Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

gab13by13

(21,360 posts)
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 11:41 AM Feb 2020

Trump won't step down if he loses

Who is going to make him?
He controls the judiciary, Barr controls the FBI.
He certainly controls the NSA and maybe even the CIA.
He controls the Senate so if Dems win back the Senate will he nullify those elections?
The decent military generals and leaders have resigned.

Who is going to stop him from declaring the election was rigged? He could even declare martial law and I have no doubt it would be enforced.

He has talked several times about going beyond his term limits. He is telling us what he plans to do.

121 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Trump won't step down if he loses (Original Post) gab13by13 Feb 2020 OP
And he won't hesitate to retaliate against his enemies... cynatnite Feb 2020 #1
Somebody better have a Plan B. CrispyQ Feb 2020 #2
I can think of a plan B. smirkymonkey Feb 2020 #16
If he loses he will be out of the White House in Jan. 2021 one way or another Norbert Feb 2020 #28
Exactly. He becomes a trespasser at 12:01 PM on 1/20/2021. He can be removed by LEOs if need be. LonePirate Feb 2020 #35
Lets hope the Secret Service does it's job... protecting the newly elected prez..... mitch96 Feb 2020 #44
They will. dware Feb 2020 #48
After hearing about the shenanigans at the Secret Service I have doubts about them doing their Job. mitch96 Feb 2020 #116
I've been fretting a bit over "I hope someone has a plan B" tosh Feb 2020 #40
I too can think of a plan B. I just can't say what it is. trueblue2007 Feb 2020 #73
and "THEY" can't arrest me for WHAT'S IN MY HEAD !!!!!!! trueblue2007 Feb 2020 #74
Not yet, at least! Newest Reality Feb 2020 #76
I think we understand each other. smirkymonkey Feb 2020 #81
I'm your second when you need it. Arthur_Frain Feb 2020 #80
Smirkymonkey bdamomma Feb 2020 #117
Funny: If the elections were rigged, he had 3 years of warnings to do something about it, and didn't TheBlackAdder Feb 2020 #17
People who think "It can't happen here" will find out the hard way one day dustyscamp Feb 2020 #25
If Trump wants to be Julius Caesar he should remember how that story ended... Blue_Tires Feb 2020 #55
March 15 is coming OhZone Feb 2020 #88
Yep. He already demanded extra time because of the lost time "stolen" from him dalton99a Feb 2020 #3
Once he got in... Rider3 Feb 2020 #4
That would be the best time for all the NRA Gun nuts to try and thwart trump's control efforts mdbl Feb 2020 #5
They'd be first in line to enforce his control efforts maxrandb Feb 2020 #63
well, if we are lucky enough to get Bif's dirty hands off our government, let's hope mdbl Feb 2020 #96
Another post attempting to normalize the loopy notion that there is any mechanism for "martial law" jberryhill Feb 2020 #6
Considering how intelligent the Democratic Party is, there are some really stupid posts on DU. bearsfootball516 Feb 2020 #15
That could be because Andy823 Feb 2020 #21
I resent the insinuation, gab13by13 Feb 2020 #33
+1001 blueseas Feb 2020 #36
I know, right? dware Feb 2020 #29
Do you think Trump cares about "mechanisms"? First Speaker Feb 2020 #79
it is very tiresome Skittles Feb 2020 #107
The Alarming Scope of the President's Emergency Powers Celerity Feb 2020 #119
Those "many" limits are specifically defined jberryhill Feb 2020 #120
you are moving the goalposts now in terms of what I specifically replied to nt Celerity Feb 2020 #121
The Secret Service? eom drmeow Feb 2020 #7
If congress wont certify him as the winner, at 1201pm on jan 20th, Volaris Feb 2020 #11
and even if someone does drmeow Feb 2020 #13
I agree with this. Volaris Feb 2020 #22
A bunch of drunken, beer-bellied 'Sovereign Citizens' against the best-trained armed guards Aristus Feb 2020 #14
He loses he's gone malaise Feb 2020 #8
Thomas Friedman had an interesting idea. I don't know it's legality, realism or practicality. Mike 03 Feb 2020 #9
Roberts is a Republican Bettie Feb 2020 #18
Nope Piratedog Feb 2020 #112
K&R, there are still people out there that give Putin's Whore the benefit of the doubt uponit7771 Feb 2020 #10
That would certainly command attention treestar Feb 2020 #12
Your fears are not supported by the facts Fiendish Thingy Feb 2020 #19
Here's how. Mosby Feb 2020 #37
That is a delusion filled scenario not based in reality Fiendish Thingy Feb 2020 #42
Frankly how would you know? Mosby Feb 2020 #45
MacArthur and Eisenhower raided the bonus Army camp, killing several, Hoover served his full term Fiendish Thingy Feb 2020 #47
What happened to all of the sarisataka Feb 2020 #50
Why? The military and or the ss will not fire on americans. Mosby Feb 2020 #51
The military absolutely would fire sarisataka Feb 2020 #59
Good idea about starving them out. Mosby Feb 2020 #71
Living in the White House doesn't make you President Jose Garcia Feb 2020 #61
Sure, I completely agree Mosby Feb 2020 #68
Except the President of the United States is not required ms liberty Feb 2020 #85
Wait - these "Fat hayseeds who should be mocked" are suddenly something to worry jmg257 Feb 2020 #86
How Have The Facts Been... jayfish Feb 2020 #70
The presidential election process is defined in the Constitution, and cannot be overruled Fiendish Thingy Feb 2020 #82
There is one way foreshadowed by the 2000 election. Aaron Pereira Feb 2020 #87
If a state legislature chooses sarisataka Feb 2020 #90
Exactly right. New Breed Leader Feb 2020 #20
Mayor Pete had an AWESOME line, questioned about this at a town hall: bullwinkle428 Feb 2020 #23
His love of money will hold him back. The market turmoil would be too much to bear. Baked Potato Feb 2020 #24
It's ok ... Drifter Feb 2020 #26
Beat him by GOTV. Otherwise, it won't matter. Hoyt Feb 2020 #27
It's posts obnoxiousdrunk Feb 2020 #30
Bill Maher is a comedian, gab13by13 Feb 2020 #43
If someone describes themself I_UndergroundPanther Feb 2020 #31
OFFS, dware Feb 2020 #32
Absolutely, he's not going anywhere. budkin Feb 2020 #34
I hear this a lot and I think it's nonsense mokawanis Feb 2020 #38
There are specific mechanisms for contesting Presidential elections struggle4progress Feb 2020 #39
Here we go again sarisataka Feb 2020 #41
Trump constantly accuses others of what he does Jarqui Feb 2020 #46
He might think he won't Zolorp Feb 2020 #49
The second the new president is sworn in, he controls none of that jmowreader Feb 2020 #52
He has no choice. mahina Feb 2020 #53
My worry too. bobGandolf Feb 2020 #54
The contingency plan would be as soon as the new President is sworn in dware Feb 2020 #60
There is no way he's leaving. NO WAY! onecaliberal Feb 2020 #56
Oh he'll be leaving, dware Feb 2020 #62
And once he does leave the WH? Even by force? Runningdawg Feb 2020 #57
Every president since I began voting in 1980 has made one side say 'what if they won't leave???' Gidney N Cloyd Feb 2020 #58
Only ONE POTUS has repeatedly made the announcement he plans to serve more than 2 terms. Runningdawg Feb 2020 #67
Oh, well, you should certainly go ahead and freak out then. Gidney N Cloyd Feb 2020 #69
Thanks for your permission. Runningdawg Feb 2020 #114
Every. One. of those presidents was not Donald Trump... First Speaker Feb 2020 #75
And most Every. One. of those presidents were insiders with deeper ties to the real levers of power. Gidney N Cloyd Feb 2020 #111
If Trump loses the election he is leaving one way or another standingtall Feb 2020 #64
When not if he refuses to leave I'm not holding my breath there's anyone to make him leave. blueinredohio Feb 2020 #65
How about the newly sworn in President with the backing of the Secret Service and dware Feb 2020 #91
He's already claimed the debates will be rigged. LastLiberal in PalmSprings Feb 2020 #66
Ah, but he WILL leave. Progressive Jones Feb 2020 #72
maybe he will be arrested for trespassing.. samnsara Feb 2020 #77
Wait till he starts arresting those that went against him. dem4decades Feb 2020 #78
Ain't going to happen. nt dware Feb 2020 #94
What, specifically, would stop him? Brawndo Feb 2020 #102
need to get away from far out conspiracy theories. Just saying. beachbumbob Feb 2020 #83
Ha ha - maybe putin will call him up and say "Its time to go, Donnie" jmg257 Feb 2020 #84
I said the same thing about Bush 41 Codeine Feb 2020 #89
Donald Trump is a racist pig ! stonecutter357 Feb 2020 #92
The United States would be another Venezuela? ProudMNDemocrat Feb 2020 #93
And what would happen to that 'Glorious' stock market and U.S. investments? WyattKansas Feb 2020 #95
taze the daughter-fucker & drag him out. pansypoo53219 Feb 2020 #97
It is astounding to me moniss Feb 2020 #98
Something that occurred to me. kskiska Feb 2020 #99
He'll push for Trump Jr, Ivanka or even Nikki Haley to be President dustyscamp Feb 2020 #113
If there is an option for him to stay, he will stay. kentuck Feb 2020 #100
Martial law means suspending the Bill of Rights..... ProudMNDemocrat Feb 2020 #101
I disagree, Trump will step down and leave if he loses. And he will lose by a large margin. Stuart G Feb 2020 #103
+1 Gidney N Cloyd Feb 2020 #109
I apologize for starting this thread, gab13by13 Feb 2020 #104
When the new Democratic President is sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2021, dware Feb 2020 #115
Oh God, not this shit again. n/t Downtown Hound Feb 2020 #105
So he wants to stay in the dumpy White House, as he calls it? Blue Owl Feb 2020 #106
This is absolute crap ... nothing more than click-bait PBC_Democrat Feb 2020 #108
+1 Gidney N Cloyd Feb 2020 #110
None of us bdamomma Feb 2020 #118

cynatnite

(31,011 posts)
1. And he won't hesitate to retaliate against his enemies...
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 11:43 AM
Feb 2020

This is a vindictive and spiteful person with the power of the government at his fingertips.

CrispyQ

(36,478 posts)
2. Somebody better have a Plan B.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 11:43 AM
Feb 2020

I don't think anyone does. I think too many suffer from "it can't happen here" even as it's happening before our eyes.

Norbert

(6,040 posts)
28. If he loses he will be out of the White House in Jan. 2021 one way or another
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:07 PM
Feb 2020

The will of the majority will not be denied any longer than that.

mitch96

(13,912 posts)
44. Lets hope the Secret Service does it's job... protecting the newly elected prez.....
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:41 PM
Feb 2020

And escorting the Old/Vintage/Legacy official out the door...
m

mitch96

(13,912 posts)
116. After hearing about the shenanigans at the Secret Service I have doubts about them doing their Job.
Fri Feb 7, 2020, 11:44 PM
Feb 2020

If we get a new improved prez that is duly elected by the people of the United States, I hope the
Secret Svs will do their jobs...
And as a aside we better win by large margin in Nov b/c if not the orange shit stain is gonna spin it around, call the election "illegal" or tampered with and refuse to leave..
YMMV
m

tosh

(4,423 posts)
40. I've been fretting a bit over "I hope someone has a plan B"
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:36 PM
Feb 2020

for if he steals/rigs & appears to win this election. I also do not think that I want to talk openly about it.

I've been having moments of needing some sense of reassurance and this is not a feeling that I've ever really had before.

mdbl

(4,973 posts)
5. That would be the best time for all the NRA Gun nuts to try and thwart trump's control efforts
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 11:45 AM
Feb 2020

but of course they are way too stupid to realize it.

maxrandb

(15,334 posts)
63. They'd be first in line to enforce his control efforts
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 04:21 PM
Feb 2020

Dems need to use the power we do have to cut the ever loving fuck out all the funding of the government that they can.

I'd begin by setting all presidential appointees salaries to $1 per year.

We need to wake up. The Retrumplicans, including very senior senators and representatives are going to go to fucking prison when the truth comes out. The only way the truth does not come out, and we don't convene our own version of the Nuremberg trials, is if a new Democratic President is not elected.

The next president will have the power and authority to release the papertrail... and there's tons of paper to bury these criminals.

Think about it. Think of the asspickle criminals in his cabinet. There's paperwork hanging around in desk drawers and computers that will send these folks to jail. That paperwork also implicates a shit ton of senior Retrumplican politicians.

They will fucking murder people in the streets to prevent that.

These are not normal times. We need to stop pretending that they are.

mdbl

(4,973 posts)
96. well, if we are lucky enough to get Bif's dirty hands off our government, let's hope
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 06:40 PM
Feb 2020

the the new president doesn't pull an Obama and just look the other way. I hope the dems have learned that lesson.

 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
6. Another post attempting to normalize the loopy notion that there is any mechanism for "martial law"
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 11:47 AM
Feb 2020

...in the US.

There isn't.

bearsfootball516

(6,377 posts)
15. Considering how intelligent the Democratic Party is, there are some really stupid posts on DU.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 12:21 PM
Feb 2020

Which is unfortunate. We’re smarter than that.

Andy823

(11,495 posts)
21. That could be because
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 12:37 PM
Feb 2020

a lot of these stupid posts are from people who are NOT really Democrats, they just say they are so the can stir things up here!

gab13by13

(21,360 posts)
33. I resent the insinuation,
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:19 PM
Feb 2020

I bet I have done more for the Democratic party over my life time than my accusers here have done. I have held office in a Republican town. Fuck it, I don't need to defend myself, I hope the hell I am wrong but it isn't melodramatic on my part when I see our institutions being taken over by Trump.

dware

(12,399 posts)
29. I know, right?
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:07 PM
Feb 2020

I gotta just shake my head in disbelief when I read threads like these, they are really, really dumb.

First Speaker

(4,858 posts)
79. Do you think Trump cares about "mechanisms"?
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 05:22 PM
Feb 2020

No, I don't think he can unleash martial law at will. But if he simply *wants* to--and if he loses, he will--we are in deep shit. Too many people here at DU underestimate the potential for chaos when he loses this November. All our national chickens--conspiracy theories, the radicalization of the GOP, the slow crumbling of the spirit of liberal democracy, vote suppression, racism, 400,000,000 guns at large--will be coming home to roost. The time between the election and January 20, 2021, is going to be the most dangerous period, constitutionally, since 1876.

Celerity

(43,415 posts)
119. The Alarming Scope of the President's Emergency Powers
Sat Feb 8, 2020, 01:10 AM
Feb 2020


https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/01/presidential-emergency-powers/576418/

snip

But will they? Unknown to most Americans, a parallel legal regime allows the president to sidestep many of the constraints that normally apply. The moment the president declares a “national emergency”—a decision that is entirely within his discretion—more than 100 special provisions become available to him. While many of these tee up reasonable responses to genuine emergencies, some appear dangerously suited to a leader bent on amassing or retaining power. For instance, the president can, with the flick of his pen, activate laws allowing him to shut down many kinds of electronic communications inside the United States or freeze Americans’ bank accounts. Other powers are available even without a declaration of emergency, including laws that allow the president to deploy troops inside the country to subdue domestic unrest.

This edifice of extraordinary powers has historically rested on the assumption that the president will act in the country’s best interest when using them. With a handful of noteworthy exceptions, this assumption has held up. But what if a president, backed into a corner and facing electoral defeat or impeachment, were to declare an emergency for the sake of holding on to power? In that scenario, our laws and institutions might not save us from a presidential power grab. They might be what takes us down.

1. “A LOADED WEAPON”

The premise underlying emergency powers is simple: The government’s ordinary powers might be insufficient in a crisis, and amending the law to provide greater ones might be too slow and cumbersome. Emergency powers are meant to give the government a temporary boost until the emergency passes or there is time to change the law through normal legislative processes. Unlike the modern constitutions of many other countries, which specify when and how a state of emergency may be declared and which rights may be suspended, the U.S. Constitution itself includes no comprehensive separate regime for emergencies. Those few powers it does contain for dealing with certain urgent threats, it assigns to Congress, not the president. For instance, it lets Congress suspend the writ of habeas corpus—that is, allow government officials to imprison people without judicial review—“when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it” and “provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions.”

Nonetheless, some legal scholars believe that the Constitution gives the president inherent emergency powers by making him commander in chief of the armed forces, or by vesting in him a broad, undefined “executive Power.” At key points in American history, presidents have cited inherent constitutional powers when taking drastic actions that were not authorized—or, in some cases, were explicitly prohibited—by Congress. Notorious examples include Franklin D. Roosevelt’s internment of U.S. citizens and residents of Japanese descent during World War II and George W. Bush’s programs of warrantless wiretapping and torture after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Abraham Lincoln conceded that his unilateral suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War was constitutionally questionable, but defended it as necessary to preserve the Union.

The Supreme Court has often upheld such actions or found ways to avoid reviewing them, at least while the crisis was in progress. Rulings such as Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company v. Sawyer, in which the Court invalidated President Harry Truman’s bid to take over steel mills during the Korean War, have been the exception. And while those exceptions have outlined important limiting principles, the outer boundary of the president’s constitutional authority during emergencies remains poorly defined.

snip
 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
120. Those "many" limits are specifically defined
Sat Feb 8, 2020, 01:17 AM
Feb 2020

Nothing you core even remotely approaches extending the term of office.

Volaris

(10,272 posts)
11. If congress wont certify him as the winner, at 1201pm on jan 20th,
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 12:13 PM
Feb 2020

The secret service no longer takes orders from him, but from whoever Congress HAS certified.

Unless there are some people willing to stand in their way with loaded weapons, yes I think it would be the Service that would remove him from the building.

drmeow

(5,020 posts)
13. and even if someone does
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 12:19 PM
Feb 2020

Try to stand in their way with loaded weapons it won't stop the Secret Service - they are bad asses and take their oath to the OFFICE of the President very seriously.

Aristus

(66,388 posts)
14. A bunch of drunken, beer-bellied 'Sovereign Citizens' against the best-trained armed guards
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 12:20 PM
Feb 2020

in the history of the world?

I like our chances...

malaise

(269,054 posts)
8. He loses he's gone
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 11:48 AM
Feb 2020

or they'll drag him out - sometimes I wonder how the USA got the line home of the brave - the Con is going down

Mike 03

(16,616 posts)
9. Thomas Friedman had an interesting idea. I don't know it's legality, realism or practicality.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 11:49 AM
Feb 2020

He envisioned previous presidents (he named Obama and George W) coming together with Chief Justice Roberts to sort of regain control of events that were spinning out of control.

It sounded appealing but it's rather odd to think about.

treestar

(82,383 posts)
12. That would certainly command attention
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 12:16 PM
Feb 2020

of enough of the People that it wouldn't be possible. There would be a demand for him to get out. The political will isn't there and his base isn't big enough. The population seems dumbed down, but the idea of a dictator and total abandonment of the Constitution will not play at all.

Fiendish Thingy

(15,624 posts)
19. Your fears are not supported by the facts
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 12:30 PM
Feb 2020

Other than frivolous lawsuits, Trump has no power over the electoral college, or the certification of the results. Unless we have another nail biting cliffhanger like Bush v Gore, the results will be certified, and Roberts (or any judge) will swear in the new president.

There is no legal way a president can nullify an election by edict.

Yes, he will make a fuss, and try his best to cling to power (the lame duck transition period will be especially risky), but if he loses, he is gone.

Feel free to detail the evidence based details of how Trump would block a new president from taking office- martial law is not one of them.

Mosby

(16,319 posts)
37. Here's how.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:32 PM
Feb 2020

Trump fills the White House with crazy gun toting supporters like the proud boys etc.

Then the SS will be faced with the prospect of shooting americans (with cameras rolling).

In the meantime all the crazy (literally) trump supporters will decend on washington to prevent a perceived coup.

Meanwhile all the crazy hate radio freaks will create a conspiracy theory about the election, using Soros and others as the villain to create a narrative that proves they the election was rigged, by the NWO people.

All the chickenshits in Congress won't know what to do, because we can't allow a civil war, or a war on the white house, so they will "work to find a compromise".

Done.

Fiendish Thingy

(15,624 posts)
42. That is a delusion filled scenario not based in reality
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:38 PM
Feb 2020

The SS would not allow “crazy gun toting supporters” anywhere near the White House.

If Trump refused to physically leave the White House, the new president would still be sworn in, and the new president would order the SS and US Marshall’s to physically remove him. No cameras would be rolling inside the residence.

All the crazies could descend on DC, and the RW media hate machine could go into overdrive, it still wouldn’t stop a new president from taking office - did they stop Obama?

Done.

Mosby

(16,319 posts)
45. Frankly how would you know?
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:43 PM
Feb 2020

I'm speculating.

Maybe you should read up on the bonus army and how it destroyed president hoover.

People don't like it when americans are shot at by the government.

Keep in mind that a full third of Americans think the MSM is lying to them all the time and consider trump to be doing God's work.

Fiendish Thingy

(15,624 posts)
47. MacArthur and Eisenhower raided the bonus Army camp, killing several, Hoover served his full term
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:48 PM
Feb 2020

So what was your point?

Waco and Ruby Ridge didn’t cause a revolution either.

Trumpsters might cause a ruckus, but they won’t stop the transfer of power.

sarisataka

(18,663 posts)
50. What happened to all of the
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 03:06 PM
Feb 2020

Evaluations that RW gun toters are overweight cowards who would drop their guns and flee if a firecracker went off? And even if they did stand up to fight, the army would mop them up in an afternoon with tanks and drones.

Now they are effective enough to occupy the White House and all of DC unopposed? They will force the government to back down like Mussolini's march on Rome?

That doesn't add up.

Mosby

(16,319 posts)
51. Why? The military and or the ss will not fire on americans.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 03:26 PM
Feb 2020

The republicans in Congress and/or the scotus will intervene.

That's why it could work.

Could, I'm just speculating.

sarisataka

(18,663 posts)
59. The military absolutely would fire
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 03:55 PM
Feb 2020

On Americans, at least that was the previous prediction many made. I tend to agree with you that the military wouldn't, though I am not so sure about the SS if armed people tried to get into the White House.

I cannot vision enough radical Trump supporters making the trip to DC. Even if they did and managed to take over the White House with Trump, Congress and SCOTUS don't have to do anything. They simply swear in the new President who then orders Federal Leo's to arrest the trespassers. A siege ensues but it won't be long before they have to surrender due to lack of food.

The building is a dwelling, it doesn't give the occupants any special authority. Would such a scenario be embarrassing? Yes, but it would not stop the transfer of power.

Mosby

(16,319 posts)
71. Good idea about starving them out.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 04:52 PM
Feb 2020

I honestly think it might come to this, ffs these people have lost their minds and we shouldn't underestimate them.

That's really all I'm saying.

Jose Garcia

(2,598 posts)
61. Living in the White House doesn't make you President
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 04:10 PM
Feb 2020

He could barricade himself in there, but the new President would still have all presidential powers.

Mosby

(16,319 posts)
68. Sure, I completely agree
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 04:46 PM
Feb 2020

But Republicans are basically evil and stupid, which is why my conjecture sounds so implausible.

a republican filed a complaint today against Pelosi for violating the gov record retention schedule when she tore up trump's speech. The complaint only makes sense to crazy people.

There are no rules anymore. They make up rules as they go.

ms liberty

(8,580 posts)
85. Except the President of the United States is not required
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 05:36 PM
Feb 2020

To be in, have control, or possession of the White House in order to take or hold office.. On 1.20.21 at noon, the winner of the electoral college will become POTUS. If it is not Comrade Dumbass, the Presidentin' will occur elsewhere while the trash is removed and the building fumigated.

jmg257

(11,996 posts)
86. Wait - these "Fat hayseeds who should be mocked" are suddenly something to worry
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 05:38 PM
Feb 2020

about?

"Small dicked Cowards, & costumed morons" are gonna take over the white house, and all of Washington DC?!?

Never would have guessed it.

jayfish

(10,039 posts)
70. How Have The Facts Been...
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 04:49 PM
Feb 2020

working out for us over the last 5 years? Not that it's possible to prove a hypothetical but;...

The Alarming Scope of the President's Emergency Powers

It would be nice to think that America is protected from the worst excesses of Trump’s impulses by its democratic laws and institutions. After all, Trump can do only so much without bumping up against the limits set by the Constitution and Congress and enforced by the courts. Those who see Trump as a threat to democracy comfort themselves with the belief that these limits will hold him in check.

But will they? Unknown to most Americans, a parallel legal regime allows the president to sidestep many of the constraints that normally apply. The moment the president declares a “national emergency”—a decision that is entirely within his discretion—more than 100 special provisions become available to him. While many of these tee up reasonable responses to genuine emergencies, some appear dangerously suited to a leader bent on amassing or retaining power. For instance, the president can, with the flick of his pen, activate laws allowing him to shut down many kinds of electronic communications inside the United States or freeze Americans’ bank accounts. Other powers are available even without a declaration of emergency, including laws that allow the president to deploy troops inside the country to subdue domestic unrest.

Fiendish Thingy

(15,624 posts)
82. The presidential election process is defined in the Constitution, and cannot be overruled
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 05:29 PM
Feb 2020

Not even through the use of the Emergency Powers Act.

Aaron Pereira

(383 posts)
87. There is one way foreshadowed by the 2000 election.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 05:43 PM
Feb 2020

Republicans threatened to send their EC delegates as a slate determined by the Florida legislature instead of the election outcome. Of course the Supreme Court would rule on the legality of that if Trump managed to convince Ohio or Florida to take an approach like that in 2020.

Doubt he'll succeed but it wouldn't surprise me to see him try.

sarisataka

(18,663 posts)
90. If a state legislature chooses
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 05:57 PM
Feb 2020

To ignore the popular election results and send electors to vote for a different candidate, it would be perfectly legal in all but a handful of states. SCOTUS would not need to rule on it.

bullwinkle428

(20,629 posts)
23. Mayor Pete had an AWESOME line, questioned about this at a town hall:
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 12:45 PM
Feb 2020

"That will make for an awkward scene when Chasten and I are moving in!"

Baked Potato

(7,733 posts)
24. His love of money will hold him back. The market turmoil would be too much to bear.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 01:53 PM
Feb 2020

There’s not enough tangible material assets to hoard and fall back on with a scenario of total breakdown. He controls a lot, but he doesn’t control those unseen powerful forces.

gab13by13

(21,360 posts)
43. Bill Maher is a comedian,
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:40 PM
Feb 2020

with that said, people laughed at Bill when he predicted that Trump was going to win. Bill also predicts that Trump will not concede the next election if he loses.

Why the hell is this a ridiculous post? Fucking look at the laws that Trump has broken and the precedence he has ignored and no one is stopping him now. Obamacare would be dead were it not for patriotic John McCain. Trump has violated and is still violating the emoluments clause of the Constitution. No one made him produce his taxes. He gave 1.5 trillion dollars to rich people with no expiration date while working class people's tax break expire in 2024. He strong armed the Fed to kick in another 2 trillion dollars just to keep the market soaring and he wants the Fed to contribute more. He is building his multi-billion dollar fence which will cost billions to maintain. He is in the courts right now working to kill pre-existing condition protections. He is cutting Medicaid and food stamps. He has spent more money in 1 year on Secret Service protection than president Obama spent in 8 years, but we don't know that for sure because he is holding up the release of that information. The NSA is sitting on documents that could have helped Schiff in the impeachment hearing, these are documents that Congress is entitled to see but Trump won't allow it.

I can go on, but laugh at me at your own peril because I see no one curbing Trump's abuses. Who has stopped Trump from doing as he pleases? Even the military couldn't stop Trump from doing as he pleased, the good people resigned, we have a lobbyist running the Defense department.

I_UndergroundPanther

(12,480 posts)
31. If someone describes themself
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:09 PM
Feb 2020

As an asshole believe them and get away from them asap.

The abusing asshole sociopaths have been trying since we had a Constitution to kill our democracy .

dware

(12,399 posts)
32. OFFS,
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:10 PM
Feb 2020

Just stop with this nonsense.

If the Mango Menace is voted out, he will leave, willingly or unwillingly.

mokawanis

(4,442 posts)
38. I hear this a lot and I think it's nonsense
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:35 PM
Feb 2020

He'll leave if he loses. Simple as that. He'll leave office and spend his days on twitter, screaming about the rigged election.

struggle4progress

(118,295 posts)
39. There are specific mechanisms for contesting Presidential elections
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:35 PM
Feb 2020

See https://history.house.gov/Institution/Electoral-College/Electoral-College/

The House and Senate must agree, on any suggestion to put aside and not count any particular electoral votes

If no candidate receives a majority, the House decides (with one vote per state) who will be President

If we win the electoral college, The Don has no way forward



Jarqui

(10,126 posts)
46. Trump constantly accuses others of what he does
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 02:46 PM
Feb 2020

Rigging elections is what Trump does.
We've seen it with the evidence Mueller collected on Russia and we've seen irrefutable proof of it with Ukraine.

If Trump loses the 2020 election, there is a very good chance he'll die in jail because a bunch of what he's done will come out. He and his legal team and those implicated know that. It is a key part of the reason why they voted as they did.

Prepare yourself for the dirtiest election ever. Every dirty trick in the book and then some will occur. If he's losing, one of two things will occur:
1) he'll fly to where he cannot be extradited
2) or more likely, they'll stink up the count/results, etc making legal challenges and unlike Al Gore, not concede until they've dragged it out through the courts. And even then, they'll try to further poison the results.
When jail is the alternative, he's guaranteed to do something like that ... if they're unable to hack or steal the election before it comes to that.

jmowreader

(50,560 posts)
52. The second the new president is sworn in, he controls none of that
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 03:28 PM
Feb 2020

The Constitution is very clear on this: The term of a president ends at noon on January 20 the year after the election, if the president was not reelected or has run out his eligibility. And there is absolutely no provision for a president to nullify any election.

Trump currently believes he is the only one who knows anything about the government. My prediction is, if Trump loses the election he and Pence will resign that night so as to “throw the government into chaos.” In reality, if Trump and Pence resign at the same time then Nancy Pelosi becomes president...my prediction is, she will appoint Hillary Clinton as Vice President, get her approved, then resign and go back to her own job, leaving Hillary as president. Hillary can make a couple phone calls and get President Obama’s cabinet in there for a couple months until the new president is inaugurated.

mahina

(17,668 posts)
53. He has no choice.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 03:31 PM
Feb 2020

His shit will be packed up and out the door and federal Marshalls will escort him off the property.

Even Barr has limits. Remember their big fight?

dware

(12,399 posts)
60. The contingency plan would be as soon as the new President is sworn in
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 04:08 PM
Feb 2020

then the Federal Marshal's would remove him, willingly or unwillingly.

Runningdawg

(4,520 posts)
57. And once he does leave the WH? Even by force?
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 03:46 PM
Feb 2020

He becomes the leader of the Great American Insurgency. The village will have their idiot more directly at the helm than ever before. I am sure the usual person will be along shortly to tell me I am full of it because the militia is only full of old overweight dudes.

Gidney N Cloyd

(19,841 posts)
58. Every president since I began voting in 1980 has made one side say 'what if they won't leave???'
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 03:49 PM
Feb 2020

Every. One.
I even entertained the idea myself with GHWB but I was young and naive then.

First Speaker

(4,858 posts)
75. Every. One. of those presidents was not Donald Trump...
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 05:15 PM
Feb 2020

...who is clearly a psychopath and an authoritarian, with no respect at all for constitutional norms. I don't know if he can "stay in power" if he loses. He certainly is capable of creating a massive constitutional crisis. If he loses, he *will*. Not may, will. The worst since 1876, at least. Even if he leaves at the end, the damage he can, and will, do to our constitutional processes is incalculable.

Gidney N Cloyd

(19,841 posts)
111. And most Every. One. of those presidents were insiders with deeper ties to the real levers of power.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 10:45 PM
Feb 2020

He'll go. And there may be violent trouble afterwards. Why not-- we have that now. But he'll go.

standingtall

(2,785 posts)
64. If Trump loses the election he is leaving one way or another
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 04:22 PM
Feb 2020

Even if Trump refuses to leave the White House the new President will be sworn and will be the commander in cheif of the U.S. military and will order Trump removed if he wont leave willingly.

Even if hypothetically that all the republicans in Government conspire with Trump to stay in office and he loses an election. Blue States would not should not recognize the legitimacy of such a government. Then we would be talking a full blown civil war and there is more people against Trump then for him and those people on average are a lot younger than Trumps cult members.

dware

(12,399 posts)
91. How about the newly sworn in President with the backing of the Secret Service and
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 06:07 PM
Feb 2020

the US Marshal's Service?

66. He's already claimed the debates will be rigged.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 04:42 PM
Feb 2020

That's why he wants to take control of them away from the non-profit League of Women Voters and hire a commercial firm to run them.

And to make sure he wins. And gets a box to stand on.

dem4decades

(11,296 posts)
78. Wait till he starts arresting those that went against him.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 05:21 PM
Feb 2020

He alluded to Barr and Durham today, they're going after people that ste in the government.

Then those in the press.

Brawndo

(535 posts)
102. What, specifically, would stop him?
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 08:02 PM
Feb 2020

If your answer is somewhere along the lines of, "that would be illegal" then I submit to you the events of the last 3 years and pose my question again.

 

beachbumbob

(9,263 posts)
83. need to get away from far out conspiracy theories. Just saying.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 05:30 PM
Feb 2020

allegiance sworn to the constitution, not a president. US Marshalls will remove trespassers from the WH

 

Codeine

(25,586 posts)
89. I said the same thing about Bush 41
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 05:53 PM
Feb 2020

(in my defense I was 22) and the Republicans said the same of Obama. Save the apocalyptic fan fiction for a Mad Max sequel.

WyattKansas

(1,648 posts)
95. And what would happen to that 'Glorious' stock market and U.S. investments?
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 06:20 PM
Feb 2020

It would quickly evaporate like that 'Glorious Tank Battle' that Baghdad Bob was excited about.

The Powers that Be do not want to deal with a 'dumb ass' ruining the Golden Goose.
After all, they have been winning 'hugely bigly' for 40 years.

moniss

(4,257 posts)
98. It is astounding to me
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 07:28 PM
Feb 2020

the number of people on this thread claiming that the military will not fire on Americans. The military front line in this country is the National Guard. Are you folks so bogged down with the latest reality shows that your brain fails to register Kent State? They can and they will and when confronted over having done so they will lie and refuse to take responsibility. Organized labor history in this country is replete with soldiers firing on citizens. Ask indigenous people about being told that they are US citizens and then being slaughtered at Wounded Knee for example. The military's own General who investigated three days later was horrified when he found that women with babies were found dead riddled with bullets as far away as 2 miles from the main site. The soldiers weren't content until they had chased down unarmed women and children and slaughtered them. The US cavalry and much of American thought at the time was that the indigenous people were animals or lower. Ask yourself how leftists, progressives, Democrats, minorities and LGBTQ people are spoken of today. Do you really think that there's not a whole lot of people in the ranks of military and police who are itching to open fire?

kskiska

(27,045 posts)
99. Something that occurred to me.
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 07:46 PM
Feb 2020

There'll be no one who could replace him, but after he's gone, if he's not in prison, he'll continue holding his rallies as an anti-government evangelist to his cult worshipers. And he'll still have Secret Service protection.

gab13by13

(21,360 posts)
104. I apologize for starting this thread,
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 08:27 PM
Feb 2020

I didn't mean for it to be so divisive. I just think that so many people don't realize the awful state we are in. Barr/Romney/Trump aren't done with Ukraine. Russia hacked Burisma and whether it found any dirt or not, Barr is going to come out with a concocted fable of Biden.

I also remember Trump saying, or hinting, that he may need more than 2 terms.

Someone convince me that I am wrong but right now Trump is above the law. People here cited the Constitution, Trump never read it, he violates the emoluments clause every day and gets away with. People here cite laws, Bill Barr and Mitch McConnell will handle that. Remember also, the new president doesn't take over until January.

dware

(12,399 posts)
115. When the new Democratic President is sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2021,
Fri Feb 7, 2020, 11:46 AM
Feb 2020

that's when it's over for the Mango Menace and he will leave, either willingly or being escorted out of the WH by either the Secret Service or the US Marshal's Service, but leave he will.

This nonsense has been pushed since GWB, by both sides of the political spectrum, and it's been proven wrong each and every time.

PBC_Democrat

(401 posts)
108. This is absolute crap ... nothing more than click-bait
Thu Feb 6, 2020, 09:15 PM
Feb 2020

When he loses, it's over. Period. Hard Stop.
There is nothing he or his supporters can do to keep him in office.

The Secret Service will politely, or impolitely if necessary, from the WH into a waiting limo.

The military takes an oath to the Constitution, not the President.
I'm sure that the DC police and the Capitol police can handle the 20 or so folks that show up to 'keep him in office'.

bdamomma

(63,875 posts)
118. None of us
Sat Feb 8, 2020, 01:04 AM
Feb 2020

what will happen from now until November, but as we all know, he is really not in the best of shape, he's a drug abuser. He was rushed to Walter Reed okay once that we saw.

Anything can happen also now we are faced with the Coronavirus. He's that stupid that he probably thinks that's a hoax too.

Hmmm.....anything can happen.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Trump won't step down if ...