Robert Reich: The Constitutional Crisis Is Now

[babylonsister]

http://prospect.org/article/constitutional-crisis-now

The Constitutional Crisis Is Now
Robert Reich
June 12, 2018

snip//

I have news for you. We’re already in a constitutional crisis. For a year and a half the president of the United States has been carrying out a systemic attack on the institutions of our democracy.

A constitutional crisis does not occur suddenly like a coup that causes a government to collapse. It occurs gradually, as a system of government is slowly weakened.

The current crisis has been unfolding since the waning days of the 2016 campaign when Trump refused to say whether he’d be bound by the election results if Hillary won.

snip//

The crux of America’s current constitutional crisis is this: Our system of government was designed to constrain power, but Trump doesn’t want to be constrained.

Our system was conceived as a means of promoting the public interest, but Trump wants to promote only his own interest.

Our system was organized to bind presidents to the Constitution, but Trump doesn’t want to be bound by anything.

The crisis will therefore worsen as long as Trump can get away with it. An unconstrained megalomaniac becomes only more maniacal. He will fill whatever political void exists with his unbridled ego.

The only legal way to constrain Trump is to vote for a Congress, this November, that will stand up to him. And then, in November 2020, vote him and his regime out of office.

If he refuses to accept the results of that election, as he threatened to do if he lost the 2016 election, he will have to be forcefully removed from office.

Friends, we are no longer trying to avert a constitutional crisis. We are living one. The question is how to stop it from destroying what’s left of our democracy.

[BigmanPigman]

1. Reich is right (as usual).

[Arkansas Granny]

2. K & R

[Hekate]

3. Reich articulates what I've been saying all along: we are in it now

[RandomAccess]

4. I couldn't agree more

I was thinking just this afternoon, while I was away from my computer for a bit, about something I read a number of months ago (paraphrased):

If you ever wondered what you would have done in Nazi Germany, the answer is: what are you doing now.

The context for these thoughts was to ask myself: what do I need to be doing to counter all this? I'm physically incapable of protesting, and both time and money are limited. But what is clear to me is:

This is it. It's not going to get any better. WE CANNOT RELY on the midterms for a number of reasons. WE CANNOT RELY on Mueller for a number of reasons. To rely on either or both is folly and a terrible waste of available opportunities NOW.

The only thing I can think of that I can do right now is contact my thoroughly Republican MoC. It's possible to make appointments to see my Congressman, and I have in the past so might try that again. But I don't think I could get in to see my Senators.

BUT, no matter what, I realize I have to do my absolute utmost to stop this freight train barelling down the tracks.

We all need to ask ourselves how we can fight this with your utmost. We're slipping faster now. Democracy is slipping away from us faster these days, and it WILL accelerate UNTIL the Republicans step up, or we take both houses. I just worry that November / January will be too late, even if we win.

[Duppers]

13. 👏👏

Awesome post.

[RandomAccess]

20. Wow. Thanks.

I rather like yours too.

[C Moon]

5. A sickness fills my stomach when I think of how we went from Obama to this.

A majority of the blame goes to McConnell and Ryan—and how the U.S. let McConnell get away with what he did. He kept "bending" the rules to fit his own agenda, now the system is breaking.

[erronis]

8. Yes - it was intentional and directed. McTurtle and RyanBo were given orders and payouts

I guess most of the house (repugs and dems?) must have also benefited. Senate too?

Can we read a dissection of the "Fall of the US Empire" in 1,000 years and learn from our mistakes? Did we learn from Rome/Greece/etc.? Will there be any beings able to decipher the cuneiform on the disintegrating papers? (I'm guessing computer storage will be totally undecipherable.)

[Mr.Bill]

6. At this point, I'm not 100% certain we will see an election in November.

If Trump said at one of his rallies that we will have to cancel/postpone the election until we can get all the illegals out of the country so they can't vote the cheers from the crowd would be deafening.

[Exotica]

7. Poll: More than half of Republicans would support postponing 2020 election

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/08/10/52-percent-republicans-would-support-postponing-2020-election/555769001/


And this was almost a year ago,when his popularity was lower with Repugs than it is now.

[roamer65]

19. That is an immediate recipe for secession.

It can and would be done.

[TNNurse]

9. I thought a Constitutional Crisis had some meaning.

Apparently, calling it that has no consequences. Everything continues.

[Marie Marie]

16. Exactly. It apparently has no meaning.

We just get to sit back in horror and watch it unfold.

[cynatnite]

10. He'll be his most dangerous when his power is threatened...

He likely wouldn't recognize an impeachment if it were to happen and I have my doubts he'd acquiesce if he lost in 2020.

We're going to see the slow erosion as long as he's in power and it'll get worse every single day.

If the Dems win the house and possibly the senate, tRump's going to be calling them traitors and un-American every single day they don't bow to him.

[murielm99]

11. If we win one or both houses,

I think he will refuse to recognize the elections. I know they are certified at the state level. We will have to make sure we follow up on every election.

You are right. He will be more dangerous if he faces a loss or impeachment. I hope we are ready for the chaos that is coming.

[pansypoo53219]

12. FAKE PRESIDENT!

say it media. SAY IT!

[DemocracyMouse]

15. And call him "un-american." Colorful language is the only language now.

Culture IS the war.

[Sarg]

14. I wish I could be optimistic

but I just can't.

The map has been gerrymandered to death. The people in those districts vote yellow dog Republican and most of them are quite happy with having a fascist dictator in office as long as he's on their side. There will be no "blue wave" this November, nor one in 2020. The only "populism" that wins is the Trump style of appealing to the lowest common denominator in every possible way.

Republicans run the country folks. We will not be able to stop this constitutional crisis.

[world wide wally]

17. Our sense of a "noble cause" has disapaited

A truly sad day for America.

[ooky]

18. Yeah. I've been thinking this for a while.

When it hit me that Trump is completely unchecked and appears able to do anything he wants. The Republican Congress's inaction has essentially made him our first true dictator since George III.