How is someone expelled from a state branch for violating the law (twice)

[malaise]

allowed to run for federal office. That makes no fucking sense.

Likewise how does the Con have so many 'settlements' with persons he robbed and still become President.

[el_bryanto]

1. Foolish Mortals - the laws of man do not apply to Conservatoids

Once we hid ourselves in the frail guise of humanity, but day by day we are getting closer to the time when we can reveal ourselves in our true majesty. Humanity is dooomed!

Bryant

[malaise]

2. Sure looks that way

I can't believe what I'm watching and not just in the US

[onenote]

3. there are very few limits on who can run for office

And, to be honest, I have no problem with that. The potential for abuse is too great.

[zipplewrath]

5. Yup

It's a bit like voting. Once you start to divide the population up into various "classes" of citizens, you are ripe for abuse. It's why I support giving felons their voting rights back once they have completed their entire sentences. I'm a bit uncomfortable with the age limits on senators and presidents, although after Trump, I'm in no real hurry to see just how stupid a president we can elect.

[joshcryer]

7. Yeah, lots of countries charge opponents for made up crimes...

...to prevent them from running. While this is not too common in the US, it does happen even here on the local level.

[Cosmocat]

4. Because this country is now that fucking stupid

sorry ...

[brooklynite]

6. Article 1-Section 3:

"No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen."

That's it.

[malaise]

8. Good - Seat the pedo

[onenote]

9. That's the standard for running.

The Senate can refuse to seat someone who, by a majority vote, is determined not to meet the constitutional qualifications.

However, the constitution also allows the Senate, by a 2/3 vote, to expel a member for basically anything.

[bluestarone]

10. because that test

qualifies Repubs for office! if it's 3 times then it qualifies you for president

[Jim Lane]

11. Bear in mind something similar on our side

Alcee Hastings was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Florida. It's normally a lifetime appointment, but Hastings, after allegations of bribery and perjury, became only the sixth federal judge in the history of the United States to be removed from office by the Senate. (The impeachment vote in the House was 413-3; in the Senate, the vote to convict and remove him was 69-26.)

That's not exactly sexual assault, but in its own way it's pretty serious. Nevertheless, in 1992 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (as a Democrat!) and remains a member to this day.

[malaise]

12. Seems wrong to me

but what do I know = thanks for these details - it was serious.

[Jim Lane]

13. It's small-d democracy. Let the voters choose.

Alabama voters get to decide whether they believe Moore's accusers and, if so, how much weight to attach to his conduct. (Some will say it was long ago or just a "youthful indiscretion" or whatever.) As for his being bounced from the state Supreme Court, it was for defying the law in support of the display of the Ten Commandments and then in opposition to marriage equality. I'm sure that, for many voters, those instances of gross judicial misconduct are actually points in his favor.

You can ask yourself what you would have done if you lived in Hastings's Congressional district in 1992. It's easy to say "I'll vote for the respectable Democrat, Lois Frankel, in the primary." What do you do in the general, though? I confess that I probably would have held my nose and voted for Hastings. Even if his Republican opponent was a model of integrity, the odds are that he or she was a conservative model of integrity, and would cast vote after vote after vote against what I believed. In light of that -- would you lend me a clothespin?

[malaise]

14. I understand all that my question is how does someone who violates Federal law

run for a Federal position - I get the small-d-democracy