Trump's Second Term

The Don said:
I could be a grifto scheme but then again it could just he (yet) another example of the best funded military in the world wanting another big ticket, flashy, programme which many not actually have a practical use in the real world. "Golden Dome" - don't underestimate Trump's appetite for bling.
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Or it could be that Trump's plan for the US is to make it so hateful, unpopular and dangerous to the rest of the world that a golden dome will become necessary in the future. The main objection to that idea is that it would be uncharacteristic of our administration to plan ahead.
 
bruto said:
Or it could be that Trump's plan for the US is to make it so hateful, unpopular and dangerous to the rest of the world that a golden dome will become necessary in the future. The main objection to that idea is that it would be uncharacteristic of our administration to plan ahead.
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Genius strategy. Make the idea of going to the US so completely repellent that even missiles won't do it. Worthy of Douglas Adams.
 
Segnosaur said:
The question is, what happens if the courts say "you are doing things in an illegal way" but the administration does not change its actions, either by repeated appeals used as a delaying tactic, or outright ignoring the court rulings. What do they do then?
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In some cases the executive can say, "You don't get to rule on that because Separation of Powers." That's what Sec. Rubio was trying to do. In other cases the rhetoric is similar: "The President has broad, inherent Article II authority to enact his policy," which is another separation-of-powers argument. This language is starting to appear in court filings, but the claimants don't say which specific part of Article II gives them the authority to do that specific thing. These are all at least trying to reason.

Now we're at the point where the executive is saying, in so many words, that it won't respect court opinions. Indeed, what do we do with a lawless executive? The constitutional order in the United States requires at least some fidelity to the institutional concepts of government. The Framers (perhaps naively) assumed that everyone would be an Instituitionalist to some degree. And this is where the Roberts Court is presently. The Chief Justice writes as if he still trusts the Trump administration to do things nobly by the book. His unwillingness to hold the administration accountable will be the stain on his tenure.

Segnosaur said:
I suppose they could find the government in contempt, but would that stop Trump?
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I doubt it. And it might just give Congressional Republicans more ammunition for impeachments.

Segnosaur said:
And what would the punishment be? Would they start jailing various lawyers for Trump until they started to behave? Fine the government? Trump probably wouldn't care if either of those were done.
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In general you cannot hold the lawyers themselves liable unless they exercise discretion that is per se actionable. The lawyers represent the officers of government who are the decision-makers. Normally the court demands accountability from these parties by calling them as witnesses, placing them under oath, and making them individually accountable for the actions of the agencies they oversee. A lawyer representing the State Department in court is merely representing Sec. Rubio regardless of that lawyer's personal beliefs or sympathies. In the worst case, the Secretary of State can be called into court to give testimony regarding the lawfulness of his actions and may be held in contempt.

Segnosaur said:
Court rulings are only useful if you either 1) have people follow them voluntarily because they respect law and order, or 2) have people willing enforce any punishment. Its possible that neither of those apply.
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This is the impending crisis.
 
JayUtah said:
In some cases the executive can say, "You don't get to rule on that because Separation of Powers." That's what Sec. Rubio was trying to do. In other cases the rhetoric is similar: "The President has broad, inherent Article II authority to enact his policy," which is another separation-of-powers argument. This language is starting to appear in court filings, but the claimants don't say which specific part of Article II gives them the authority to do that specific thing. These are all at least trying to reason.

Now we're at the point where the executive is saying, in so many words, that it won't respect court opinions. Indeed, what do we do with a lawless executive? The constitutional order in the United States requires at least some fidelity to the institutional concepts of government. The Framers (perhaps naively) assumed that everyone would be an Instituitionalist to some degree. And this is where the Roberts Court is presently. The Chief Justice writes as if he still trusts the Trump administration to do things nobly by the book. His unwillingness to hold the administration accountable will be the stain on his tenure.


I doubt it. And it might just give Congressional Republicans more ammunition for impeachments.


In general you cannot hold the lawyers themselves liable unless they exercise discretion that is per se actionable. The lawyers represent the officers of government who are the decision-makers. Normally the court demands accountability from these parties by calling them as witnesses, placing them under oath, and making them individually accountable for the actions of the agencies they oversee. A lawyer representing the State Department in court is merely representing Sec. Rubio regardless of that lawyer's personal beliefs or sympathies. In the worst case, the Secretary of State can be called into court to give testimony regarding the lawfulness of his actions and may be held in contempt.


This is the impending crisis.
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When is a judge gonna grow some balls and hold people in contempt?
 
Tero said:
The Trump administration has vowed to end the ongoing shortage, unveiling a plan that includes creating new air traffic control centers
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The ones we already have are empty. The problem is controllers, not places for them to sit.

Tero said:
updating technology...
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...which has been sorely needed for years but recently ran afoul of funding hurdles caused by Republicans in Congress.

The attendant fear is that they'll just turn this over to Elon Musk who has more invested in his reputation as a galaxy-brain genius than in actually engineering critical infrastructure. And we'll be stuck with some Big Balls script-kiddie solution that breaks all the time for all new reasons and which relies heavily enough on Musk-provided technology that he'll continue on his path to trillionairehood on the backs of U.S. taxpayers.

Tero said:
...and speeding up hiring.
But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that it will take three to four years to train and certify new hires, which could leave the system strained in the meantime.
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...which is exactly the problem former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg identified. But the present administration made that worse by throwing the entire aviation regulation infrastructure into chaos and scaring off anyone who isn't a straight, white male. The shortage of qualified controllers was always a long-term problem. Sec. Duffy doesn't really get to say, "Please have patience while I clean up the mess I made so much worse."
 
Donald on his Big Beautiful Bill
Also something about Democrats open borders and transgender athletes.

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
“THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL” has PASSED the House of Representatives! This is arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country! The Bill includes MASSIVE Tax CUTS, No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, Tax Deductions when you purchase an American Made Vehicle, along with strong Border Security measures, Pay Raises for our ICE and Border Patrol Agents, Funding for the Golden Dome, “TRUMP Savings Accounts” for newborn babies, and much more! Great job by Speaker Mike Johnson, and the House Leadership, and thank you to every Republican who voted YES on this Historic Bill! Now, it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! There is no time to waste. The Democrats have lost control of themselves, and are aimlessly wandering around, showing no confidence, grit, or determination. They have forgotten their landslide loss in the Presidential Election, and are warped in the past, hoping someday to revive Open Borders for the World’s criminals to be able to pour into our Country, men to be able to play in women’s sports, and transgender for everybody. They don’t realize that these things, and so many more like them, will NEVER AGAIN happen!
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In other words, approval for dysfunctional fascism is up again, only 7% to go and he's got majority support. Apparently people are fine with economic collapse, rotting unpicked harvests, widespread human rights abuses, and a Constitutional crisis.
 
Suppose Federal Marshall Straightarrow, the country's last honest lawman, knocks on the door of the White House, arrest warrant in hand.

A Secret Service man opens. "Who're you? Watcha want?"

Straigharrow, jaw squared, replies, "I am here to arrest and take into custody one DONALD J. TRUMP. Stand aside!"

The SS boy snatches out his pistol. "Muh, don' try it! I pertect da prez from harm!"

Cool and correct, Straightarrow answers, "And I intend him no harm. This arrest will be carried out justly, legally, and, I can assure you, humanely, especially given the apprehanded's known physical frailty. Now: stand
aside --"

"NAGHH! GAAAAH! Never never never! DIE DIE DIE!" screams the SS man, as he begins frantically triggering a deafening volley of .40 auto at arm's reach range.

Will he eventually score a hit? Is this the realization of a new constitutional crisis? Tune in tomorrow, kids, and remember to Drink Oval Officetine!
 
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