* Erik’s Editorial: The Guilty Parties Who Put American Democracy At Risk In The Name Of Donald Trump

US White House upside down (public domain).

I do not fault stupid people for making the stupid decision to elect Donald Trump in 2016.

I do fault smart people for making stupid decisions. These include:

1. Senators who voted to acquit Donald Trump in his no-witnesses-allowed impeachment trial, including primarily Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell:

* Impeachment of Donald Trump (2020-02-05)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_of_Donald_Trump#Acquittal

* Mitch McConnell (2020-02-05)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_McConnell#Impeachment_trial

2. Members of the GOP who voted to disenfranchise voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – before, during, and AFTER the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol – including Paul Gosar (AZ-04), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Jody Hice (R–GA-10), Mo Brooks (R–AL-05), Scott Perry (R–PA-10), Josh Hawley (R–MO), and Louie Gohmert (R–TX-01).

* 2021 Storming Of The United States Capitol (2021-01-06)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_storming_of_the_United_States_Capitol

* 2020 United States Presidential Election Electoral College Count (2021-01-06 – 2021-01-07)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election_Electoral_College_count

3. Donald Trump’s cabinet, who could have invoked the 25th Amendment to remove POTUS at any time:

* Cabinet Of Donald Trump (2017-01-21 – PRESENT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Donald_Trump

4. Social media, including especially Facebook and Twitter, for allowing their social networks to be used as platforms for hate speech.

* Donald Trump On Social Media (2017-01-21 – PRESENT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_on_social_media#2021

5. Mainstream media, including especially CNN (on the left) and Fox News (on the right) for not doing their jobs – asking questions until they get answers – and allowing POTUS to lie unchecked.

* Veracity Of Statements By Donald Trump (2017-01-21 – PRESENT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veracity_of_statements_by_Donald_Trump

6. Lawmakers at all levels, for failing to fix bad laws and for failing to enact good laws. Changes that must be made going forward include:

Limiting POTUS power:

  • Executive order power must be limited.
  • All cabinet members (acting/interim/actual) must be confirmed by Senate.
  • Treaties and tariffs must be the role of Congress so that POTUS cannot engage in trade wars.
  • War Powers Act must be updated to limit POTUS power to deploy the military.
  • Special Counsel Act must be updated to make clear that POTUS cannot fire special counsel.

Writing better and new laws:

  • Impeachment Act of 2021, to define how impeachment is conducted, including the requirement to have witnesses.
  • Follow the lead of The Restatements Of The Law project (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restatements_of_the_Law) and codify major SCOTUS cases, including especially Roe v. Wade.
  • Fix the Census.
  • Fix immigration.
  • Fix SCOTUS processes, such as limiting appointments to 2 per POTUS with the number of SCOTUS justices fixed at the number of Federal Circuits (currently 13).
  • Election reform, including who is qualified to run for POTUS and that tax forms must be disclosed to do so.

Just to name a few.

Stupid people, bad laws, and lies got us into this mess.

Smart people, good laws, and the truth can get us out of this mess.

LAW >> MAN.

#FailedPols
https://www.failblog.com/

GOP Strategist Steve Schmidt Leaves the Republican Party

While Donald Trump’s supporters adamantly argue in defense of whatever Trump does, says, and is, Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, a key member of the Republican party, has said “Enough.” Schmidt helped run George W. Bush’s presidential campaign and managed John McCain’s run for president in 2008. He also helped get two GOP judges, Samuel Alito and John Roberts, onto the Supreme Court. But Steve Schmidt resigned from the Republican party last week, saying, “I’ll have no part in it.”

Steve Schmidt sees Donald Trump as destructive to not only the Republican party, but, if left unchecked, to the democracy this country has enjoyed. Steve Schmidt has compared Trump’s policies to those of the Nazi party. Schmidt’s main concern, however, according to Time Magazine, is not Trump himself, but “the failure of Republican leaders to stand up to him.”

“What destroyed the Republican Party isn’t Trump,” said Schmidt. “It’s the obedience to Trump from servile leaders like McConnell and Ryan who could have put a check on him. They have gotten their place in political history. They’ll be remembered as vile.”

Trump supporters frequently accuse those who didn’t vote for him of “whining” because they didn’t “get their way” in the 2016 presidential election. But one only has to look at the resignations and deep discord within the Republican party to know that there’s more to it than just “whining.”

Steve Schmidt’s disdain toward Donald Trump and his administration began during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, and has grown since Trump was elected. Among Schmidt’s reasons for finally leaving the Republican party are its position on same-sex marriage, and Trump’s praise for Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea. The final straw, however, was the Trump Administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy that called for full prosecution and jail for those trying to cross the U.S. border from Mexico, and thus separating young children from their parents.

For the near future, Steve Schmidt says he’ll be voting for Democrats. Though he doesn’t fully align with the Democratic party’s agenda, Schmidt says he is “absolutely aligned with the party’s commitment and fidelity to democracy…[The Democratic Party] is an institution I respect. It’s an institution that has created many great leaders.

“I’ll be as supportive as I can to Democratic candidates who are running to displace this corruptive Republican majority… “If there is not a repudiation of Trumpism delivered this November, Steve Schmidt said, “We’re going to be living in a very different America than the one that everyone has been living in for the previous 240 years.”

Today News – Steve Schmidt leaves ‘the party of Trump’: ‘The GOP has become a danger to our democracy | Today News [2018-06-20]

Steve Schmidt, Longtime G.O.P. Strategist, Quits ‘Corrupt’ and ‘Immoral’ Party | Top Trends [2018-06-021]