Do the math. There’s 300 million of us and 1 of him. He will definitely go.
1 Like
He will kick and scream. But it is hard coded in the Constitution that he will go bye bye on January 20th, and there aren’t enough bootlickers in the government to somehow prevent his removal. But yes, he will be bitching about it until he dies.
That is - if he loses. Get out to vote. I have decided to go to the polls in November not matter what, as I feel it is less likely to get shoved under the rug for “irregularities”.
2 Likes
Should they land the chopper first or just drop him off and come back in case the new president wants a lift? Asking for friends of the U.S.
2 Likes
Nope. Their terms end concurrently.
4 Likes
If there’s no Electoral College vote, then there’s no Vice President elect either.
5 Likes
Neither the military, nor secret service are super loyal to Trump as an individual. They have nothing to gain by backing a boneheaded refusal to exit.
I picture a rather unflattering and ignominious departure followed by finding WH china patterns and silverware in his luggage upon being searched.
2 Likes
In the 244 years of our country’s history we’ve never had to remove a President, because we’ve never had a President who refused to cooperate with the peaceful transition of power. That is likely to change this November and we’d be naive to assume we know how such a scenario would play out.
10 Likes
without his enablers, Trump could never have done this much damage. Without his enablers, Trump won’t have the wherewithal to stamp his feet and refuse to come out.
I don’t even think there needs to be an exchange with his enablers, in order to convey the consequences of his actions. We know who his enablers are. We know what will happen to the country -and to these fuckers- if he does not leave office in January. All that’s needed is for them to understand, too. Sometime soon after the November election, I expect some “come to Jesus” monologues directed at this audience.
2 Likes
A lot of that has to do with having a military that still considers itself “Citizen soldiers” as opposed to a a separate subculture. There is little impetus to keep a dictator around to maintain their status. They are not so much Trump enablers here as being reluctantly dragged into his messes.
2 Likes
That’s the wrong math. There’s only ever one person who takes the head position in a situation like that and always a bunch who oppose it, yet they often manage to take power. The real math is how much of their support system is willing to go along with him and how many people are willing to rise in meaningful opposition. Know one knows those numbers. While I think he’s spectacularly unlikely to take and hold office after losing, I also don’t think the odds in that scenario look anything like 300 million to 1.
2 Likes
Sure, but my point is that people like McConnell – the GOP cabal which is Turmp’s power base within government – derive their own individual power from the election process. When defence contractors or insurance companies wish to purchase a new law, the sanctity of elections (and nothing else) means they have to buy it from a specific congressperson.
If you say elections don’t matter, and switch to a straight-up dictatorship, then that form of power no longer exists. In a dictatorship, the power is held by bureaucrats and blackmailers, and offices like Senator are just ceremonial sinecures for retired generals and the like. It’s not that Mitch McConnell gets replaced as a Senator; it’s that the role becomes meaningless and he loses all his influence.
I don’t imagine for one second that the GOP has any moral objection to dictatorship. But what they do have is self-interest, and it doesn’t involve handing absolute power to some carpetbagger who wouldn’t piss on them if they were on fire. A Biden win leaves the GOP with a lot of power, and lets them continue scheming for more; a Turmp coup shuts down their whole grift for good.
I’d also note that if a coup were on the cards, the last time you’d choose is right after an election proving the public doesn’t support you. Typically you’d declare martial law in response to a real or manufactured crisis, and then “suspend” elections in the name of stability. Anyway Turmp doesn’t have the charisma or drive or wit for that, as he’s a pan-seared dog prolapse whom no one has ever liked.
That’s exactly my point – they back him because it gives them power, and they’d throw him under the bus (with relish) on the same basis.
4 Likes
So perhaps we shouldn’t be encouraging them to think that?
1 Like
Like I said, he may stop and snort, but I don’t see how the people who actually run the government would allow him to stay. Many of the appointee positions also stop being positions on Jan 20th too.
I’d have more fear if the military supported him, but they don’t.
Plus we are counting chickens before they hatch. We run a risk of an election in the middle of 2nd worse wave. They are already disenfranchising large swaths of voters (see the stories on Georgia from last week election.) The Electoral College makes winning with out the popular vote possible. I have more worry about this and encourage mobilizing the vote.
2 Likes
I’m saying two things:
-
I can’t be sure that whoever has the responsibility to escort Trump out of office will be up to the task, because until now no one has ever been saddled with the responsibility of escorting a U.S. President out of office against his will. I’m not even sure it’s legally clear who that would be. He’d probably be kicked out eventually, but it would get messy.
-
If Trump does not cooperate with the peaceful transition of power it could quite feasibly trigger a civil war. Even if the U.S. Military and other government agencies unanimously back the new President, Trump’s refusal to concede will convince millions of his (angry, unstable and well-armed) supporters that he was ousted in a military coup and the only patriotic course of action is to resist with any means available.
7 Likes
The Left? Trump makes your average Centrist look like a Stalinist!
3 Likes
I like your edit! Ball-gagged, or even duct taped would be such a sight to see!!!
1 Like
I think a few crazies would get off a few shots. But if the real protests vs. the white armed protests in state capitals is any indication, they are a bunch of scaredy-cats and the vast majority of them won’t do shit, but will cower at home in fear.
4 Likes
Biden thinks the military will intervene. Democrats had better have a good plan to back this up. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/11/joe-biden-donald-trump-military-election-lose
1 Like
Yes, that backup plan would be a wave of recalls and special elections that sweeps the nation. Starts in blue strongholds and then spreads steadily to purple areas and finally well enough into red territory that a majority is able to push Trump out of office via impeachment and conviction. Not the preferred route. But still within bounds of the Republic. Preferred route is insurrection! Wait, just kidding. Preferred route is a clean election in November if we can get it.
I am still not worried about the first one.
The second one - I acknowledge could be an issue. But it is going to be a tiny fraction of people who would do something that severe. Who are they going to attack ? The cops? The military? State government? Costcos?
Knock on wood these fears are just “what ifs” that never see the light of day.
