[WasWinM]

The SCOTUS is making Congress powerless when they are supposed to be co-equal

[barmar]

 WasWinM, on 2025-September-09, 15:49, said:

The SCOTUS is making Congress powerless when they are supposed to be co-equal

How?

Since the current Congress has little interest in checking Trump's power grabs, I don't think it really matters what the Court does.

[WasWinM]

barmar, on 2025-September-11, 10:47, said:

How?

Since the current Congress has little interest in checking Trump's power grabs, I don't think it really matters what the Court does.

If is indeed a two-headed beast.

[WasWinM]

Chief Justice Roberts may have delivered a fatal blow to the republic when he created a new constitution in order to keep Trump out of prison.

[barmar]

WasWinM, on 2025-September-22, 17:42, said:

Chief Justice Roberts may have delivered a fatal blow to the republic when he created a new constitution in order to keep Trump out of prison.

That got me thinking: Could any of the conservatives on SCOTUS be planning a presidential run, but first they want to erode all the checks on POTUS? That's playing the long game!

[WasWinM]

I really doubt it. These are true believers in hierarchy, with the president on top. The unitary executive theory on steroids.

[johnu]

WasWinM, on 2025-September-24, 20:17, said:

I really doubt it. These are true believers in hierarchy, with the president on top. The unitary executive theory on steroids.

The 6 Convicted Felon Trump cult members in the MAGA supermajority in the Supreme Court don't really believe in a unitary executive. They believe in a MAGA dictatorship. If Harris had been elected president, they would have done everything in their power to limit her authority and power. And when the next Democrat is elected president, expect the MAGA cult members to do a Roe V Wade style flip-flop and reverse their previous rulings that made Convicted Felon Trump more powerful.

[WasWinM]

What the SCOTUS is doing is making law irrelevant, just another tool the authoritarian can use to compel compliance.

These are the birth pangs of revolution.

[jillybean]

The Daily Show, John Stewart and Jacinda Ardern on A Different Kind of Power and some humour.
Jacinda Ardern , "just doing the right thing".

I've said before, I don't understand USA Politics but as I watch what is happening, I wonder if the USA can ever return to the kind, empathetic leadership Jacinda refers to or if we have reached a tipping point and the worldwide decline of Democracy will continue.

[a_user]

Who could have imagined that Trump's plan to stay out of foreign wars was intended to save troops to invade Portland.

[johnu]

a_user, on 2025-September-27, 18:54, said:

Who could have imagined that Trump's plan to stay out of foreign wars was intended to save troops to invade Portland.

Poland is low on the priorities for the US military. First, Convicted Felon Trump needs all the troops available for invading US cities and occupying city parks and streets, anywhere where people might protest his US dictatorship. Then Convicted Felon Trump also needs troops on standby to invade Greenland, the Panama canal, and Canada.

[benellis58]

It didn't take Convicted Felon Trump long to turn the USA into a combination police state and banana republic. I have no sympathy for the morons who voted for him but I feel sorry for all the intelligent citizens who didn't.

[a_user]

johnu, on 2025-September-28, 02:03, said:

Poland is low on the priorities for the US military. First, Convicted Felon Trump needs all the troops available for invading US cities and occupying city parks and streets, anywhere where people might protest his US dictatorship. Then Convicted Felon Trump also needs troops on standby to invade Greenland, the Panama canal, and Canada.

Poland?

[johnu]

a_user, on 2025-September-28, 07:00, said:

Poland?

Too many places where Convicted Felon Trump wants to send US military troops. Chicago, New York, Seattle, Baltimore, San Francisco ....

Trump offers more US troops to Poland's nationalist president

Good thing Convicted Felon Trump thinks he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. Things would be really bad if he didn't care about peace.

[WasWinM]

I think Donny has Peace Prize confused with Piece Prize

[barmar]

jillybean, on 2025-September-25, 21:03, said:

I've said before, I don't understand USA Politics but as I watch what is happening, I wonder if the USA can ever return to the kind, empathetic leadership Jacinda refers to or if we have reached a tipping point and the worldwide decline of Democracy will continue.

Many political scientists think it's unlikely.

Politicians rarely give back powers that they've achieved, and this goes to both sides. So a future Democrat POTUS (assuming redistricting allows them to get elected in the first place) will almost certainly take advantage of the unitary executive abilities to do what they want.

However, much of what Trump is doing is not based on actually having these powers, he's just depending on Congress and SCOTUS not pushing back. Many of the SCOTUS rulings have only been on the shadow docket, and these aren't precedent-setting.