According to the Framers of the Constitution themselves, the real reason for the Electoral College was to prevent a foreign power from placing their stooge in the White House...
Notwithstanding calling for a constitutional convention rewrite by 3/4 of state legislatures (which would not be a good thing given the extremely delusional right-wing bent of our current state of political discourse funded by anti-democratic oligarchs), eliminating the Electoral College requires proposing a constitutional amendment, voted on by 2/3 of both the U.S. House and Senate, and ratified by 3/4 of the states.
By design, that’s a heavy lift. Today’s polarization, however, makes it impossible. But to save democracy from those who would destroy it by manipulating the system requires that we do the impossible.
Planting the seed comes first: The Electoral College must go! It’s an imperative. Never let up. Copy the Republican long-game tactic of constant repetition until the meme gels in people’s minds as a natural given of political reform. But unlike Republican propaganda based on ridiculous, outright lies, the push to eliminate the Electoral College (as well as the filibuster, gerrymandering, and perhaps someday reimagining the Senate as a true representative body) is based on enlightened truth, i.e., progressive thought, i.e., progress.
Trump’s “paper coup,” a throwback to medieval castle intrigue, is a shockingly clear, teachable moment for future generations of small-d democrats. Abusing the Electoral Count Act, creating fake slates of electors, lying about certified results, and all the other devious ways that Trump the Sore Loser and his court of jesters tried to deny the People, from whom all power derives, their rightful and legal votes, including inciting a violent mob that stormed the Capitol at Trump’s behest (everyone knows it) to stop a formal constitutional step in our heretofore peaceful transfer of power, will be the main chapter in the pitiful legacy of this disgraced, twice-impeached, one-term, wannabe strongman, who is “mentally sick” -- his own descriptor, a brand new one projected onto his legal tormentors trying to jail him (oh please, God).
Another prerequisite lesson on the rise and fall of the Trump empire is how so many supposedly sentient beings could so eagerly swill from his golden spittoon without retching their guts out. Good to the last drop. Never underestimate the stupefying gullibility of frightened, hateful, angry followers on an authoritarian binge. It doesn’t take much intellectual power to lead this sorry bunch. The “stable genius” sure proved that in spades.
I think when Trump ends up in prison it will be at Mar-a-Lago; along the lines of Pablo Escobar's La Catedral. Let's hope not. He should be handed the harshest punishment within the law to those who commit treason. If not, let him atrophy in Fort Leavenworth until his end of days.
Can we convict some more of Trump's lawyers as well? He is Roy Cohn's creature. Cohn may be dead, but the ones he uses now just look dead. Attorneys have specialties---one of them must be perverting the law. They remind me of W's torture-lawyers that managed to ruin any moral high ground we won during WWII.
I have to stop now, because I actually like lawyers; they are some of the best people I know. The really good ones love people, the environment, and fight for truth and justice.
The Founders and Framers of the Constitution could not know that some day, millions of Americans would believe professional wrestling is real.
The GOP put forward fake electors in 7 states. The plan was most likely to show them being turned away with their "votes" for Trump so that the conspiracy theory machine could throw the whole electoral college into question. OR they could have been expecting to get their forged document certified, but that's a long shot. Either way, it's a crime by Trump, Rudy, and their whole cabal of supporters.
The GOP and its media partners pushed the false narrative of massive election fraud in Democratic districts without real evidence. Then they pointed to polling that said 67% of Republicans believed that the "election was rigged." The joint statement by Ted Cruz and other GOP members says because the "deep distrust of our democratic processes will not magically disappear", that Congress should vote whether or not to certify the election "to restore faith in our democracy." They created a distrust of the system, then exploited it intentionally:
I don't think Cruz or any of his associates will be brought up on criminal charges; most of the GOP is playing "anything goes" and is getting away with it because they can always say they're being attacked by wicked Democrats and make the whole thing a political mess rather than a legal one where they're undermining free and fair elections. Enough is enough. It's time to start handing out criminal indictments and definitely put Trump in prison.
Notwithstanding calling for a constitutional convention rewrite by 3/4 of state legislatures (which would not be a good thing given the extremely delusional right-wing bent of our current state of political discourse funded by anti-democratic oligarchs), eliminating the Electoral College requires proposing a constitutional amendment, voted on by 2/3 of both the U.S. House and Senate, and ratified by 3/4 of the states.
By design, that’s a heavy lift. Today’s polarization, however, makes it impossible. But to save democracy from those who would destroy it by manipulating the system requires that we do the impossible.
Planting the seed comes first: The Electoral College must go! It’s an imperative. Never let up. Copy the Republican long-game tactic of constant repetition until the meme gels in people’s minds as a natural given of political reform. But unlike Republican propaganda based on ridiculous, outright lies, the push to eliminate the Electoral College (as well as the filibuster, gerrymandering, and perhaps someday reimagining the Senate as a true representative body) is based on enlightened truth, i.e., progressive thought, i.e., progress.
Trump’s “paper coup,” a throwback to medieval castle intrigue, is a shockingly clear, teachable moment for future generations of small-d democrats. Abusing the Electoral Count Act, creating fake slates of electors, lying about certified results, and all the other devious ways that Trump the Sore Loser and his court of jesters tried to deny the People, from whom all power derives, their rightful and legal votes, including inciting a violent mob that stormed the Capitol at Trump’s behest (everyone knows it) to stop a formal constitutional step in our heretofore peaceful transfer of power, will be the main chapter in the pitiful legacy of this disgraced, twice-impeached, one-term, wannabe strongman, who is “mentally sick” -- his own descriptor, a brand new one projected onto his legal tormentors trying to jail him (oh please, God).
Another prerequisite lesson on the rise and fall of the Trump empire is how so many supposedly sentient beings could so eagerly swill from his golden spittoon without retching their guts out. Good to the last drop. Never underestimate the stupefying gullibility of frightened, hateful, angry followers on an authoritarian binge. It doesn’t take much intellectual power to lead this sorry bunch. The “stable genius” sure proved that in spades.
I think when Trump ends up in prison it will be at Mar-a-Lago; along the lines of Pablo Escobar's La Catedral. Let's hope not. He should be handed the harshest punishment within the law to those who commit treason. If not, let him atrophy in Fort Leavenworth until his end of days.
Can we convict some more of Trump's lawyers as well? He is Roy Cohn's creature. Cohn may be dead, but the ones he uses now just look dead. Attorneys have specialties---one of them must be perverting the law. They remind me of W's torture-lawyers that managed to ruin any moral high ground we won during WWII.
I have to stop now, because I actually like lawyers; they are some of the best people I know. The really good ones love people, the environment, and fight for truth and justice.
The Founders and Framers of the Constitution could not know that some day, millions of Americans would believe professional wrestling is real.
The GOP put forward fake electors in 7 states. The plan was most likely to show them being turned away with their "votes" for Trump so that the conspiracy theory machine could throw the whole electoral college into question. OR they could have been expecting to get their forged document certified, but that's a long shot. Either way, it's a crime by Trump, Rudy, and their whole cabal of supporters.
The GOP and its media partners pushed the false narrative of massive election fraud in Democratic districts without real evidence. Then they pointed to polling that said 67% of Republicans believed that the "election was rigged." The joint statement by Ted Cruz and other GOP members says because the "deep distrust of our democratic processes will not magically disappear", that Congress should vote whether or not to certify the election "to restore faith in our democracy." They created a distrust of the system, then exploited it intentionally:
https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/joint-statement-from-senators-cruz-johnson-lankford-daines-kennedy-blackburn-braun-senators-elect-lummis-marshall-hagerty-tuberville
I don't think Cruz or any of his associates will be brought up on criminal charges; most of the GOP is playing "anything goes" and is getting away with it because they can always say they're being attacked by wicked Democrats and make the whole thing a political mess rather than a legal one where they're undermining free and fair elections. Enough is enough. It's time to start handing out criminal indictments and definitely put Trump in prison.