Collapse in Slow Motion

[angrychair]

Our form of government is a delicate balance of give and take. The assumption being that each branch is evenly weighted against the other. Checks and balances.

Trump has made it painfully obvious that those checks and balances are an illusion.

It's very clear that all the congressional bluster in the world has no real world implications.

That subpoenas mean nothing and can be ignored.

That contempt citations are paper tigers.

Trump and his administration know it.

The next phase is starting. They are already questioning and seeking to limit the power of federal court rulings.


Let's be realistic: the courts have no more power than the Congress to actually do anything about it.


The whole process hinges on the trump administration agreeing to comply.
They have proven many times now that they don't have to do anything. They are free to ignore whomever they want. Do what they want. With zero consequence.

Massive public action through strikes and public protests is the only recourse.

Unfortunately, there is no actual will do anything that requires anymore effort that sitting at a keyboard.

Until the public has had enough, this is our government. Unless we do something about it, its our grandchildren's, grandchildren's government...or until the food runs out.

[pat_k]

1. Once he invokes it will quickly become Judiciary + Congress v. DT

Courts don't dilly dally with really BIG questions of privilege. I think Trump is betting that his claims (once he actually invokes executive privilege -- not just "protective" privilege) things will move as slowly as they did with the narrow claim of privilege invoked by Obama.

As dysfunctional as our judicial system has become, I think the coming battle between Congress and Exec will quickly become a battle between Congress + Judiciary v. Trump -- and then things will move very fast. It was 13 weeks from Judge Sira's subpoena of the Nixon tapes to SCOTUS decision in U.S. v. Nixon -- which is lightening speed for the courts.

[DemoTex]

2. We are frogs in a pot, and Putin is the chef

[Triloon]

3. Please,

A little less Eeyore and a little more Tigger. Try to not be a defeatist, we're making gains every day.

[CaptainTruth]

6. +1

[Brawndo]

4. People forgot

that the reason why we followed these (toothless) traditions and norms for so long was to avoid the horror of Civil War. There is no force behind these norms because it was assumed to be a given that without them lay disaster and death. I truly hope that strikes and public protests are enough, but with these monsters, I doubt it will be.

[at140]

5. But but..we have jobs and can get lots of

Credit cards due to the job, and can buy stuff we don't need from Walmart, get fat and sassy eating junk food and indulge in smoking legal weed, so who cares if Congress is issuing paper tiger subpoena and can't arrest anyone who ignores them!