Perhaps everybody knows what's happening but they don't know what to do about it?

[kentuck]

There are lies and deceptions coming out of the White House. Everybody knows it.

But there is no process to handle it.

Since the Republican Party is totally locked up in politics, they are not part of the solution at this time.

Even if someone wanted to do something about it, what would they do? Who would take the lead?

What happens if James Comey is fired? What do the Gang of Eight do then? What is left? Do they split and go their separate ways?

When Comey is gone, what then? What's the next card to turn?

[pnwmom]

1. I bet key Republicans are being blackmailed with info the hackers got from the RNC hack,

which has never been released.

[dewsgirl]

10. THIS, has been my conclusion, for a while

It's the only answer. I know they want to pass their agenda, but dealing with this every single day and the terror they live in of him and his tweets and of their own constituents, has to be wearing on them and their families.

[Eyeball_Kid]

24. Extraordinary times, extraordinary measures, etc.

The Congressional GOP is terrified of Trumpy. It doesn't matter whether there's dirt on a GOPer or not. Everyone's shitting in their pants. Here's a "what do I know?" moment:

I know nothing. I'm a few thousand miles from DC. Never been there. I get spoken and written word about what's happening there. I get video images, and I've been alive long enough to fill in the blanks reasonably well. And it goes something like this:

When this is all over and Trumpy is part of history, there will be stories written about the cowardly band of politicians who knew the details of what went on during this upheaval but did nothing. They did nothing because they were scared of losing even more if they put their safety on the line. They'll tell their stories, just as the survivors of Hitler's madness told their stories. A mad tyrant comes to power and his magic works. He bullies everyone into submission unless he has to kill them first.

This is who Trumpy is, and the GOP knows it.

Circumstances are overtaking Paul Ryan. He wants to just get on with his GOP juggernaut and bask in the glory of victory, but this pesky thing about Russia keeps getting in the way. He has no desire to address the biggest problem that the nation has ever faced in 140 years. This is like Nero fiddling while Rome burns. Ryan is playing with his... navel while the Russians take over. In a very real sense, Ryan made a Faustian bargain. He'd just have to look the other way for a few minutes and if he did, his GOP fantasyland would magically fall into place. But it was the looking away that sent everything a-kilter. The perfect scenario turned into an overripe victory. In Aleister Crowley's vision of things, the atmosphere went from a "6" to a "7". The perfect marriage between the practical and the ideal showed signs of spoiling, an element is added to the balance and everything starts to wobble. That's where we're at right now. The forces that sustain a balance cannot maintain a center of gravity, so parts start to fly apart, putrify, disintegrate, or otherwise become subjected to the inevitability of entropy. That's the GOP right now. And that's what's happening to the nation.

Most of us don't believe that all of this is really happening. We're removed. We see it all happening in a sterile way. It's happening on our flatscreens. Between commercial breaks. It looks just like a reality TV show. It's bloodless and mundane, just like most of the time spent undergoing a fascist takeover. I remember reading a Hemmingway novel decades ago in which he described people sitting at sidewalk cafes in Europe, sipping espresso, while Nazi tanks were rolling into their city. There's a similar feeling right now. People just can't adjust to the reality of the situation. Nearly all of us are mentally unprepared for what will roll over and crush us if resistance isn't strong enough.

[Ilsa]

12. Yeah, the fact that RNC and R info was stolen is not mentioned

very often. My guess is that numerous Rs are compromised. Whether 45 has the info is another matter.

[Cracklin Charlie]

22. I think that's how Putin got the RNC platform that he forced Trump to change.

They are surely using any information they were able to get from the RNC.

[infidelsavant]

2. People have the power to change the government

In American Government class, one of the things I learned was that the people do have the power to change how the government operates. The way it operates right now is absurd.

I believe the technical term is a revolution.

[bdamomma]

5. We have the numbers to do this

Welcome to DU

there is a breaking point.....then we will have to act.

[k8conant]

15. "We the People of the United States...

in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,[note 1] promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

and more importantly:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

[kentuck]

16. How would this rebellion manifest itself?

We can all agree that they are not deriving their just powers from "the consent of the governed".

[k8conant]

19. I see some precedents here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolent_revolution#Peaceful_revolution

"George Lakey in his 1973 book[5] and in his 1976 "A Manifesto for Nonviolent Revolution",[6] laid out a five-stage strategy for nonviolent revolution.[7]

Stage 1 - Cultural Preparation or "Conscientization": Education, training and consciousness raising of why there is a need for a nonviolent revolution and how to conduct a nonviolent revolution.

Stage 2 - Building Organizations: As training, education and consciousness raising continues, the need to form organizations. Affinity groups or nonviolent revolutionary groups are organized to provide support, maintain nonviolent discipline, organize and train other people into similar affinity groups and networks.

Stage 3 - Confrontation: Organized and sustained campaigns of picketing, strikes, sit-ins, marches, boycotts, die-ins, blockades to disrupt business as usual in institutions and government. By putting one's body on the line nonviolently the rising movement stops the normal gears of government and business.

Stage 4 - Mass Non Cooperation: Similar affinity groups and networks of affinity groups around the country and world, engage in similar actions to disrupt business as usual.

Stage 5 - Developing Parallel Institutions to take over functions and services of government and commerce. In order to create a new society without violence, oppression, environmental destruction, discrimination and one that is environmentally sustainable, nonviolent, democratic, equatable tolerant and fair, alternative organizations and structures including businesses must be created to provide the needed services and goods that citizens of a society need."

Also:

The Revolutions of 1989: Even though many of these revolutions did not take place entirely in 1989, they are usually grouped together as such.
1980–1989 – The Solidarity movement in April marshals popular resistance to communist rule, though progress is halted by the imposition of martial law.
1987–1989/1991 – The Singing Revolution – a cycle of singing mass demonstrations, followed by a living chain across the Baltic states (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia), known as the Baltic Way.
1989 – The Peaceful Revolution in the German Democratic Republic leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall
1989 – The Velvet Revolution – the bloodless revolution in Czechoslovakia leading to the downfall of the communist government there.
1989 – The bloodless revolution in Bulgaria that resulted in the downfall of the communist government.

[kentuck]

20. +1000

Thanks!

[triron]

27. I wonder whether the founders had any inkling that of our governing fedral institutions becoming

they have today?? Revolution in the late 18th century quite different than what it would be in the
modern era.

[Cracklin Charlie]

23. Your class was right.

The real power is in, of, and by the people.

That's why the Republicans have to cheat to win.

[Ilsa]

3. I don't think Comey can be fired unless he breaks the law.

He's got a term to finish, and he seems set on staying in.

[kentuck]

4. He made a point of saying a few days ago that he had 6 1/2 years left in his term...

and that he was going to serve it out.

However, can the President get rid of him if he wants?

[Ilsa]

9. Yes, the president can fire the director of the FBI,

But it's not a good idea unless the director has been caught doing something wrong. Only William Sessions has been fired, over ethics violations. If trump fired Comey over an investigation, it would only lead back to trump.

[ProudLib72]

6. This is kind of like

what I just posted. Even if everything were out in the open, what sort of mechanism exists to take care of the problem? The only thing I can imagine is if tRump supporters get really angry (maybe because of ACA) and turn against the GOP. Those senators who are up for reelection next year might start to think twice about voting the party line.

[kentuck]

7. I think the Democrats should ask that impeachment proceedings begin...

immediately?

Drag it out until they have the votes. Keep them on the defensive. Eventually, this bunch in the White House will piss off enough people that they will have the votes to impeach, in my opinion.

[oldtime dfl_er]

26. agree

It's the turn of the Democrats to KEEP things in turmoil. We didn't start it but it's in our interest now to keep up the chaos until the midterms.

[panader0]

8. You're right kentuck---nobody is sure what to do.

My sincere hope is that this mess can be cleaned up in courts, but
otherwise, we may need to take to the streets.
Laws are being broken daily, like emoluments==nobody says shit.

[kentuck]

13. Ideally, the Gang of Eight would come up with a solution.

Impeachment, 25th Amendment, or some type of Party agreement?

Personally, I think the Democrats need to make the first move. They need to ask for impeachment proceedings.

[milestogo]

11. The intelligence community has the goods on the Trump administration.

Until they spill the beans, I don't think there are enough votes in favor of impeachment... no grounds.

[kentuck]

14. The violation of the Constitution is enough already.

They don't really have to have a reason. High crimes and misdemeanors covers a lot of territory.

[global1]

21. I Think The IC Is Taking There Time To Make Sure When....

they finally reveal their findings they've crossed the t's and dotted the i's to make sure the facts are such that their case is definative, damaging and full-proof. This is what they'll use to take down this administration.

[kentuck]

25. By the time they do all that...

our country will probably have changed a great deal?

[butdiduvote]

17. The time to do something was in November.

I'm still just so angry at the people who are begging someone to do something now but didn't feel the urgency to go to the ballot box and vote for Hillary. It's not like we didn't have a way to stop this. We let the opportunity pass majorly.

I honestly think we need a general strike, but no one wants to do that. Everyone wants basically powerless people to fix this for them.

[kentuck]

18. We are where we are.

I would like to see the Gang of Eight expanded to a Gang of Twelve and i would like for them to meet with the FBI Director every day until they came up with a plan about how to handle this crisis. And make no mistake, this is a crisis.