February 9, 2021: The first day of the Senate campaigns of 2022, 2024, and 2026
The 44 Republican Senators who voted to not proceed with the Senate impeachment trial today, on the alleged ground of unconstitutionality, today entered the first…
Rule of Law
SECRET BALLOT: Potential Democratic maneuvers to secure a secret vote in Impeachment Trial
The Senate Democrats have the power to establish by a vote of 50+1 that the vote on whether or not Donald Trump is guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors” shall be taken BY SECRET BALLOT.
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But Article I of the Constitution provides that 1/5 of the members present can require a recorded vote. So even a Democratic-imposed secret ballot might not really provide a secret vote.
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No one said any of this simple. Nonetheless, Democratic Senators need to figure these details out, and use them to their full advantage.
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Democratic Senators need to overcome their fear of Trump and his supporters, and USE THEIR RAW POWER TO ENSURE A SECRET BALLOT on the vote to convict or acquit Trump.
A SECRET BALLOT could give Republican Senators an opportunity to rid their party of Trump, to redeem their party from its current position of being THE PARTY THAT IS THE ENEMY OF DEMOCRACY, and to start rebuilding a Republican Party based on principles of democracy and the rule of law.
Trump’s attempted coup: A retrospective
Developing See, 1) “Jim Rutenberg, Jo Becker, Eric Lipton, Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Martin, Matthew Rosenberg and Michael S. Schmidt, “77 Days: Trump’s Campaign to Subvert…
The Democratic base must push back on impeachment trial against weak-kneed Democratic Senators
The Democrats in Congress now propose to hold a quick trial in the Senate which will neither convict ex-President Trump nor educate the American people as to the nature of his crimes, and his attempted coup d’état.
What will future authoritarian leaders learn from the Senate trial, and the zeal with which the Democrats prosecute the case against Trump?
The Republicans’ greatest weapon over the years has been the stpidity and cowardice of their Democratic opponents, who never seem to lose an opportunity to seize defeat from the jaws of victory.
Any Democrat who supports a motion of censure against Trump to hold him to account for his attempted coup, and the numerous crimes that it involved, should never be re-nominated or re-elected to legislative office.
Real Democrats need to stand up and call out the stupidity and cowardice of Democratic colleagues who support censure or a quickie trial that fails to present the evidence, educate the American people, and burst Trump’s propaganda bubble for what it is: Appeasement of the fascists* in our midst.
Unity with fascists? NEVER!
Should Democrats compromise their core values in order to achieve compromises and “bipartisanship” with Senate and House members of the fascist* Republican Party?
The fundamental division in American politics today is not between Conservatives and Liberals, or even between all Republicans and Democrats.
It is between Insurrectionists and Constitutionalists, between those who believe in democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law, on the one hand, and those who support fascist ideas and fascist leaders, on the other.
We should never forget, not even for a moment, the true nature of the fascist threat we face, the true nature of the current fascist Republican Party, and the true nature of the fascist Senators and Representatives who have participated in Trump’s crimes, including his attempted coup, and who acting in bad faith refuse to hold him to account.
President Biden, news commentator, says Democrats unlikely to get 17 Republican votes for conviction of Trump
President Joe Biden, in a new role of news commentator, says it is unlikely 17 Republican Senators will vote to convict Donald Trump at his…
The Democrats should run the Senate
UPDATE: Latest News See, 1) Mike DeBonis, “McConnell relents on Senate rules, signals power-sharing deal with Democrats.” Washington Post, January 25, 2021 (11:14 p.m. EST)….
Trump’s future
Anne Applebaum: “Trump’s adventure is over. He will spend the rest of his life in court.”
America seems to be suffering from some kind of collective Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). It is as if the entire nation, having been held captive by a terrorist for four years, cannot believe that the power of the terrorist over them will go away when he is removed from power in two days.
How else can one explain all the speculation in the media about Trump’s continuing political and societal influence after he leaves office at noon on January 20, 2021?
Three immediate steps to stop threats of assassination and other acts of political terror
We have witnessed in the last few months numerous acts of political terror, from threats to harm election officials, legislators and their families to the…
Contingency planning for military-style commando action to arrest Trump–Part One
Preliminary Draft–sources being checked See, 1) Peggy Noonan, “Liz Cheney Shows What Leadership Looks Like; The sooner Republicans demystify Donald Trump, the better for them…
Remove and Arrest Trump
If any person other than the President of the United States had incited such a riot, with such consequences, he or she would by now have been arrested and put in jail.
Yet Donald Trump is no ordinary criminal. As long as he occupies the office of President of the United States, he poses a uniquely dangerous threat to the country and to American democracy.
Trump is a criminal who is armed and dangerous, and on the loose.
He should be removed from office immediately.
The question remains of when Trump should be arrested.
If he engages in any actions to further his ongoing attempted coup, he should be immediately arrested and brought before a judge.
In any event, an order for his arrest should be issued, in order to prevent him from fleeing the country.
How and when he should be arrested, if before noon on January 20, 2021, is a delicate issue which all potential actors should now consider on an emergency basis.
Pelosi and House Democrats should not falter in impeaching Trump
When an attempted coup d’état is undeway, defenders of democracy must act swiftly, without hesitation, and decisively.
The principal instigator of the attempted coup which included the insurrectionist invasion of the Capitol, on January 6, 2021, is the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Trump remains in office, holding all of the powers and emergency powers of the Presidency, including the secret, classified Emergency Powers invested in his office.
So long as the instigator of the attempted coup remains in office, we should all understand that a continuing, ongoing attempted coup d’état is underway.
Trump must be removed immediately in order to end this threat to American democracy.
Trump must be viewed as a criminal who is armed and dangerous.
He is armed with all of the powers of the Presidency, including his secret, classified Emergency Powers and his Powers as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, and commander of federal authorities under the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.
He has the authority to deliver critical classified information to Russia and Vladimir Putin, such as the identities of CIA personnel and other clandestine operatives, including Russian agents in Russia working for the United States. Such information could also include details for access to defense, intelligence, and communications systems.
To end the ongoing coup, the king must be removed from office.
This is no time for Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic Caucus to falter.
IMPEACH TRUMP TODAY! AND ARREST HIM IF NECESSARY!
Trump must be stopped. NOW. Since he is acting outside the Constitution in organizing an attempted coup, limited actions outside the scope of the Constitution narrowly aimed at restoring the constitutional order, and necessary to secure that end, may be viewed as legitimate.
That means that if Vice-President Michael Pence and the top legislative and military officials determine it is necessary, the authority and powers of the Presidency should be transferred to Pence, and even the arrest and detention of Trump would be justified.
The key point is that the constitutional order has been breached, and even extraordinary measures such as the arrest of Donald Trump would be justified if necessary to re-establish the constitutional order.
A coup d’état is by its very nature a fast-moving event. Those who would defend democracy need to be nimble on their feet and in their thinking, and prepared to act quickly and decisively.
Emergency responses to a Trump military coup
If the demonstrations lead to violence and Trump sends troops or other federal forces in to restore law and order, perhaps invoking the Insurrection Act, who knows what could happen amid the ensuing chaos?
If Trump reports there is a “terrorist threat” to e.g., blow up the Capitol, or undertakes military action against Iran, a military coup could be well underway.
Trump is desperate and unhinged, surrounded by lunatic advisers who have been talking about imposing martial law for weeks.
Democrats and everyone else should take the threat of a Trump attempted military coup seriously.
It is time to mount a full court defense of American democracy.
Trump might not and probably would not succeed in carrying out a military coup. But he is desperate enough and crazy enough to try.
Trump’s attempted coup
Donald Trump is continuing with his attempted coup. A number of Republican Senators have now signed on to efforts to block Joe Biden’s formal recognition…
2020–one of the greatest years in American history!
American democrats, including some courageous Republicans, defeated a fascist threat of enormous power and potential.
That should be reason enough for all of us to celebrate the year of 2020, and the hope it has spawned, this New Year’s Eve, with great joy.
In 2020, American democracy and the Republic were preserved, and the significance of these events will by noted by historians for generations to come.
Americans were sorely tested by the fascist challenge in 2020, and they met the test.
Troubling questions about the Nashville bombing investigation
The reported and unreported facts about the Christmas Nashville bombing investigation raise troubling questions regarding the nature of the investigation, and even who is running…
Nashville blast: Attack on our communications infrastructure; potential relation to Trump’s attempted coup
On the risks of a military coup, see David Ignatius, “Until Biden’s win is certified, the U.S. remains vulnerable, Washinbgton Post, December 26, 2020 (4:51…
The terror of living in a country full of selfish and stupid people
It is terrifying to realize that you are a passenger on a ship full of stupid and selfish people, who are running the ship while the titular leaders are either indifferent or too afraid to try to lead them.
This loony President is the most dangerous man on earth
Should we be afraid of what Trump might do in the waning days of his presidency!
ABSOLUTELY. WE SHOULD BE ABSOLUTELY AFRAID.
This is not a joke.