So, if Trump "declares a national emergency" to use military manpower and funds to build his wall

[Atticus]

WITHOUT CONGRESS, will THAT be the "bridge too far"? Will that amount to "crossing the Rubicon" and FINALLY bring out the torches and pitchforks?

If not, does anyone think there will be an election in 2020,?

Do a little reading about "emergency powers of the president*". Maybe have a stiff drink before you do.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Nah, their racism far outweighs a little thing like treason or this.

[Atticus]

4. Honestly, at this point I'm more concerned with OUR apathy than THEIR racism. nt

[Ferrets are Cool]

11. +1

[lunatica]

14. What do you think the blue wave was?

Did you get a look at the new Congress just sworn in yesterday?

Don’t get upset.

Trump is just trying to control the message right now. What he says is meaningless most of the time because he contradicts himself on every statement he makes. While everyone goes into a flap over what he says he just moves on to say another outrageous thing. This is what he does all the time. This is how he goes to war. He’s grabbing ALL the attention all The time.

Pelosi and Schumer will up their game because they aren’t fooled.

[Atticus]

17. Of course I am aware of the new Congress and of course I think it's great. I am just hoping

that we can soon move from being royally pissed off and thoroughly disgusted to actually DOING SOMETHING to start to commence to begin to get ready to evict Trump and begin restoring our democracy.

We do not deserve this ordeal and their are some among us who literally cannot take too much more of it. We are living in Bizarro World and if Mueller or Congress cannot restore a rational political environment soon, it may be too late. I have grave doubts that we can make it to the 2020 election without irreparable damage being done to our nation. And, even if we do and even if we beat him----will he voluntarily transfer power?

[PubliusEnigma]

2. Fare ye well Habeas Corpus

[C_U_L8R]

3. That's a reichstag moment.

Last edited Fri Jan 4, 2019, 10:44 PM - Edit history (1)

And if trump doesn't go absolutely all the way full putsch, he'll be strung up (in a legal manner)

[Atticus]

5. "Figuratively speaking" of course. nt

[C_U_L8R]

16. Indeed

[pangaia]

6. NO.

And this has frightened me for a long, long time... each and every step taken is the next logical step.

Like the frog in the pot of water...

[Atticus]

8. ??? nt

[pangaia]

10. Meaning I am with you on all of it..

"bridge too far"? Will that amount to "crossing the Rubicon" and FINALLY bring out the torches and pitchforks?


NO..

Even though it is democratic voters who have to bring out the pitchforks, I'm not confident.

Election in 2020 ?

I have not been confident about that happening for some time.

[Atticus]

18. Thanks. NT

[MrsCoffee]

7. And don't forget the land grab that goes along with it.

[regnaD kciN]

9. Some of "those stories" are truly alarmist...

If you study the issue, you’ll see Donnie can’t just declare a vague “state of emergency” and rule as a dictator. In each such declaration, the president would have to spell out the specific steps he was taking under the declaration. He couldn’t just say “I’m suspending civil liberties and imposing martial law throughout the country” as a response to some cases of illegal immigration along the southern border. Congress would overturn that in record time.

What Trump would want to do is declare an emergency that would justify ordering the military to build his border wall. As noted above, although he could decree the wall be built, he can’t decree that extra funding be provided to build it, which means he’d have to take the additional step of decreeing cuts in military spending to make up for the cost, which would be massively unpopular with his own base, as well as Congressional Republicans.

[Thekaspervote]

13. Thank you! Alarmist posts don't help. And NO I am not being passive about the issue

[Atticus]

15. Please see:

https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/576418/?__twitter_impression=true

This article was cited by Prof. Lawrence Tribe in a tweet urging that Trump's "emergency powers" threat be taken more seriously. He disagrees with your characterization of the limits on these powers.

[Baitball Blogger]

12. It might help chip away another layer.