Friday, February 15, 2019

The American Caesar and the State of Emergency



Donald Trump has always treated his country's democracy with contempt. And these days he's desperate to try to distract Americans from all his legal problems.

So while we can't know whether this is delusion or dementia, it shouldn't be surprising.

President Trump declared a national emergency at the border on Friday to access billions of dollars to build a border wall that Congress refused to give him, transforming a highly charged policy dispute into a fundamental confrontation over separation of powers.

But it is an abuse of power, and the American Caesar is going to pay a heavy price.

For not only does his admission that he didn't need to do it make him look like a maniac. 

It also sets a really bad precedent. 

With his intention to declare a national emergency at the southern border, President Trump is planning to take executive overreach to dizzying new heights. The damage to American democracy threatens to linger long after his administration is no more than a dank memory.

And even this Republican publication can see where that might lead. 

There is no emergency; and the President's renewed threat to declare one should cause us all – regardless of political persuasion – to think long and hard about the precedent such a declaration could create, should it somehow survive certain legal challenge. Could the military be directed to construct low-income housing because a future president declares economic inequality to be an ‘emergency?’ Could the Army Corps of Engineers be directed to build solar farms because climate change is declared an ‘emergency?’ The ‘what ifs’ are countless and troubling.

A president declaring an emergency when one does not exist, and thereby exercising unchecked powers, is the real threat we face.


In the meantime, while his state of emergency gets mired in the courts, Trump can choke on this poison cherry.

The poison cherry atop this sundae is that Mr. Trump is subverting American democracy for a cause opposed by a majority of the public. Polls show that most Americans do not want a wall at the southern border. And most definitely do not approve of Mr. Trump’s faking a national emergency to make an end run around Congress. Two recent polls showed that two-thirds of Americans opposed it.

While our neighbours use the issue to defeat him.

Then when the Democrats take office they can declare their own state of national emergency to fight climate change.

As well as using it to send this would be American Caesar, this fascist clown, to the place where he truly belongs...



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The final stage of any good Con is a crisis. The the courier with the final payment was murdered and our money stolen, the payment is due midnight or we will loose everything!!! I suspect the border crisis is just a warm up but then again hopefully he will negotiate a bankruptcy deal and exit quietly with his pockets stuffed full of cash. Time will tell but the state of the union put Iran in the cross hairs as a potential ultimate crisis. His risk is if he gambles and looses it might not be pardons for everyone. Historically he has played it safe, negotiated a settlement and kept the cash but perhaps this time it will be different! Less than 2 years to find out.
RT

e.a.f. said...

Nancy Pelosi on Thursday identified the real American emergency, gun violence against children.

Most of the Republican politicians know this isn't the route to take because it opens the doors to all sorts of things, but then there are those of us, who knew this would end this way, because Trump has been using Hitler's play book. Once he has finished getting away with this "emergency' wait for him to "implement" other emergencies. Do not be surprised if there is no election in two years.

Steve said...

The real story is that Hannity has the highest ratings for a news show. 4 million people out of 360 million rule America. They are the last 4 million to realize you dont put that stuff in your brain because BS causes muddled thinking.

Gyor said...

Trump should have declared homelessness a national emergency and used that money to build homes for the poor.

e.a.f. said...

Gyor, Trump doesn't understand there are homeless people in the U.S.A. or those who are "under housed"./ We saw that during the "shut down" when some of those politicians couldn't figure out what the problem was. they thought people would simply continue on. Well that was a surprise when the air traffic controllers stopped coming to work, but really dtrump is out of touch. If you ask those bible pounders, they'll tell you they don't love god enough or they'd be wealthy.