Conservative budget wonks (Manhattan Instiutte, Tax Foundation) confirming that this is a consittutional crisis. Not liberal hysteria. Happening right now.
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I really think the last two weeks WERE shock and awe by the President. He did so much we couldn't keep track. But I think people are pushing back, and not just democrats. Hell, some big business gets money from USAID. That has to piss off some GOP donors.
True. But the framing of this statement is obnoxious. Liberals aren't hysterical. Conservative aren't more credible. In fact, they have lied to us for years. Decades even. We don't need their affirmation. Maybe they could admit how wrong they were.
Ultimately, impeaching and removing Trump from office is the only constitutional remedy. We don't have the votes to do that now. How bad does it have to get for enough Republicans to stand up to him and make the insanity stop?
This is Racketeering. He thinks he's a mob boss and he's making up rules as he goes along. I guess the Governors of all the Constitution supporting States will have to remove him from office. It's only fair that the States can make their own rules too.
Since it was codified, can anyone clarify the difference in standing between USAID and other agencies (e.g. Dep of Ed)? Could a similar use of force be used for other agencies?
Respectfully, it’s a coup. An attack on the United States government co-signed by the sitting President. It’s Trump’s second attempt to seize dictatorial power. His first attempt was violent and easier to call out in the moment. This one is extremely dangerous in a completely different way.
They'll soon alight on realization that everything they've done and said with their professional careers has been in service to permanent kkkristofascist minority rule, whether they knew it or intended it or not (they knew and intended)...and that collaborators eventually suffer backlash.
Trump is a sociopath, he won’t back down if he knows he can make the problem “go away”. In the case of #2 I think he’d just invoke the Insurrection Act and call out active duty military. In the end people need to realize that using law against lawless people is a losing proposition.
I feel like no one is understanding this. Especially the Dem’s. It’s all good and dandy to want to do this the lawful and correct way but these people don’t care about the law, they are blatantly disobeying the law. Who’s going to enforce it on them and make them obey?
Since 1. seems nearly impossible (at least without 2.), we're left with 2, and the only way 2. happens is if Trump messes up in some other way (e.g., crashes the economy), since the broad public probably won't engage on a constitutional crisis alone.
So we're left with the George W. Bush scenario: the president messes up so bad and is so unpopular that a new president (who is at least small-d democratic) can be elected and can then claim a mandate to reverse the abuses.
Some parallels with the UK's wannabe World King: Boris Johnson shut down Parliament to force through legislation by Statutory Instrument; declared unlawful by Supreme Court. This alone didn't bring him down but added to his unpopularity such that his own party deposed him. Not sure GOP could do that
An absolute dominant appearance of the public would certainly do it in the right locations with the right actions, but the organization required for that is tremendous in this country, takes time, and unfortunately would likely be met with an opportunistic harsh response. It feels more needed daily.
The main advantage they’ve had and planned for has been to execute actions at such a speed and disregard for norms that the opposition is overwhelmed and cannot respond to all happenings through established procedures. This means the real opposition comes from a disillusioned public. We must resist.
Cole is an extremely decent, principled, thoughtful person and has been a Never Trumper since the beginning. Whatever issues one might have with him politically, he is not the right target for the face-eating leopards meme.
Conservatives HAVE NEVER been able to set a Budget with their spending President Bill Clinton gave us a surplus and then dumb ass Americans put another Conservative Republican in office and he blew through that like the trumps at a cocaine buffet.
Glad to see these folks supporting general freedom and democracy for a change as if they really believed their rhetoric, and will gladly shout them out (as I always do for Cato on immigration)
aaaawwwwwww this is so ADORABLE! "but why are the dictator and his cronies not following the rules!!!" they cry. "I didn't know he was going to do thaaaaaaat"
Its a blitzkrieg tactic, the whole thing is. Unless a capable group gets moving faster than they are, nobody is going to catch them before a lot is damaged.
If you're a nationalist, its a pretty grim time for the United States.
It's not like Tangerine Hemorrhoid couldn't have congress pass any law he wants them to right now, they own the freaking government! Doing things this way, a coup for all purposes, is his way of showing how little of a shit he gives about the way America actually works.
I’d be losing my mind if my party had control of every branch of government but was just bluffing instead of enshrining stuff into law permanently. Everyone acts like this shit with Melon Husk is ironclad but it’s a mirage to be destroyed.
It may not have the power of law, but rebuilding from scratch after he and whatever we’re calling the world’s saddest boy band of thieves fire everyone and destroy the systems that ran the orgs is not going to happen overnight.
Every republican is responsible for trump. He didn’t come outta nowhere sui generis. They were preparing the way when trump was still a fail-son casino operator
Everyone who voted for Trump is responsible for Trump. As is everyone who sat out the most recent election for any stupid fucking reason. People like Alan Cole who voted for Kamala are our allies.
I very deeply wish Alan Cole and Brian Riedl would come here. I appreciated their thinking on twitter and miss their accounts, they would help to reduce dumb echo chamber thinking on bluesky.
Bill kristol is here if you’re a fan of people who were wrong about everything and then want a treat for saying “trump bad” without repudiating or apologizing for their past
Alejandra is an account worth muting. She is someone who has admitted to using AI to source some of her reporting, and here she attacks a version of Jessica Riedl that is completely different from the one that actually exists. You can look at her bluesky account, Jessica has been a Trump hating
In the wake of TRUMP v. UNITED STATES 23–939 granting him immunity:
Trump orders someone to break the law. Trump, immune from prosecution, pardons law breaker. Changes stand. Only check is impeachment and Republicans have shown us twice that they are uninterested in holding him to account.
Literally he just backed down on Mexican tariffs this morning, for all his faults he is still beholden to total assholes, economically speaking, who are at minimum NOT INTERESTED in knocking down the supports of the buildings they live in. Ford and GM no doubt texted him to not be a dumbass.
It’s not Trump, he is a bumbling husk. Do you honestly think he is cognizant? The dude is being led around on a leash by techno fascist ghouls that are attempting to just blow everything up and eat what’s left.
Dude sounds surprised that the guy that he no doubt voted for is acting like the guy he voted for. Surprised trump isn't following proper procedures and protocols in order to achieve his political goals.
How did this horse possibly get let loose in the hospital?
Elon Musk has been allowed to come in here and do to the USA government what he did with Twitter and he has absolutely no fucking idea what the fuck he’s doing.
The ship has already left port and they realize they were never really on board. There will be many more GOP aligned folks who haven't jumped from the party yet who will. We will need all of them.
The key is the big tax bill; once they get it done watch for a bunch of rats jumping ship from the House. If they have no hope of getting one passed, then they could also jump. I would not be surprised to see the house flip before '26.
Exactly the same type of people are in charge now as there was when all the treaties were broken with the American native. And just as they slaughtered the buffalo to starve the people they wanted to rid themselves of. They are trying to do the same thing in a different way. Their evil has no bounds
The key is whether Republicans in Congress would will stand up to Trump. Sadly, not much chance of that. Glad some conservatives are speaking out though.
Nah, they don't get to complain. This is exactly what conservatives voted for. It was explicitly laid out that this is how the Trump admin was going to operate.
Someone better tell them that the whole site was scraped and doesn’t even have valid DNSs anymore. Gone. Erased by Elon and his goons.
They better hope that Elon has a back up
Of course it is! The administration is staging a lawless overthrow! It's a team of traitors to our country, following a fascist playbook of mandates meant to give themselves exclusive powers, to ignore the rights of citizens & indulge the racist, greedy billionaires who devised this treason!
@markey.senate.gov @warren.senate.gov @whipkclark.bsky.social at the very least, stand up for your job! You won’t have one much longer anyway under this regime, so why not just say it? No more strongly worded letters or flowery posts. Just say we’re in a coup and get them out!!!!
Except their position seems to be "You're burning it down and pissing on the ashes the wrong way and really could be burning and pissing more efficiently elsewhere."
They’re intwined with big multinational corporations who actually call the shots. If it hurts their bottom line they can Reign Trump in. They won’t save democracy or civil rights but they don’t want a depression any more than we do.
You can see that dim light in their sclerotic conservative brains flickering like it's trying to grasp something. Utterly too late and too little. They'll have as few useful plans as George does, and his little light went on a lot sooner.
Modern election outcomes are determined on social media. Truth, X, Meta, TikTok are all beholden to the GOP. They have the data and they control the algorithms. There is a good chance Biden will be the last Democratic president.
It already has worked out well. DOJ has already said they will not enforce a ruling from last week. The mechanisms for enforcement are gone. USAID will be gone before you can work it up through any courts up to the corrupt SCOTUS. There is no legal way to hold these traitors accountable.
The other thing I see, as he did during the election Musk floods/saturates X lies, disinformation, and propaganda! Unfortunately, the MAGA base believes anything he post!
"Law and order" in this context has nothing to do with legality, it's about the use of law enforcement as a cudgel to keep the lower orders in their place; the violent maintenance of social hierarchy.
Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't matter what people think MAGA & republican boot lickers will do. What's important is for the rest of us not be quiet, not to obey in advance, not normalize.
I hate to keep going back there, but I must note that Hitler's "enabling order" which allowed him to rule by decree was also probably illegal and unconstitutional.
Thank you. It's very helpful to see where conservative economists stand. Useful when talking to our conservative friends.
And, of course, reassuring that at least some on that side are worried, too!
You see, Elmo, in 1970s South Africa - which is the Apartheid
State of your dreams - you could just go in and shut down any agency you didn't like.
But in a country with an actual constitution, broligarchs don't get to unilaterally make their own rules because they're white and wealthy.🙄
I keep hearing, 'He's only doing what he said he would, why is anyone surprised?'
I don't think anyone anticipated how fast it would happen or how destructively clumsy the implementation would be, a HULK SMASH mentality. And now I'm picturing a flabby orange Hulk wielding a giant Sharpie. Ugh.
I, for one am shocked, SHOCKED that the dude that fomented an insurrection because he was salty about losing an election has immediately caused several constitutional crises!
I didn’t say the president didn’t have authority. I said Donald Trump protégé or I should say the real president Mr. mosque fact, apparently that’s why he just got sued today.
Comments
1. Johnson/Thune credibly threaten impeachment, and/or
2. Massive public outcry, causing Trump to back down
Is that right?
Is that the only way out?
You should not assume there will be another election.
If you're a nationalist, its a pretty grim time for the United States.
We don't have a President.
We are watching a coup.
What are Dem Leaders & lawmakers talking about? How to get the workers class back.
https://bsky.app/profile/esqueer.net/post/3lhk4j4rupk2n
I assume that most rational normal people with a moral compass would hate trump at least a bit.
There aren't too many people more odious
But fair warning! I save mutes for people on the personal attack thing and get too carried away just to save seeing the BS
Trump orders someone to break the law. Trump, immune from prosecution, pardons law breaker. Changes stand. Only check is impeachment and Republicans have shown us twice that they are uninterested in holding him to account.
He’s got control of the freaking Treasury!
And kids have access to everything!
Jeeps and Chryslers people.
We are lost
How did this horse possibly get let loose in the hospital?
Powerful military figures are considering at what point they must act to defend the country and the Constitution.
Trump and his fellow plotters will not be able to stop them.
We are individual states with constituents
We can break the fuck off if we want
Or are we really stuck with this destruction until at least midterms in 2 more years?
Given both the Senate and the House are DOA, UNLESS we can flip enough R’s, for 2 years…
They better hope that Elon has a back up
PUTIN’S NOT WORRIED
B/C HE HAS MUSK
GRANTING HIM HIS
FINANCIAL LOTTERY
🇺🇸💰🇺🇸💰 🇺🇸💰 🇺🇸💰 🇺🇸
TERRITORIAL Integrity restored. Trump’s Russia
LOANS DISSOLVED.
🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀
Putin is impressed. They're not even pretending not to be corrupt.
Didn't take long with Congressmen and Senators. They've consolidated far more extralegal and extragovernmental power since then.
On a more seriously note…what do we do? The Republicans control the entire federal government now.
Because that nearly forces them to expose their true end goal: to ensure that there can never again BE a Democratic POTUS.
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/01/28/elon-musk-x-visa-digital-wallet.html
https://manhattan.institute/article/trumps-win-was-a-call-for-law-and-order-after-the-dems-constant-demonization-of-the-police
https://manhattan.institute/staff
Now why is that guy paying Elon for a blue checkmark?
https://2012-2017.usaid.gov/who-we-are/usaid-history
But the rest of Germany sat by and let him do it.
Like many are with Trump today.
WAKE UP!
And, of course, reassuring that at least some on that side are worried, too!
State of your dreams - you could just go in and shut down any agency you didn't like.
But in a country with an actual constitution, broligarchs don't get to unilaterally make their own rules because they're white and wealthy.🙄
I don't think anyone anticipated how fast it would happen or how destructively clumsy the implementation would be, a HULK SMASH mentality. And now I'm picturing a flabby orange Hulk wielding a giant Sharpie. Ugh.
USAID has issues.
Yes Elon and DonOld want control of the $40 billion annual budget for quid pro quo - but that’s a different story
https://constantinecannon.com/whistleblower/corruption-in-humanitarian-relief-development-programs-report-usaid-fraud/
https://bsky.app/profile/jessicabriedl.bsky.social/post/3lhjtmynquk23