Donald Trump and maga Republicans enabling fear and anger to justify dictator behavior- Impeach Trump Again!
"If a Democratic president did any of these things, Republican outrage would be biblical," Jonah Goldberg.
Trump exaggerates D.C. crime rate to justify federal troops
The Trump quest for power is unparalleled in our country’s history. There is no state of emergency that requires the federalization of the police force in D.C.
The Trump quest for power is unparalleled in our country’s history. There is no state of emergency that requires the federalization of the police force in D.C.
Trump is using the wrongminded decision to fill cities with Democratic mayors with National Guard troops is his display that says he controls the streets. It' part of his campaign to terrorize cities and people who do not back him. But Americans do not have to buy the terror he is selling.
Jonah Goldberg reports, in the last month, the president sent troops -- now armed -- into the District of Columbia ostensibly to combat an ill-defined crime "emergency." Because of the District's special constitutional status, he has the authority to do so. But he's already talking about taking the show on the road to Chicago, Baltimore and New York, all cities that just happen to be run by Democrats.
Jonah Goldberg reports, in the last month, the president sent troops -- now armed -- into the District of Columbia ostensibly to combat an ill-defined crime "emergency." Because of the District's special constitutional status, he has the authority to do so. But he's already talking about taking the show on the road to Chicago, Baltimore and New York, all cities that just happen to be run by Democrats.
The D.C. gambit -- following an earlier scheme in Los Angeles -- is partly intended to force Democrats to talk about crime (which they are very bad at). But it also seems intended to normalize using the army on American soil, at the whim of the president, an idea directly contrary to the law and constitutional order.
The Trump administration has acquired a 10% stake of Intel and wants more such "deals." It raided the home of a prominent critic, John Bolton, without much explanation.
Annoyed by commentary from former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the president threatened to re-open a criminal investigation in which Christie was already cleared of wrongdoing. Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for releasing data he did not like, and fired the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency allegedly for a preliminary finding that contradicted his claims of military success (this on the heels of earlier Pentagon purges).
Trump successfully ordered a pliant Texas Republican governor and legislature -- elected officials who do not answer to the federal government -- to redraw state maps to produce more Republican friendly districts. He has declared he will lead an effort to dictate how elections are conducted -- a function he has no legal or constitutional authority over -- on the grounds that the states are merely "agents" of the federal government.
Since taking office, Trump has lawlessly defied Congress' explicit instruction to force the sale or termination of the Chinese spyware social media app, TikTok. The White House recently opened a TikTok account.
Democrats raised alarms about this hardly exhaustive list. They are obviously correct about the GOP's staggering hypocrisy. If a Democratic president did any of these things, Republican outrage would be biblical.
Trump successfully ordered a pliant Texas Republican governor and legislature -- elected officials who do not answer to the federal government -- to redraw state maps to produce more Republican friendly districts. He has declared he will lead an effort to dictate how elections are conducted -- a function he has no legal or constitutional authority over -- on the grounds that the states are merely "agents" of the federal government.
Since taking office, Trump has lawlessly defied Congress' explicit instruction to force the sale or termination of the Chinese spyware social media app, TikTok. The White House recently opened a TikTok account.
Democrats raised alarms about this hardly exhaustive list. They are obviously correct about the GOP's staggering hypocrisy. If a Democratic president did any of these things, Republican outrage would be biblical.
But the issue is bigger than that.
Echo published in the Culpeper Star news:
For my entire adult life, when conservatives raised concerns about the government intruding on constitutional rules and norms, Democrats (and the media) almost invariably responded with contemptuous eye-rolling and mockery. This is one of the reasons the new right no longer cares much about those rules and norms. They've convinced themselves that the left only cares about such things when they constrain Republicans. Contempt breeds more contempt. Norms for thee, unrestrained power for me is a surefire way to destroy all norms.
I'm not saying that what Trump is doing isn't worse than what Democrats did -- or wanted to do, but failed. But in our politics, the ratchet effect always leads to ever greater violations, in part because each side wildly exaggerates the other's transgressions.
Point out that Trump is weaponizing the justice system or profiting off government, the reply is "they did it first." There's some truth there. But when Democrats did such things, Republicans shrieked it was wrong. Now one team's wrongness is justification for even more wrongness. (Maine Writer- IMO, this statement by Goldberg is over stated.....I do not believe Republicans should be able to get away with this kind of rationalization❗)
Partisanship is not new. But partisans used to respect the rules as a way to ensure they were followed when their team was out of power. That's what has been lost: the idea that the rules should apply to your team, too.
Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch: thedispatch.com.
For my entire adult life, when conservatives raised concerns about the government intruding on constitutional rules and norms, Democrats (and the media) almost invariably responded with contemptuous eye-rolling and mockery. This is one of the reasons the new right no longer cares much about those rules and norms. They've convinced themselves that the left only cares about such things when they constrain Republicans. Contempt breeds more contempt. Norms for thee, unrestrained power for me is a surefire way to destroy all norms.
I'm not saying that what Trump is doing isn't worse than what Democrats did -- or wanted to do, but failed. But in our politics, the ratchet effect always leads to ever greater violations, in part because each side wildly exaggerates the other's transgressions.
Point out that Trump is weaponizing the justice system or profiting off government, the reply is "they did it first." There's some truth there. But when Democrats did such things, Republicans shrieked it was wrong. Now one team's wrongness is justification for even more wrongness. (Maine Writer- IMO, this statement by Goldberg is over stated.....I do not believe Republicans should be able to get away with this kind of rationalization❗)
Partisanship is not new. But partisans used to respect the rules as a way to ensure they were followed when their team was out of power. That's what has been lost: the idea that the rules should apply to your team, too.
Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch: thedispatch.com.
Labels: Culpeper Star, Democrats, GOP, hypocrisy, Jonah Goldberg, The Dispatch, Washington D.C.
posted by Juliana L'Heureux | 8:27 AM
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