push pause on trump -- the constitutional compromise

[unblock]

everyone here, and the vast majority of democrats and anyone else with a brain surely understands that donnie should be removed from office. not that senate republicans will ever agree to remove him, even as he continues to cause pointless and needless suffering and death across the country with his idiocy during a national emergency and global pandemic.

republican senators are too terrified of their own party to actually remove donnie.

but at the same time, even republicans are coming around to the idea that donnie is a disaster and he's killing their constituents as well, never mind causing a delay in getting the pandemic under control so the economy can *actually* reopen.


so here's my modest proposal: utilize the 25th amendment, section 4, *not* to *remove* donnie (they'd never agree to that), but to merely determine that he is *temporarily* "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office".

note that they don't have to make this permanent, and there doesn't need to be a medical determination. he can be "unable" for any reason. congress can decide that he is "unable" to do it simply based on the observation that he clearly hasn't done anything to help tackle covid-19.


now, procedurally, this requires *either* pence and half the cabinet (very unlikely to happen, as they got the job by being loyalist) *or* by any body congress may designate by law. now, donnie would veto any law, so we'd need 2/3rds of both houses to override.

all a tall order, but not impossible. things probably have to get even worse than they are now, but i think in another month or so, we might actually be able to muster the numbers. i think the fact that this would be a "temporary" thing might allow them to save face with republican voters, the line could be that pence is just a better person to be in charge until the pandemic is under control, then donnie can resume the presidency once it's under control.

of course, that day may never come, or they may give him just a few days at the end of his term.


but hey, at least it's a different idea than simply removing him, which, sadly, republicans will *never* agree to....

[Laelth]

1. You're right to note that the Senate fears Trump too much to remove him.

The cabinet—the people who could invoke the 25th— fear him MORE. There’s no way that they would actually do what you suggest under the current circumstances.

-Laelth

[unblock]

3. Right. The only possibility is if Congress designates another body by law

Which requires a veto override.

[Thomas Hurt]

2. Voting for Biden is still the only choice.

[unblock]

4. Well certainly that solves the problem from noon January 20 on.

The question is if anything can be done to help before that.

[mobeau69]

6. Yep. And our last chance at saving our Democracy.

This will be it.

[ibegurpard]

5. And you plan to get repukes to agree to do this how?

[unblock]

7. Hey, I'm the theory guy, I'll leave the implementation to others ;)

Yeah, I recognize that it likely will never happen. But, republicans are probably more likely to do this than to remove him entirely, which I accept that they would never do.