Displaying 61 To 90 Of 3,237 Comments Who Will Defend The Constitution? Thank you for your thoughtful presentation. I read it and the Salon article. Who will stand up for the ideals of the Constitution is at the core of message in your essay and the Salon essay. But what if the problem at the root of all of the other problems is that we have a deeply, deeply flawed instrument of government. Here’s the thing…..at the heart of much of this drama is a reality….our Constitution has enshrined a system that actually makes crises like these inevitable and provide very few tools for defusing those crises. When the executive power is separated from and independent of the legislative and the judiciary tribal/partisan/single issue governance is virtually guaranteed when positions harden. We gave had a number of crises that nearly rent the union asunder (the Louisiana Purchase, the slavery/abolition saga, the Monied Powers Tyranny, the Great Depression, the Vietnam War/Cultural Revolution, and now the Age of Trump. In each cases the nation was hobbled, political processes fell apart, civil society was upended, and what saved us were heroic and desperate actions that were outside of the tools provided by the Constitution. It is important to recall that the Constitution was cobbled together in a sweat shop environment with delegates sworn to secrecy and led by a rather stern and draconian general. Why? The Articles of Confederation had proved a spectacular failure and the Confederation was in imminent danger of dissolution. It was cobbled together to deal with the most pressing matters and delivered a rough skeletal structure which left extraordinary detail to the first generation of leaders who would, it was assumed, present working models to regular Constitutional Conventions. It never happened. A couple of other interesting notes. The platform on which the Constitution was built presumed that there would be NO Political Parties, everyday citizens would have a body in the House of Representatives, and the leadership class would sit in the Senate. The President was understood to be the Leader of the Army, and the implementer of Congressional Action (which was to be very limited since the States would continue to serve as the primary wielders of governmental power. It was not until the post-Civil War that this usage was accepted: “The United States IS….” Prior to the Civil War the proper phrase was: “The United States ARE…” in other words an alliance of independent allied states (the 19th century word for country). I have written all of this before……..I believe that the seeds of chaos are actually sown with our Constitutional Common Ground. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On November 15, 2019 @ 5:41 pm What Keeps Me Up At Night……. Trump Still Likely To Win In 2020 As you say…it is unwise to presume a democratic victory….sadly it strikes me that not enough is being to done to really consider that reality….starting with a field of candidates who largely lean far more left than the majority of the democratic party (where 42 percent identify them selves as liberal, 51 percent identify themselves as centrists, and 5 percent actually say they are conservative). You could well be right that Dems and the unaligned will take the “anyone but Trump” route even if they are not excited about the Dem offerings. Polling shows movement in that direction.. Moody’s, for the sake of consistency, utilized the formula they have a applied for decades and the differences you are noting may be a balance to the “it’s the economy stupid” core argument…..but here in the heartland that argument is still winning the day for many. Trump’s lack of support, and the social issues popping may reset the stage. In reply to your list….. 1. The 2018 election, a referendum on Trump, was a huge Dem victory. “This is not to say that Trump won’t remain a threat to win in 2020, with Russia and other foreign countries interfering in our elections, Repubs in states suppressing voters and manipulating outcomes in other ways and shameless propaganda flooding the country …” Well Said. Here is what really concerns me…..”Also, if Dems nominate a candidate who energizes the Dem base, that enthusiasm can spread.” I do not see that yet. Also true: “Looking at demographics only, because there were many factors as to why Hillary lost in 2016, Hillary failed to get the turnout in black and youth voters that Obama generated in his elections in Rust Belt states and that was the only factual reason she didn’t win the Electoral College in 2016.” Only Biden seems to have a dedicated black base….youth seem to be drawn to Bernie (who really can be painted as a socialist) “Whoever the Dem is, if they energize and GOTV of those already in their camp, who came out in 2008 and 2012, they will beat the Trump of 2020 and would even beat the more popular Trump in 2016,” I agree. Lots of factors at work here. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 26, 2019 @ 11:03 am Impeachment Is Happening…But This Wasn’t The Plan It is. Of particular note…..7 Dems who won in Trump districts in 2018 joined together to write an a column for the NYT today saying it was time. 4 more have joined them. I have just watched the statement made by Pelosi for television today and it is very sharply focused and clearly carefully prepared. I wonder if those Dems were the starter’s whistle….it’s time. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 24, 2019 @ 5:50 pm That is what I am picking up as well. I hope that they can make headway in the courts…I find their reluctance to move expeditiously very troubling. I doubt that Trump, the AG, or the GOP as a whole will be impressed by an “official and constitutionally empowered investigation.” There is very little in the constitution about how an impeachment and trial are to be structured and run. In fact the three examples in our history are each unique. There is no set pattern. And here is what really bothers me. The Dems get their articles of impeachment and McConnell refuses to take them up. He would do it. Just watch. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 24, 2019 @ 5:46 pm I did not say you did. I was pointing out that had she wanted to create a delay she could have fallen back on precedent and chose not to……from reports I read the decision was made yesterday. She read the tea leaves. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 24, 2019 @ 5:41 pm I will continue to give her credit. She waited. She worked to support the structures that opened avenues of inquiry. She tamped down flames that threatened to flare far too early in her estimation. And she used the leadership to steer the action. She said that there would come a moment when it would be clear that there was matter that would touch a wide band of citizens. In her estimation this was it. I know we do not agree but I give this very accomplished women a lot of credit and will continue to do so. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 24, 2019 @ 5:39 pm As of 34 minutes ago per the NY times with a member by member list 197 now in support of an inquiry, 84 say no, 154 have not responded » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 24, 2019 @ 5:35 pm My question is what shape will the inquiry take…..I have yet to see anything definitive. There is no template. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 24, 2019 @ 4:40 pm You do realize that in both the Nixon and Clinton proceedings the House was forced to take a vote on opening Impeachment Inquiry……she chose to take it on herself by simply declaring that an official inquiry has now begun. She is not doing as you want. Got it. I suggest she is taking a different route. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 24, 2019 @ 4:33 pm Ridiculous. Quite dismissive. Pelosi is not nostradamus….I never said she was. She has laid out what she regarded as necessary for an impeachment process to begin in ernest. I outlined them. You do not agree. Got it. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 24, 2019 @ 4:28 pm Actually I think this is pretty much what the insiders have been laying out…methodical and step by step. Her view has been that the Speaker cannot drive impeachment efforts but must lead when the caucus makes its will clear. So here we are. a) a growing support by members esp among those from toss up districts AND by those regarded as leaders in the caucus We are apparently there…… I have heard and read this over and over again. What is still missing….public support……no recent polling on the matter…..but that is what the Inquiry has a chance of ginning up. And an inquiry is not impeachment. Voting the articles is impeachment. Next step. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 24, 2019 @ 2:22 pm The Fiction That Is the Constitutional “System of Checks and Balances”…. Thoughtful comment I will get back to you on it….I am hemmed in right now and time is a scarce commodity. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 22, 2019 @ 10:46 am Thanks » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 22, 2019 @ 10:45 am Your points are good ones. I will get back to you on them when I have a larger window of time. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 22, 2019 @ 10:45 am Since transition as described here is recognized on a number of fronts (medical, psychological, social, economic, political and legal) I find your comment the very model of incredulity. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 21, 2019 @ 8:56 am Your most important line: It seems to me that it is a matter of priorities, of identifying was core, of making clear in the decision making process what must be addressed first and foremost…..is it race in this case, or is gender….you offer a way in which this could be made clearer….much cleaer. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 21, 2019 @ 8:54 am Lewandowski Admits To Lying, Stonewalls And Delays Why in the hell was he not charged with Contempt of Congress and then dismissed. Fine him. Hell, jail him. They have the power. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 21, 2019 @ 8:58 am What’s Not To Like About Donald Trump? And yet, he remain the holder of the Oval Office, the defier of Congressional initiatives, the packer of courts……who will rid us of this Loathsome Dictator? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 21, 2019 @ 8:38 am Weekend Music Thread – Winning I recommend the Great Pretender….found here….still working on posting videos…..I am dense on this matter… httpv://youtu.be/mLRjFWDGs1g » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 21, 2019 @ 9:43 am UK’s Economy On The Brink As Parliament Scuffles The queen’s power to suspend – or even dismiss – Parliament is unquestioned. The buck stops with her. So why isn’t she taking more criticism for giving Johnson what he wanted? Constitutional monarchy That’s the position taken by several British constitutional scholars. Major, too, argued that it would have been “almost inconceivable” for the queen to have defied her prime minister’s request. Elizabeth is technically the sovereign and free to decide on her own. But the legitimacy of her rule derives from the will of the British people – which is normally assumed to be represented by the elected government. So her independence is actually fairly limited. BUT…. Under Britain’s constitutional conventions, the prorogation — or suspension — of parliament is a Royal Prerogative power that is exercised by the monarch alone. When the Queen suspends parliament, she does so on the advice of the prime minister and can seek no other advice, legal or otherwise, from any other individual. Mr Johnson’s proclaimed reason for seeking the unusually long prorogation was to prepare for a reopening of parliament in mid-October, launched by a Queen’s Speech in which the monarch reads out the government’s legislative agenda for the new session. But the Scottish Court of Session agreed with the group of legislators who brought the case that the true reason was Mr Johnson’s desire to shut down debate in parliament of his Brexit policies. The Edinburgh court ruled on Wednesday that Mr Johnson’s advice to the Queen “was unlawful and is thus null and of no effect”. Catherine Haddon, senior fellow at the Institute for Government think-tank, said: “This has caused major embarrassment for the Queen and for Buckingham Palace. For a court to rule that the advice given to the Queen was unlawful, even if the ruling is later rejected, opens up questions about how that advice is given. She has to be able to trust Number 10.” Mr Johnson will be hoping that the UK Supreme Court overturns the Scottish decision, which it will take up next week. But if the Supreme Court does declare the suspension illegal, the prime minister — even if he abides by its ruling — will come under considerable pressure. If the court does not…….the Queen will likely have to act….but how? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 21, 2019 @ 8:48 am Why a Biden Nomination is Likely to Elect a Republican President in 2024 What is that you think he “exactly wants”? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 23, 2019 @ 6:06 pm I do not try to get that deep into the weeks. I challenge the ideas. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 23, 2019 @ 5:55 pm SO Biden is an evil? Really? In the same league as Trump? Really? Sadly…..That kind of thinking gave us Bush II. It also gave us Trump because of those who were just not happy with Clinton. If Biden is the nominee then anyone who does not support him will be complicit in the reelection of the worst president in modern (and perhaps the entire) history of the presidency. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 23, 2019 @ 2:15 pm Ah…the “conscience voter” whose high mindedness shares significantly in the defeat of Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. Yeah…that worked out well. Doesn’t your own concludng statement alter your position….are your “principles”such that you are willing to lend your support to a Trump presidency because that is what not voting or voting for a third party does. You write: “After Biden loses to Trump, will we even get to vote in 2024?” Are you really willing to accept such a notion as the price one pays for voting in the way you describe here. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 23, 2019 @ 5:41 am Why buy Greenland? Because it’s valuable (or so Trump’s been told) I agree…Trump is only spouting what he is picked up off the ground around him…spread by those who know how to work the man…..feed his ego, give him a talking point that makes him look strong, create a mythic story he can buy into, make his own and then move it into the hyberbolic stratosphere. Love your closing: Trump is over his head and totally incapable of dealing with the multitude of issues that are happening through out the world, many he started himself because of his utter incompetence and his messianic complex thinking somehow he is the ‘chosen one.’ I would say God help us, but I’m sure she is looking down on us and saying, “sorry folks you’re on you own with this one.” » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 22, 2019 @ 3:40 pm Did you know that Truman’s admin actually made a formal offer to Denmark to pay for Greenland in gold! A look at the map tells one why that seemed logical in light of the emerging cold war. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 22, 2019 @ 1:45 pm “Why buy when you can rent?” So clever, so true. Truman’s admin actually made a formal offer to Denmark to pay for Greenland in gold! A look at the map tells one why that seemed logical in light of the emerging cold war. You make an outstanding point re. Trump’s thinking….he is both out of date and out of synch. Annexation envy of Putin……..while blaming Obama for not stopping Putin. Hate the man. Really hate him. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 22, 2019 @ 1:44 pm Thank you. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 22, 2019 @ 10:18 am The Safe Bet Of An Old White Guy To Beat Trump in 2020 One of the best concise arguments in support of the ACA. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 21, 2019 @ 6:19 pm Here’s the thing….I begin with a very simple statement. Whoever it is has to be able to slice and dice Trump. Frankly, I don’t think Biden is all that adept at verbal sparring and I do not know of a time when he was able to land a killing verbal blow. With a public that generally votes based on impressions….that look to one of the least reliable barometers of presidential timber, “debates” (which are in fact side by side Q and A’s with the occasional cross stage jab to drive enthusiasm…..I need someone who is going to engage him in such a way as to take control of the narrative and to put him into the hole from which he crawled. With a public that has such a low knowledge base matched by the belief that the public is in fact wise (ignorance and arrogance paired), the voters are easily misled by propaganda. Labeling is a key tool and the Dems cannot be successfully presented to the average voter as the Socialist Party, as the Radical Party, as the UnAmerican Party. Sad to say, but there are more than a few Dems who have played into that (not to say that any study of what they are actually saying makes such labels nonsense and not to say that what they are proposing is not worth serious consideration)….and in doing so they have made themselves an easy target for Trump Bombing runs. Again, I am being very concrete in all of this. Further….I think that the Democratic field understands this…..and those who are making the cut are wrestling with how they can frame themselves as The Trump Toppler….. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 21, 2019 @ 6:18 pmComments Posted By MurphTheSurf3
– It was but House victories are won on a far narrowly stage than Senate races or the Presidency.
2. The public has turned more negative on Trump and the economy since 2018.
-But is it enough…..I am still not impressed that those who did not turn out in 16 are poised to do so in 20.
3. A growing percentage of voters who supported Trump have been leaving him.
-I keep reading that but the hard figures to back it up….seem soft….it could be a trend but he has defied the odds so many times before.
4. Trump won in 2016 by 80,000 votes in Swing States where he now trails by big margins.
-Again it depends on which Poll you are using but in general I agree he is trailing.
5. A strong majority of voters already claim they won’t vote for Trump.
-That is a figure I have not seen. Where did you get it.? That is one I would love to dig into.
6. The impeachment inquiry and trial is exposing his greed and criminality.
-For people like you and me (informed and pre-disposed to distrust him) but so many are simple not connected to public events, and then there are the True Believers who would follow him anywhere.
7. Americans typically prefer change in president elections (hence Trump).
-But not for the second term. Bush, Carter and Ford in recent history. Hoover, Taft, Harrison, VanBuren, Adams and Adams prior to that. 9 out of 45.
8. Trump’s growing instability damages his image with independent voters he needs.
– Let’s pray there are enough of them.
9. Trump’s base is static, around 40% his offensive actions to keep them limits any growth.
– Which is where he starts…and, let us hope, stops.
10. His failures on Syria/Kurds, NK, China, Obamacare, etc. destroy his “winning” rep.
-But he lies about all of it to his base…absolute, total, unadulterated lies. The true believers buy it all.
11. Dems are now Govs in Rust Belt states Trump won, Repub election sabotage is limited.
– That really is good news.
2/3 of Dems now support….the tree fell……
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/us/politics/trump-impeachment-congress-list.html
b) something so egregious and so easily understood that the public could support it
And what I also see is another division being created in our already-marginalized community. I mean, look…if you want a trans POC…can’t you just advertise that you want trans to apply…then just CHOOSE a POC? Do you HAVE to come out and all but say that whites need not apply??
One answer is that she had no choice.
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