Why the Constitution is now null and void

[Shadowy Man]

Also, if he is just auditing then why freeze funding before the audit is done? And if the audit is done why has he not reported to Congress on his findings?

What is happening is that he is usurping the power of Congress in an illegal, unconstitutional manner and it is ridiculous for you to claim “all he is doing is auditing”. It’s just a bullshit line and we aren’t buying it.

 

[Copernicus]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Trump administration officials are openly questioning the judiciary’s authority to serve as a check on executive power as the new president’s sweeping agenda faces growing pushback from the courts.

Over the past 24 hours, officials ranging from billionaire Elon Musk to Vice President JD Vance have not only criticized a federal judge’s decision early Saturday that blocks Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department records, but have also attacked the legitimacy of judicial oversight, a fundamental pillar of American democracy, which is based on the separation of powers.

Vance and Musk question the authority of the courts as Trump's agenda faces legal pushback

Top Trump administration officials are openly questioning the judiciary’s authority to serve as a check on executive power as the new president’s sweeping agenda faces growing pushback from the courts.

apnews.com

I don’t know if the supreme court will as willingly relinquish their power as Congress has.

The Supreme Court has worked with the rubber stamp US Congress to create this mess, but they are extremely unlikely to admit it. However, what if they did and wanted to do something about it? Could they? JD Vance is just repeating what he has said in the past--that the executive branch has, and should have, the power to ignore the legislative and judicial branches. Republicans in Congress are nothing more than an echo of Donald Trump these days, but Barrett and Roberts occasionally seem to have pangs of guilt coming to the surface briefly in their rulings.

This Vox article explains the basic weakness in the power of the courts to block our march towards authoritarian rule:

Don’t expect the courts to save us from Donald Trump​

We seem to be in the middle of 16 constitutional crises at once. President Donald Trump and his allies are trying to kill an entire provision of the Constitution, cut Congress out of the federal budgeting process, and cut off agencies’ control of their computer systems.

Let’s imagine that all six of the Supreme Court’s Republican justices wake up tomorrow and decide that their many, previous decisions enabling Trump were wrong, and each pledge to do everything in their power to rein in the seemingly out-of-control executive that they helped create...

 

[Swammerdami]

What is happening is that he is usurping the power of Congress in an illegal, unconstitutional manner ...

RVonse and his ilk would rant, rave and perhaps literally burst a blood vessel if a Democrat did anything remotely like what Trump does. But when Trump does it he's applauded!! Trump is fighting against corruption and tyranny, doncha know?

 

[KCFlyer]

RVonse and his ilk would rant, rave and perhaps literally burst a blood vessel if a Democrat did anything remotely like what Trump

This is likely true. We are so divided that while what he is doing might make them uncomfortable, they won't say anything, lest they look like a lib. I would ask that they look at he process...circumventing congress, and likely the courts....and ask themsellves "would I be okay if a Democrat did this very same process". If the answer is no, then maybe ask him to slow down a bit and develop a plan.

For what it's worth...Reublicans like to refer to themselves as 'patriots' and to them the constitution is (supposedly) sacred. When our founding fathers wrote the constitution, they designed "checks and balances" by creating three branches of government. The weakest of those branches was the executive branch. This was designed to prevent this country from becoming a dictatorship or a monarchy. Yet is Trump's few days in office he has circumvented a lap dog congress and his vice president is telling the world that the courts can't override a president. Out of all the great things Trump has done for the past couple of weeks....how much of it involved congress?

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

RVonse and his ilk would rant, rave and perhaps literally burst a blood vessel if a Democrat did anything remotely like what Trump

This is likely true. We are so divided that while what he is doing might make them uncomfortable, they won't say anything, lest they look like a lib. I would ask that they look at he process...circumventing congress, and likely the courts....and ask themsellves "would I be okay if a Democrat did this very same process". If the answer is no, then maybe ask him to slow down a bit and develop a plan.

I see two problems with any attempted analysis:

1. The QOP is so inundated with propaganda, decades-long propaganda, that in their minds the Democrats have already done worse than whatever Trump is doing right now. Never forget Operation Jade Helm 15!1111!
2. There continues to be a steady stream of propaganda around the issues, these are like barriers, each at some level of superficiality that require breaking before you can even get to the deeper issue here to make a Republican think critically.

• (a) the first is that there is overwhelming talk about whether or not each change is good in and of itself, like "I agree we need to eliminate the penny" or a Gaza Riviera is a fabulous idea or something similar and this is mostly the content on right-wing news that even cover things at all as opposed to attacking Democrats who are not in power;
• (b) The second is that if you can get past this barrier and go one move deeper, you get to an excuse on the right-wing side and cynicism on the left--that the Supreme Court and Congress are majority conservative and so they'd pass such legislative change or not even challenge it to begin with. This is in response to Democrats and others who question whether Trump even has the authority to do what he is doing;
• (c) IMO, the one-level deeper analysis does not seem to be touched upon. It isn't merely that the President has no authority to create or dismantle a govt department or that Congress has the power to make a budget or laws about the disbursement of money, it's about the nature of democracy itself. It's about how things actually work, how they work in theory in a democracy, and the differences between a monarch and such. A monarch rules by decree, they are whimsical and fanciful, and those decrees are simplistic and one-sided, uncompromising, and take little time. Our democracy is a very, very complex system of public laws created and maintained with rigorous, lengthy compromise, debate, and nuanced modifications to existing laws. This is true even when the opposition party has been the minority party. So a single edict would instead be a litany of tweaks each debated upon in multiple amendments over months and the impact of some changes would hit the news cycle at least some of the time.

 

[KCFlyer]

A monarch rules by decree, they are whimsical and fanciful, and those decrees are simplistic and one-sided, uncompromising, and take little time.

This pretty much describes Trump's first 3 weeks in office.

 

[RVonse]

Would it be safe to assume that "fake news" refers to CNN?

They are not even trying to be any kind of news network. Once you realize their intentions are pure propaganda, their techniques are fascinating to watch.

 

[Swammerdami]

Would it be safe to assume that "fake news" refers to CNN?

They are not even trying to be any kind of news network. Once you realize their intentions are pure propaganda, their techniques are fascinating to watch.

What about Fox, OAN, Truth Social. Is that where you get the true facts?

 

[RVonse]

A monarch rules by decree, they are whimsical and fanciful, and those decrees are simplistic and one-sided, uncompromising, and take little time.

This pretty much describes Trump's first 3 weeks in office.

For some reason I seem to have no problem with Trump going after his own government with DOGE. He ran on this and got elected on this. The people want less corruption, waste, and spending with government. Every sane person should desire a government that works good and costs less.

I do have a big problem with his taking over Gaza though. To me that is where he breaks the line with making America great and enters dictator territory too. IMHO it is criminally insane to be taking over Gaza when it is a sovereign country not even the business of the US in the first place. Nor do I remember him running on this.

 

[RVonse]

Would it be safe to assume that "fake news" refers to CNN?

They are not even trying to be any kind of news network. Once you realize their intentions are pure propaganda, their techniques are fascinating to watch.

What about Fox, OAN, Truth Social. Is that where you get the true facts?

That the media lies even more than Trump (if that is possible). Both left and right media are completely worthless today unless they are talking about something non political in nature such as the weather. If the media is discussing anything remotely related to politics you should assume they are lying to you. That includes Fox, Facebook, and Truth Social. Either they flat out tell lies or they omit something with purpose that is material to the subject matter. Even fact checking such as snopes is biased and worthless.

And so many things have become connected to politics that it is extremely difficult to know actual reality.

To listen to the "news" from both Fox News and MSNBC as well as reading the comments on this board I am left with only 2 inescapable conclusions.

1. The opposing party is stupid. Mentally retarded on a level that defies explanation. Willing to accept and even advocate policies that will be the downfall of The West as well as the ruination of the economy, the climate, and civil society.

2. The opposing party is incredibly intelligent. Capable of hatching and following through on plots and schemes so Machiavellian as to defy explanation. Capable of weaving web within webs within webs with the apparent aim of making life miserable and intolerable for everyone.

I believe both sides are delusional in their own way, having listened to each side of the propaganda for far too long. I try to listen to real people like yourself on forums to form my opinions and real life experiences. But no doubt I am as delusional as the next guy who suffers from US media.

 

[KCFlyer]

A monarch rules by decree, they are whimsical and fanciful, and those decrees are simplistic and one-sided, uncompromising, and take little time.

This pretty much describes Trump's first 3 weeks in office.

For some reason I seem to have no problem with Trump going after his own government with DOGE. He ran on this on got elected on this. The people want less corruption, waste, and spending with government.

I do have a big problem with his taking over Gaza though. To me that is where he breaks the line with making America great and enters dictator territory too. IMHO it is criminally insane to be taking over Gaza when it is a sovereign country not even the business of the US in the first place. Nor do I remember him running on this.

Here is the thing. I am all for a president working WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CONSTITUTION, to implement his agenda, whether I like it or not. Because what he is domestically is very much like a dictator. If you are fine with him doing it this way for domestic issues, they you should have no problem with him wanting to "run" Gaza. You can't have your cake (dictate domestic issues) and eat it too (not have a dictator in foreign relations). YOu SHOULD ask that he step back on ALL of it and look at the constitution,.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

A monarch rules by decree, they are whimsical and fanciful, and those decrees are simplistic and one-sided, uncompromising, and take little time.

This pretty much describes Trump's first 3 weeks in office.

For some reason I seem to have no problem with Trump going after his own government with DOGE. He ran on this on got elected on this. The people want less corruption, waste, and spending with government.

He ran away from Project 2025 in the election.

I do have a big problem with his taking over Gaza though. To me that is where he breaks the line with making America great and enters dictator territory too.

The term is "war criminal".

IMHO it is criminally insane to be taking over Gaza when it is a sovereign country not even the business of the US in the first place. Nor do I remember him running on this.

Well, you remember him running of Project 2025, which he didn't.

Also, do you have a problem with his $TRUMP coin leaving over 800,000 wallets in the red after the pump and dump? He is fucking his own supporters over, and you keep touting how great he is.

 

[RVonse]

A monarch rules by decree, they are whimsical and fanciful, and those decrees are simplistic and one-sided, uncompromising, and take little time.

This pretty much describes Trump's first 3 weeks in office.

For some reason I seem to have no problem with Trump going after his own government with DOGE. He ran on this on got elected on this. The people want less corruption, waste, and spending with government.

I do have a big problem with his taking over Gaza though. To me that is where he breaks the line with making America great and enters dictator territory too. IMHO it is criminally insane to be taking over Gaza when it is a sovereign country not even the business of the US in the first place. Nor do I remember him running on this.

Here is the thing. I am all for a president working WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CONSTITUTION, to implement his agenda, whether I like it or not. Because what he is domestically is very much like a dictator. If you are fine with him doing it this way for domestic issues, they you should have no problem with him wanting to "run" Gaza. You can't have your cake (dictate domestic issues) and eat it too (not have a dictator in foreign relations). YOu SHOULD ask that he step back on ALL of it and look at the constitution,.

Ok. But somehow the other side is concerned it is unconstitutional and “unlawful” for the President to know what is going on in his government. If the government is not the President’s, whose government is it? The establishment’s? The civil service’s? The judiciary’s? At least we have effort attempting to find out how to reduce government waste and spending now.

What does the Constitution say? That the POTUS can not audit his own government? Detractors are making the case Musks security clearance is not high enough? How did the USAID get such sensitive data in the first place then? He is not auditing anything any more than he did when he layed everyone off at Twitter. At some point he has to know who is working there in order to lay them off.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Would it be safe to assume that "fake news" refers to CNN?

They are not even trying to be any kind of news network. Once you realize their intentions are pure propaganda, their techniques are fascinating to watch.

What about Fox, OAN, Truth Social. Is that where you get the true facts?

That the media lies even more than Trump (if that is possible). Both left and right media are completely worthless today unless they are talking about something non political in nature such as the weather. If the media is discussing anything remotely related to politics you should assume they are lying to you. That includes Fox, Facebook, and Truth Social. Either they flat out tell lies or they omit something with purpose that is material to the subject matter. Even fact checking such as snopes is biased and worthless.

One shouldn't get the news from Cable, with the exception of breaking coverage. Printed press is better. Foreign press (CBC/BBC/Reuters) help provide balance. NPR is remarkable.

To listen to the "news" from both Fox News and MSNBC as well as reading the comments on this board I am left with only 2 inescapable conclusions.

That you wasted your time watching Fox News and MSNBC and that IIDB is a decent place for info, but shouldn't be treated as a first or second source? You get way too much "info" from YouTube and social media.

 

[RVonse]

Well, you remember him running of Project 2025, which he didn't.

Also, do you have a problem with his $TRUMP coin leaving over 800,000 wallets in the red after the pump and dump? He is fucking his own supporters over, and you keep touting how great he is.

I remember Trump saying that he was not endorsing 2025. All I know about 2025 is that Koch brothers paid to have it advertised but nothing I know about Trump saying he wanted to implement any of it. And for that reason, I never bothered to find out what is even in the project since no one I knew about endorsed it.

As for Trumps coin, I am also pretty uninformed about that scam as well. But it does not surprise me considering he likes to make money even if it isn't completely ethical.

 

[RVonse]

NPR is remarkable.

NPR still gets some of its funds from corporate sponsors causing them not to be independent.

 

[Shadowy Man]

I do have a big problem with his taking over Gaza though. To me that is where he breaks the line with making America great and enters dictator territory too. IMHO it is criminally insane to be taking over Gaza when it is a sovereign country not even the business of the US in the first place. Nor do I remember him running on this.

since when is Gaza a “sovereign country”??

What i recall him running on with regard to Gaza was that Netanyahu should do “whatever he needs to do”. I guess he is unhappy with how that is going and wants to speed up the demise of the Gazan people.

 

[RVonse]

I do have a big problem with his taking over Gaza though. To me that is where he breaks the line with making America great and enters dictator territory too. IMHO it is criminally insane to be taking over Gaza when it is a sovereign country not even the business of the US in the first place. Nor do I remember him running on this.

since when is Gaza a “sovereign country”??

Should have said Palestine. Palestine had Palestine people living there before Israel was even formed as its nation.

 

[RVonse]

Also, if he is just auditing then why freeze funding before the audit is done? And if the audit is done why has he not reported to Congress on his findings?

What is happening is that he is usurping the power of Congress in an illegal, unconstitutional manner and it is ridiculous for you to claim “all he is doing is auditing”. It’s just a bullshit line and we aren’t buying it.

The Trump administration is so corrupt and threatening that it believes it, elected by the people, actually has a right to rule. What a fool the Trump administration is for believing that its election gives it a right to rule. Only anti-Americans have a right to rule America. Where do these upstart MAGA Americans come from who believe they have a right to rule in their own country simply because they won an election?

All sorts of constitutional and legal barriers prevent Trump from governing, but none prevent Democrats and their corrupt judges, prosecutors, and media whores from preventing governance from an establishment-disapproved, despite electorally approved, presidential administration.

Dems More Panicked About DOGE Than Chinese Hackers

Democrats seem to be more worried over DOGE potentially having more oversight capability than they are about China's cyberattacks.

thefederalist.com

 

[KCFlyer]

The Trump administration is so corrupt and threatening that it believes it, elected by the people, actually has a right to rule. What a fool the Trump administration is for believing that its election gives it a right to rule.

Nobody disputes they have a right to rule, but prior to 2025 all presidents pretty much followed this thing called the constitution. And I think we sould rightfully fear a threat from within over an external threat.