Let's leave aside whether this statement is true or not. The US Constitution provides mechanisms for dealing with a rogue president, such as impeachment and the 25th Amendment. It is Congress's responsibility to act on these provisions. If it is true that this president is rogue, then we must ask ourselves why Congress is seemingly so disinterested in fulfilling its constitutional duties.
In my mind, the danger isn't having a rogue president, if the president is in fact rogue. The real danger is having a Congress unwilling to do anything about it.
The 25th Amendment provides no mechanism for dealing with a rogue President, per se, its only contribution in that context is to clarify what happens if Congress has already successfully impeached said rogue President and removed him — and let’s be frank, history implies it’ll be a him, and very likely this him — from the Oval Orifice.
But yes, broadly speaking, all three coequal branches factually being rogue is a much bigger problem.
Real shame when the will of the people is to shoot themselves in the head.
I think we all know why congress wouldn't do anything. Part of it democrats being incapable of any decisive action. But real reason - there is no way republicans would vote the president out. And it is, indeed, terrifying.
Maybe as aftermath of this crisis we would see legislature evolution and taking it correct place. I, for sure, hope so.
Congress isn't willing to do anything about it, because the president threatens to primary anyone who opposes him. The president has enough political clout among his own party for that to be a real threat.
That will continue to be a threat until the president messes up badly enough that he doesn't command that level of support within his own party (or until he messes up so badly that Congress will impeach him anyway, even if it costs them their jobs).
This is one of those titles that really needs an [opinion piece] label in the title. Saw this was from the NYT and knew that even they wouldn’t report this as “news” but rather it must be an opinion essay.
Other readers, especially from outside of the US, might not realize the distinction and think, “Wow, the NYT is a big national newspaper, this is important news!”. No, this just an opinion/advocacy piece from a left-leaning newspaper, and as such has few if any expectations of objectivity, completeness or accuracy, although there may be a point or two that’s worth taking away.
It’s also probably worthy of flagging as at the outer edge of HN relevance, although issues of actual governance, especially when someone is “moving fast and breaking things” like Trump, are always of general interest.
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[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 33.1 ms ] threadIn my mind, the danger isn't having a rogue president, if the president is in fact rogue. The real danger is having a Congress unwilling to do anything about it.
But yes, broadly speaking, all three coequal branches factually being rogue is a much bigger problem.
Real shame when the will of the people is to shoot themselves in the head.
Again.
Maybe as aftermath of this crisis we would see legislature evolution and taking it correct place. I, for sure, hope so.
That will continue to be a threat until the president messes up badly enough that he doesn't command that level of support within his own party (or until he messes up so badly that Congress will impeach him anyway, even if it costs them their jobs).
Other readers, especially from outside of the US, might not realize the distinction and think, “Wow, the NYT is a big national newspaper, this is important news!”. No, this just an opinion/advocacy piece from a left-leaning newspaper, and as such has few if any expectations of objectivity, completeness or accuracy, although there may be a point or two that’s worth taking away.
It’s also probably worthy of flagging as at the outer edge of HN relevance, although issues of actual governance, especially when someone is “moving fast and breaking things” like Trump, are always of general interest.