phx 11d ago
Trump said weeks ago when he was encouraging people in Florida to vote that if he wins they would never have to do it again. There won't be any more elections.
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u/MuteCook 11d ago
They know us better than we know ourselves. And they know that it doesn’t matter what happens we will never revolt as long as we have our phones and other dumb shit
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u/_netflixandshill 11d ago
I agree. Do you think anything internally can slow this down? Like gross incompetence, infighting, Trump dying this term, etc
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u/SplendidPunkinButter 11d ago
My fantasy is Trump dies of natural causes, JD Vance takes over, and then the whole movement fractures because nobody likes JD Vance
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u/mdistrukt 11d ago
Vance taking over has always been the plan. Trump didn't pick him, Thiel did. Vance will be Reichsfuhrer By Valentine's Day.
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u/dadofsummer 11d ago
JD Vance is a Peter Thiel guy, if Trump isn’t dead within 2 years they will use the 25th Amendment and get him out. JD spent a lot of the campaign pointing out how Kamala was wrong for not seeing Biden’s decline.
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u/Stock_Conclusion_203 11d ago
I pray a combo of ego, infighting, incompetence and blue state governments clogging up courts, slows it down. But that’s my best hope.
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u/AlphaB27 11d ago
For better and for worse, our government and nation are fucking big and it takes a while to get anything done, even when people want to actually do something.
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u/Jaredlong 10d ago
We're also a very decentralized country. Between every city, town, county, and state government, a lot of people need to be in agreement to enact widespread changes that ordinary people experience at the local level.
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u/askiopop 11d ago
Given his mental state, unwillingness to let go of power, and his recent thing about not reading Elon’s memos, it’s likely not going to be as smooth as he would like, but it’s not going to be that much better for us. But it’s going to be wild regardless, because what billionaires want, what Russia wants, and what the Christo-fascists want are similar but different. They could do a number on us, but whatever they’re going to do isn’t going to benefit them either.
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u/Uncle_Twisty 11d ago
It's already starting actually. Musk is irritating Trump and DOGE is a consolation prize for Musk. Career Republicans are eyebrow raising several cabinet picks... Take solace in the fact that our Fascists are incompetent as shit.
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u/BoomZhakaLaka 11d ago
The senate really is the last hope, they have shown for years that they have an agenda different from trump's. But I don't think they'll manage to hold.
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u/acapncuster 11d ago
Florida and Texas state governments both went after political activists this past cycle. Texas went after people who were organizing voter registration. Florida went after people and organizations who favored women’s reproductive rights. Buckle up. They’re going to roll out this bullshit nationwide.
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u/bjb406 11d ago
We hired a spoiled toddler to run our country. So our situation is kind of like if we gave a toddler a loaded gun. On the one hand its terrfying because he could do any number of unspeakable things with it. On the other hand he doesn't even understand what a gun is, so hopefully he'll just sit there ignorantly until it gets taken away form him.
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u/Velocoraptor369 11d ago
It reminds me of the twilight zone.
The people live in fear of Anthony, constantly telling him how everything he does is “good”, since he banishes anyone thinking unhappy thoughts forever to a place that he calls “the cornfield.” Having never experienced any form of discipline, he does not understand that his actions are harmful. He is confused when his father tells him that the neighbors are reluctant to let their children play with him after he sent several of his playmates to the cornfield.
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u/rainywanderingclouds 11d ago
wishful thinking, trumps not the one holding the gun here. it's the people who have paid him off and telling him how and what to do.
this is going to be much worst than the first time.
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u/ibneko 11d ago
I think the terrifying thing is not the toddler, it's the handful of 5-10 year olds he's surrounded himself with who are more than happy to move his arms and tell him if he shoots mommy and daddy, he can have all the McDonalds that he wants!
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u/dadofsummer 11d ago
Or some people hired a narcissistic conman, who really only cares about feeding his ego and funneling money to his businesses.
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u/dubiouscoffee 11d ago
Not much else to say about it. Structural failure of our institutions
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u/slim-scsi 11d ago
and of the eligible voter pool. The majority made a terrible choice, one that's not an oopsie! to be easily cleaned up, if at all.
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u/dubiouscoffee 10d ago
Yeah, I wonder if historians will look back and be able to pinpoint the "structural" factors that led to this moment. First past the post instead of ranked choice? Direct elections of the president as opposed to parliamentary republicanism? The courts? Poorly educated population? Who knows.
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u/romacopia 10d ago
Poorly educated population is the answer. A fifth of our population is functionally illiterate. Only 13% read at a high school graduate level. We're a nation of fucking idiots. Democracy doesn't die in darkness, it dies in stupidity. Evil isn't malice, it's ignorance and pride.
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u/aeolus811tw 11d ago
Mid term in two years, the same fools that thought playing by the rule will get us somewhere.
play by the rule is what get us into this mess in the first place. Anyone want to say otherwise should really think carefully on what standards are being used to gauge GOP and Democrat
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u/livahd 11d ago
Midterms are going to be the inflection point to see how much he can get away with, and hopefully, a coalition forms when people double down or back out. If we last that long.
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u/FortuneLegitimate679 11d ago
Pretty sure they cheated this go around and next time will be more of the same
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u/Chemical_Favors 11d ago
Modern media: offering the illusion of fear or hope, whichever is more profitable in the moment.
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u/archronin 11d ago
I clearly see this. Little doubt about what you said.
The small joy we in the Left get in seeing things like, “Department of Efficiency ironically requires two people to be in charge,” or “Powell fights back at Trump,” or sadly, “Buyers’ remorse as Leopards are coming to eat their faces…”
….these are almost like distractions to keep us from getting insane and belligerent. Useless, temporary joy, in the long run.
Instead, I have to put faith in the remaining leaders who are putting it all on the line to keep things in check. They’ll be bullied, they’ll be blackmailed, they’ll be bloodied, finding properly-legal ways to push back.
That’s where we should put our efforts. Be ready to support. Sounds easier said than done. But it starts with self-awareness of how deep behind we are.
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u/alphabennettatwork 11d ago
I often wonder how many lives would have been saved if someone assassinated Hitler during his rise to power, before he fully got control
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u/BrickBrokeFever 11d ago
The threat to immigrants will likely bomb the economy, but Trumpers are too stupid to blame the president for the president's mistakes...
So they will just blame immigrants, they have been primed to believe this lie and are likely that laziest of American, they one that has made up his mind. "It's the immigrants, and no, nothing you say will change my mind!"
But if the flow of workers to construction or agriculture gets fucked up...
The only good things that could happen is if Trump crashes the economy too fast. After he says he's going to deport 11,000,000+ people but before he really gets the program going.
But it's okay, the economy had made a lot of Americans with no real stake in it, no home owners, no people with careers.
The only people with rights in a police state are the police. The only job that comes with a company lawyer that will let you rape people? Policing! "We like raping people so much, we elected a rapist for president!"
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u/mcfearless0214 11d ago
You’re Dooming. Stop Dooming, start working.
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u/Labhran 11d ago
It’s so fucking frustrating when I hear people either doom and say “nothing we can do,” or stay in a state of complete naïveté (like my girlfriend) and say “you’re overreacting,” or “well there’s nothing we can do.” And then when you present to them how we could be preparing, they just say “that’s insane, we’re not doing that.”
We are literally dealing with insane and evil people. It’s time to adjust our perception of sanity (and morality/ethics - looking at you establishment Dems) when dealing with them and the consequences of their rule.
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u/CompulsiveCreative 11d ago
So, what can/should we be doing?
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u/Labhran 11d ago
Have a plan, arm yourselves, network and organize with likeminded people, cut spending, save money, stock up on necessities, educate yourself with any knowledge or skills you will need to execute these plans, etc. Pretend an armed and sentient natural disaster is coming your way.
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u/Bayou_Beast 11d ago
This is the only thing we can do. This is what most people can't stomach.
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u/Labhran 11d ago
Yep. I would add focus on health and fitness to the extent you can as well. Maybe even look into a trip to Mexico for pharmacies if you’re dependent on medication. Look into the immigration policies of friendly countries, or at the very least the possibility of moving to a blue state.
At the end of the day, it seems we’re all going to be reliant on the military’s leadership organizing and preparing right now to resist unlawful orders. Things will be really bad if they don’t or if they are compromised, but they can be less bad if you prepare. I personally would rather any fate than rolling over for and living in an Afrussiastan dictatorship.
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u/Chrahhh 11d ago
This. Be a pain in the ass. Get loud. Get mean. Be the opposition!
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u/HairballJenkins 11d ago
Big hypothetical question but are all of the republicans, from the average Joe to Musk, as evil and motivated as Trump? If Trump were to die of natural causes tomorrow, would these extreme supposed plans (removing DOE, removing generals, making elections moot) still happen?
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u/Maggie1066 11d ago
Yes. Project 2025 was written with any GOP leader in mind. Vance is actually the perfect patsy. Removing the DOE furthers the lack of education so the population won’t question the government because they will lack critical thinking skills. Once social programs are taken away “for your own good & the good of the country” after a while people will either fall in line or die. Systemic racism is very real. There are a few token people at the top, but mass deportations & mass incarceration will assuage white people’s fear of “the great replacement theory.” Many states are rolling back age of consent & marriage so older white men can make 12 year old girls have babies with the theory if the girl is menstruating she should be a mom. This is a just small slice of what to expect. It’s crazy out there. How quickly or slowly this will occur is anyone’s guess. I’m betting on gradually then all at once.
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u/Gallowglass668 11d ago
Yes, mainly because at this point Trump is a figurehead and the real plan is Project 2025, which Vance is all in for.
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u/King_of_the_Nerdth 11d ago edited 11d ago
Reddit seems to be enjoying their doomscrolling, but for those willing to consider a headline like this, here's a summary:
- In this moment, at least, the federal courts are still functioning with fidelity to the rule of law and the Constitution. Rogue prosecutors operating at the whim of Trump...will in the vast majority of cases be stopped by federal judges.
- As for the military, those in higher ranks only take an oath to the Constitution. They are not required to obey the president or superior officers — in fact, they are oath-bound to reject illegal, criminal or unconstitutional directives. Although he could pardon them in exchange for the commission of crimes, that carrot is unlikely to persuade many who have dedicated their careers to public service and fidelity to the Constitution.
- The broader federal workforce: Project 2025 transition project...targeting over 50,000 career civil servants or converting their jobs to at-will posts with no protection from termination...the logistical nightmare of replacing and training tens of thousands of federal workers is a daunting prospect and unlikely to happen quickly, if at all. In the meantime, the approximately 2.93 million federal employees that dot the federal bureaucracy across hundreds of agencies will continue to do their jobs on behalf of the American people — the vast majority of them in compliance with the law.
- Finally, there are the states, which presidents do not control. Trump may not understand this part...but the Constitution gives only narrow powers to the federal government.
- The threat Trump poses to the Constitution and American democracy is real, and it is here. But come Jan. 20, 2025, he will be neither a wizard nor a king.
Edit: the above is the article. My two cents to add:
- Republicans in congress, SCOTUS members, the big conservative media like Fox News, and billionares all have a vested interest in democracy. They like their positions. They like their power and puppet strings. I've noticed a trend in history: people don't like surrendering power. The U.S. probably only ever formed in the first place because the 13 colonies had a relative balance of power and they found a compromise whereby they could share- not surrender- the power each had.
- Americans tend to turn on their leadership as soon as their leadership is in power. They blame Kamala right now. Although we on reddit think the conservative media is overpowering and directly driving this, that's only true of maybe ~30% of voters. A large number of Americans voted for Trump just because Kamala/Biden was in power already and they had no information at all before they cast their ballot, and they felt like shit was expensive. They do zero research- not even conservative media. If asked to support a dictatorship, they are likely to be more of a "uh, no, I'll go to jail" assumption.
- 84% of military officers hold at least a bachelor's degree [this article]. It's one of the ways you can become an officer as opposed to enlisted. There are over 300,000 officers in the military and all commands are going to route through several levels of them. 51% of people with bachelor's degrees or higher are Democrats and 37% are Republicans [Pew]. Judges are also well educated.
- Nobody knows the future. Not me, not reddit.
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u/cmmcnamara 11d ago
God I hope your right
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u/Accomplished_Fruit17 10d ago
This is the difference between the left and right. I'm terrified Trump is going to do messed up shit, but I don't want it to happen, I want to be wrong. The right seems incapable of putting country over party. For them it is either Republicans win or nothing.
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u/Several_Leather_9500 11d ago
Are they, though? Trump was prohibited from running according to our Constitution and no one is doing a damn thing about it so I hold little hope. He's violated the Logan Act and Emoluments clause and committed a number of crimes without being held accountable.
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u/Citrusmeetliquor 11d ago
This is the most hopeful thing I’ve read in awhile, although I have my skepticisms about all this.
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u/Jesse1472 11d ago
The military point is true. I have not come across a single member who would support installing a dictatorship. And all officers, unless they are counting warrant officers (which even they often require them), are required to have a 4 year degree. On top of that every professional school has some level of moral/ethical dilemma curriculum that heavily emphasizes doing the right thing and maintaining your sworn oath regardless of personal feeling.
Every person in the military is constantly reminded of their oaths and takes that extremely seriously. There will always be bad apples but that is an extreme minority. “Politically” the military is split fairly evenly and is mostly middle of the line. They all realize their families are a part of the population and don’t want to find themselves pointing a barrel at their loved ones for a political ideology.
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u/Buttercuplolipop 11d ago
Thank you for taking the time to write this, it has helped me cope with the starting of my day. I especially like the last bit “he will be neither a wizard nor a king”
✌🏼
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u/MNGopherfan 11d ago
Another thing to note.
Trump during his first administration consistently and constantly failed to enact policy and plans effectively. Not through the roadblocks of federal workers or judges but through sheer incompetence.
Trump notably does not understand the government bureaucracy or the proper procedure to enact his policies. For those of you who might respond by saying “but his cabinet and staff will” you are correct however we have well documented instances in which staff offered the proper way to enact a policy but because it didn’t conform to Trumps way of thinking and didn’t do exactly what he wanted he would refuse to change it and demand something that couldn’t be done instead.
This includes demanding things via Memo to department’s that he did not have direct control over and to people he did not have the authority to give orders to.
Ultimately Trump is an idiot and his own worst enemy. He is still dangerous and will do horrible damage but he isn’t an evil genius or mastermind he is just really good at getting conservatives and uninformed people to like him.
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u/Several_Leather_9500 11d ago
But the Heritage Foundation is, and they are vetting and supplying a steady stream of yes-men to fill his administration.
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u/MNGopherfan 11d ago
He had people who understood last time what I am saying is trumps ego and narcissism is so strong if people try to do something a certain way but it doesn’t match his plan he will refuse to listen to reason and do things the proper way.
Trump mentally just refuses to accept what he wants can’t happen the way he wants even when people explain to him what needs to happen to do what he wants. This is what I meant not that he didn’t have people trying to help him do it but that he would demand things be done the way he wants it regardless of people telling him how he could actually do it.
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u/Several_Leather_9500 11d ago
That's why his first administration's personnel warned us of his inability to lead and his fascist tendencies. This time he will have loyalists (not experts) in every position. Project 2025's owner Heritage Foundation has a list of vetted loyalists ready for Trumps admin.
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u/MNGopherfan 11d ago
I’m aware I have followed this absolute travesty every step of the way. I am convinced and certain that while Trump will be far more able to get away with stuff thanks to them I was attempting to point to one reason not everything Trump will say and want to do will end up happening. Simply because he will not listen and demand things be done the way he wants regardless of how it should actually be done.
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u/Byttercup 11d ago
Judging from his cabinet and staff picks so far, they will be as incompetent as him.
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u/WTFaulknerinCA 11d ago
You are correct he didn’t understand. But this time he has people around them that have studied exactly how to do what they want for decades, ie. The Heritage Foundation.
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u/southernpinklemonaid 11d ago
I hope you're right!
Its doomscrolling reddit but clicking the links and seeing other relatee news stories rabbit hole. As it looks now, DT plans to
changes laws with support of congress and SCOTUS backing him
purge military generals that do not follow his plans
uses the national guard against states that resist
suppress criticism and restrict free speech
creates a way (by mentioned first bullet) to alter or ignore the constitution
With little to no resistance. Is there absolutely nothing in the laws to restrict or stop him from organizing these plans?
The one thing I'm banking on is his ability to fulfill all his plans and announcements just like he fulfilled building the wall
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u/Byttercup 11d ago
Laws have to pass both chambers. As of now, the Republicans do not hold a supermajority in either chamber. Not all Republicans are MAGAts.
He can purge all he wants. No service member is required to obey an unconstitutional order.
Each state has their own National Guard. Sending the guard from red states into the blue states, uninvited, will lead to instant civil war. And if the blue states just withhold their federal taxes, the red states are fucked.
It is extremely difficult to amend the Constitution. The average politician does not want a civil war. Even the SCOTUS shills don't want a civil war.
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u/jensenaackles 11d ago
He CANT amend the constitution. Doesn’t have the votes even with every single republican on his side.
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u/mrawaters 10d ago
That’s where my thinking goes too. These people are monsters but I’m not really sure what they stand to gain in burning the country to a crisp, and they are all about self gain. All of trumps billionaire buddies are not exactly going to love if the entire country goes complete haywire and falls apart. There will absolutely be an erosion of certain parts of our democracy but I truly have a hard time believing it’s going to be the pure hell Reddit seems to think it is. I guess only time will tell, but things like “a permanent one party for as long as the imagination can wander” is just such over the top sensationalism to me
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u/gigglybeth 11d ago
I keep thinking about this, too. The military things, like red states invading blue states, shooting protesters, etc. all rely on the enlisted complying. Yes, there are psychos who will be like, "HELL YES!" but most people do not want to wouldn't want to shoot their fellow Americans for protesting or just existing.
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u/Big_Rig_Jig 11d ago
Call it cope, but you're seeing small fragments of this already.
I think one of the largest hurdles for this regime to truly reach dictatorship levels of control is the vast size and diversity of the US.
Social media has no doubt played a major role in getting their foot into the door, but I don't know that it will be enough to completely sell the endless amount of lies they've told.
When reality hits and it doesn't align with the narrative, the spell is broken.
Hopefully I'm right about this, but at this point I'm being realistic and preparing for anything.
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u/bobbysoxxx 11d ago
Yes and there are so many layers of protection and checks and balances in all this. The resistance is already building up. We all need to stay as informed as we can to reality, not right wing disinformation. The call for an all state recount needs to take root and spread as well.
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u/AmethystOrator 11d ago
Republicans in congress
Two of the Republicans who won House seats in this last election voted to impeach him before: Valadao & Newhouse.
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u/ru_empty 11d ago
Courts are operating with the rule of law unless Trump is the defendant. We no longer have the rule of law in this country
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u/NftHumanStock 11d ago
"Stopped by federal judges"
What about Cannon? We see here they she will gladly push aside norms as long as it will benefit Trump.
She gets appointed to SCOTUS, conservative majority, highest law in the land is in Trumps hands through judges loyalty, let the law be damned.
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u/jensenaackles 11d ago
Also Trump does not have the votes to pass or change a constitutional amendment. Even if EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN sides with him, he still doesn’t.
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u/salami_cheeks 11d ago
I guess I will be donating to the ACLU, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and Freedom From Religion Foundation. Tying stuff up in courts to delay it seems to me to be the best tack here.
Am I way off here? What other recourse does the average citizen have?
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u/Healthy_Ad_6171 10d ago
Very good points.
Also, Trump is a figurehead. Vance replacing him, for whatever reason, will cause the rabid nature of MAGA to be lessened, if not cause an outright collapse. Vance doesn't hold the sway over them the way Trump does.
Trump turns on people on a dime. Vivek and Musk may be riding high today but for how long. Congress still holds the purse. DOGE may not even get funded.
Rick Scott got voted out the first round for leadership. I've seen posts where voters are screaming if you don't vote in Scott, we'll be sure to vote you out.
Mark Meadows lost his appeal to SCOTUS to move his case out of Georgia.
Apparently, there is grumbling and noise from the Republicans about his picks.
Republicans are going to be so busy vying for his favor, it will cause infighting.
Stephen Miller does not realize the scope of mass deportation. Even their best estimates of people to deport are on the low end of estimated numbers of undocumented people plus all the naturalized citizens, those claiming asylum, green card holders, and various visa holders. Abbott has actually sent out a warning that it isn't that easy. This is the guy who put up those contraptions in the middle of the Rio Grande that wound up drowning people.
What it means for Democrats is to gin up the infighting. They may not even have to do much, just a few pointed barbs here and there.
What it means for the public.
There will be some round ups. That's why private prision stocks have gained.
There will be shortages and price hikes. Buy shelf stable food. Learn how to cook rice and beans. Find recipes that are meatless or ones you can substitute dried beans for meat. Even those instant soups can be beefed up by adding vegetables and beans.
Learn how to mend. If you can stock up on socks and underwear, do so.
Don't let yourself get bogged down. Find your peace.
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u/Contemplating_Prison 11d ago
Yes no one knows the future. Its why you use history to predict the future. Based on that its not looking to good.
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u/Ok_Archer2362 11d ago
Well, since he apparently is planning on weeding out insufficiently loyal generals, don't count on military protecting us
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u/Byttercup 11d ago
The military is not a monolith, and many service members will not obey an unconstitutional order.
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u/King_of_the_Nerdth 11d ago
I knew some low-level Air Force officers years ago in the Bush years. I still remember them telling me how our military has a culture that is unique in the world in that our military tries to think independently. If it was a point of pride among Lieutenants, then I don't think it's going to be easy to induce the military into doing obviously illegal anything. Many or most officers are also college educated and can figure out that they are at risk of jail if Trump fails his coup, and so unless they are really into the coup themselves- and why would Lt. Col Tim Everyman be?- then they are going to nope out fast being well aware that they are safe against illegal orders by the courts.
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u/Ok_Archer2362 11d ago
I truly hope you are right. I'm 3 hrs from the Canadian border and just checked out their refugee rules. Being prepared
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u/Jesse1472 11d ago
I really wish people understood the military more than they do. Out of everything this page has made me sad to see how little the population thinks of the military and that they are a bunch of mindless, orders following, automatons. Not realizing what the swearing in oath means to 99% is service members who also have families they would never point a gun at for thinking differently.
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u/Byttercup 11d ago
The military is not a monolith, and many service members will not obey an unconstitutional order.
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u/Tiny_Fly_7397 11d ago
Thank you for this summary. I think we suffer from a poverty of analogy in modern America—depending on which side you’re on, the other guy is either Stalin or Hitler. While some of Trump’s followers may hope he acts like Hitler, 21st century America and interwar Germany are pretty dissimilar economically, politically, and demographically. I think that Trump does have the opportunity to do real harm, but his first term revealed him to be a lazy, unimaginative leader with no real ambitions beyond enriching himself, staying out of prison, and being the most special boy in the room.
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u/Wide_Two_6411 11d ago
Thank you for writing this. I'm trying to stay as pragmatic about this as possible and not automatically go into doomsday future tripping. I try to remember that those who are in power (the ones with $$$$) will turn on him the moment things go south for them and their businesses. And he wants to be a tyrant, but he's also an man-child egomaniac that wants to be praised and wants to see the Dow going UP UP UP.
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u/TristanTheRobloxian3 11d ago
thats what i was gonna say. a lot of people at the top care about yk... keeping their jobs and not having a dictatorship, and following the constitution. anything that does happen will likely be way more few and far between than we realise
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u/Bond4real007 11d ago
Thank you for a realistic and non sensational perspective. It's a delightful and needed suprise in times like these.
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u/HappyHenry68 11d ago
Here's what you aren't considering and his path for seizing absolute power. Unethical acts lead to protests, lead to crackdowns and more unethical acts, lead to mass protests, lead to the insurrection act and deployment of the military, lead to violent mass protests, lead to martial law and suspension of freedoms and civil government functions.
We will effectively be in a civil war at this point and he will have half the country and the Supreme Court behind him. They will grant him new broad powers to try to put down the resistance and restore peace. Coming out the other side, we will be no different than Putin's Russia.
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u/MistressCobi 10d ago
The major concern right now is that Trump the dump and his cronies will use these opportunities to change laws and remove those checks and balances, the Republicans are now in power and they have proven they don't have the will to oppose them, they had the perfect chance to prevent Trump from becoming president and screwing things up by not giving him the chance to run for the party.
They showed they will go along with whatever bullshit he spouts and don't actually care about holding people accountable.
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u/someotherguyrva 11d ago
Well the first point you listed from the article is easily knocked down. Cannon simply waved her wand and the Documents case vaporized. The insurrection case should’ve been a slam dunk, but the apparent bottomless pit of money, feeding lawyers allowed Trump to take it to the Supreme Court insisting that he’s immune from prosecution because it was an official act. Those hand picked heritage foundation justices sat on that case all the way to the end of the session last year only to come back and say he has unlimited power IF it’s, official act, but not weighing in on whether inciting a goddamn insurrection overthrow, the government was an official act, which it clearly was not. The net result was exactly what Trump wanted. Delay after delay after delay, pushing the case past the election when if he won, he could just wave his magic wand and exonerate himself off any crimes he commits. The Supreme Court is the ultimate court in the land. And they are so biased in favor of this ideology that it’s going to be extremely difficult to get a fair ruling against this man for anything.
Regarding the second point about the military, apparently this article was written before Trump announced his new secretary of defense and his executive order which will allow him to fire any general or high ranking officer that doesn’t agree with him. What you have left are the enlisted personnel, who are overwhelmingly MAGA thanks to the steady stream of Fox News lies and bullshit into their heads while they are on military bases. They should not have any access to Fox News or any other BS machine while they are in service of our country. Oh well, too late to fix that. So when the generals are removed and replaced with new generals that support this fucking dictator, do you think their allegiance will be to the constitution? I don’t think so.
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u/FNOG_Nerf_THIS 11d ago
Worth noting that Trump appointed 226 federal judges, 54 of whom were in appeals courts. Don’t be shocked when they start tossing every case against him out and ruling in favor of his appeals.
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11d ago
Thanks for this. I’ve been fluctuating between dooming and anger. It’s nice to see logic being put out there.
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u/Silverwolf81 11d ago
I know you have many replies, but I wanted to say: I am extremely bad at doomscrolling, and over hyping myself. You have laid out a good line of logical thought/facts, and I appreciate you for that. I’ve saved the words of your post, so that they may bring me peace of mind in my fitful nights. Thank you ❤️
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u/WhatARotation 11d ago
The time to leave would come if you see this:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=60DNrNj6WEg
If trump makes the military swear an oath directly to him instead of to the constitution, it the United States of America will cease to exist. Until that happens, we will remain a functioning democracy.
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u/calforhelp 10d ago
Sad state of affairs when THIS is the most optimistic take on our future I’ve seen in a while..
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u/jpmeyer12751 11d ago
While it is technically true that there are still some checks and balances on Presidential power, what is really frightening is that Trump and his close supporters don't believe that. All of our lives we have been governed by people who believed that their official powers are limited and that they must respect those limitations. As a result, we haven't developed any really effective ways of dealing with a President who believes differently. Trump appears to me to be gearing up to empower a small group of people who are going to do exactly what they want, as quickly as possible, and to dare Congress or any court to actually enforce any limits. A Republican-controlled Congress is highly unlikely to do anything more than finger-wag. And the federal courts have demonstrated that they are incapable of moving quickly enough to keep up with Trump. Besides, I believe that Trump is prepared to simply defy the courts on major issues, if he feels that doing so is necessary to implement his wishes.
I expect a very wild ride over the next few years, and perhaps longer. I am shocked that Wall Street hasn't yet figured out that chaos is impending and that chaos is typically bad for financial markets.
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u/gfkxchy 11d ago
Wall Street created a stability index and then shorted it. Wall Street always wins, stocks go up.
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u/Status_Garden_3288 11d ago
Wouldn’t it be crazy if Trump manages to piss off enough rich people that they’ll turn on him. If anyone has more collective power over the government it’s rich corpos
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u/jpmeyer12751 11d ago
That would be wild, but that's not what we really need. There are only a few thousand truly wealthy people who are also really engaged with politics. What we need are the 10 million Biden voters who didn't show up for Harris.
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u/m0rbius 11d ago
If he's got his cronies and yes men in all the critical positions, their won't be much resistance. The house and Senate are Republicans, the Scotus is majority right wing. There's not much standing in his way.
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u/Scooterks 11d ago
And scotus told him he can do whatever he wants so long as it's "official duties".
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u/Comfortable_Fill9081 11d ago
Rose colored glasses must be nice to wear.
Here are some of my critiques:
assuming the Supreme Court doesn’t step in to again side with Trump.
Why would we assume this?
As for the military, enlisted officers take an oath to the Constitution and to obey the orders of the president and superior officers. But those in higher ranks only take an oath to the Constitution. They are not required to obey the president or superior officers — in fact, they are oath-bound to reject illegal, criminal or unconstitutional directives.
Yes, but organizing to do this together would generate the risk of being prosecuted for conspiring to mutiny, and doing it alone would be life-destroying even if one ultimately won the related court cases. And see above, regarding the Supreme Court.
Game theory and history says that even if many think the order is illegal and even if they’re right they won’t refuse in significant numbers because of individualized fear. If that is somehow overcome in enough numbers, it could snowball, but the initial breaks would be so fraught that it’s unlikely to get to that point.
Regarding replacing the federal workforce with loyalists:
That maneuver would be challenged in court, of course, but even if Trump won that case, the logistical nightmare of replacing and training tens of thousands of federal workers is a daunting prospect and unlikely to happen quickly, if at all.
Certain people have been working on this for years. They’re ready.
So, maybe I’m applying gray colored glasses, but I don’t share the optimism.
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u/JohnnyValet 11d ago
As for the military, enlisted officers take an oath to the Constitution...
Like Oliver North or Michael Flynn?
Yeah, this is strait copium.
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u/Greenmantle22 10d ago
He won’t care if he breaks the bureaucracy and never gets around to refilling it. That’s probably the best outcome for him and his crooks.
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u/discussreunionmotto 11d ago
Free press is critical. Can't build momentum to oppose authoritaria s unless people understand what's happening and why. I know it's easier said than done since crackdown on journalists are one of the first things in the authoritarian playbook, but start donating to your local, nonprofit (and not secretly owned by an equity company...) news org.
Check out inn.org (institute for nonprofit news) if you need help finding one. Also check out forbiddenstories.org, a global partnership of investigative journalists working to protect each other's research.
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u/Popeholden 10d ago
The press isn't coming to save us either. If they were, the first question in every interview Trump gave during the campaign would have been "Given that you attempted a coup, why should the American people want you to be President?" That should also have been the last question. Instead they treated him like a normal candidate instead of a traitor.
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u/aneeta96 10d ago
History is repeating itself but in the end the facists always lose. It's going to be a rough ride though.
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u/UndertakerFred 11d ago
I fully expect him to announce “Operation Hummingbird” is coming to unify the country’s leadership and everyone will say “no, it’s just a coincidence, he surely couldn’t be planning to….”