So I've seen lots of commentary about this ruling, but I kind of assumed that the panic was overblown. After all, the ruling said presidents were only immune for "official acts" but could still be held accountable for "unofficial acts", right? Well fuck, turns out I was wrong.
“In dividing official from unofficial conduct, courts may not inquire into the president’s motives,” [Chief Justice] Roberts writes. “Such an inquiry would risk exposing even the most obvious instances of official conduct to judicial examination on the mere allegation of improper purpose, thereby intruding on the Article II interests that immunity seeks to protest.”
They're literally saying that there is no way to determine what is an official act and what is not. So Biden could order someone to go shoot Trump, and we couldn't even inquire into if he was acting in an official capacity or not.
A military coup probably won't happen. The federal government is still pretty in line with the people's interest, even if the media makes it seem otherwise.
Somehow “probably won’t happen” is a bit underwhelming. The amount of neo-nazis and assorted relevant flavors in the military is too damned high.
There’s also the practical matter of the Constitution preventing them from law enforcement (which - yeah, i know). I’m saying the odds that it’s us out here alone are . . . well, also, too damned high.
Pretty sure their timing of releasing this ruling and immediate adjournment was no coincidence. I hope the conservative justices shit bricks the next time they're all in the same room.
Trump wouldn't be where he is if media like The NY Times didn't circlejerk his existence. Had the media ignored their cash cow from the start we wouldn't be facing the end of democracy.
But Jon Stewart still continues to try, thankfully! He is the hero that we need, even if not the one we deserve right now, or whatever (line from Batman) - I doubt he can save us from ourselves, but damn I'm sure glad to see him on the air again nonetheless.
Well put. They took the clicks, like the rest them. They took a crook and game show host and made him President and they have never taken an ounce of responsibility.
More importantly - all of this hubbub from the Supreme Court decisions is part of a very large group of very wealthy interests who very much want him to be reelected. We can't just sit here and pretend it's just the redcap hicks that attend the rallies that are behind him.
He's... literally leading in polls for all the swing states that will elect the next president. People that care about democracy are panicking, and for good reason.
Unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions. This is a situation in which I would cheer for someone pulling the ladder up behind them. Use their God-King power to destroy their God-King power. Come on, King Biden.
Which Congress would've approved this? The one that couldn't get the federal minimum wage increased or the one that couldn't pass a border security bill?
So you agree that Biden and Dem leadership are unable to govern their party and pass the party platform?
Biden and Dem leadership were saying it up to a few months ago, so it shouldn't be hard to admit.
I'm just not sure why people don't want to fix that problem while we have a chance, especially since it'll help beat Trump short term, and fight fascism long term while in office. And a charismatic presidential candidate helps down ballot across the board.
Biden and Dem leadership were saying it up to a few months ago, so it shouldn't be hard to admit.
It was longer than a few months ago and they clearly said why they stopped even considering packing the Supreme Court.
Not only did they not have a congress to pass it, because they've never held anywhere close to enough of a super majority to get past fillibuster. But it's also effectively handing a loaded gun to a second Trump presidency or any Republican presidency to do the same.
There's a reason why they keep saying that recently, they don't want democracy. They want to backflip themselves into selecting how leaders are chosen and who gets to choose.
I'm guessing "The Blueprint: Obama's Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build an Imperial Presidency" was actually more projection than it was a condemnation of actual policies.
Huh don't recall this. Was it a big deal at the time?
Also from Amazon description:
Courts: The authors have insider knowledge of how Obama will pack the Supreme Court and lower courts with activist judges who will overstep their constitutional authority.
Yeah, every accusation is a confession. I'm sure the GOP playbook for years has been: accuse the Left of doing X; do X yourself but in the name of trying to "level the playing field".
In 1977, nearly three years after leaving office in disgrace, President Richard Nixon gave a series of interviews to David Frost, a British journalist.
“Such an inquiry would risk exposing even the most obvious instances of official conduct to judicial examination on the mere allegation of improper purpose, thereby intruding on the Article II interests that immunity seeks to protest.” In other words, the why of a president’s actions cannot be held as evidence against him, even if they’re plainly illegitimate.
Turning to Trump’s attempt to pressure Mike Pence into delaying certification of the Electoral College, Roberts says that this too was an official act.
But more troubling than the court’s interference in the democratic process are the disturbing implications of the majority’s decision, which undermines the foundations of republican government at the same time that it purports to be a strike in defense of the constitutional order.
“The court,” Sotomayor writes, “effectively creates a law-free zone around the president, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the founding.” When he uses his official powers in any way, she continues, “he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution.
In their relentless drive to protect a Republican president and secure his power for a future administration, the conservative majority has issued a fundamentally anti-republican opinion.
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