Separation Of Powers

Chief Justice John Roberts: A Total Disappointment And Disaster!

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Chief Justice John Roberts has been the leader of the Supreme Court now for 20 years, fourth longest service of the 17 Chief Justices since 1789.

Roberts came on the court as a “moderate conservative”, appointed by George W. Bush in 2005 right after Chief Justice William Rehnquist died, and the day before Roberts was to begin hearings to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, replacing the retiring Sandra Day O’Connor.

Fate would have it that due to the death of the Chief Justice, suddenly Roberts would be elevated to a special status of being the leader of the Court.

Roberts came across for many years as “reasonable”, including when he “saved” the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) in a court decision in 2013.

Roberts always spoke of the need for balance and reasonableness, but in reality, that was a false, misleading image of him.

Now, 20 years in, Roberts is revealed as a phony, who has moved the Court toward the extreme Right, and shocked people with statements in recent years that reveal just how Right Wing he is.

For instance, he has said that racism is no longer an issue, which is totally preposterous and outrageous.

He has led a Court that has brought Donald Trump to have awesome power and has undermined the separation of powers, and he has contributed to what is becoming an authoritarian and Fascist Presidency, undermining American democracy and the rule of law.

So Roberts will go down in history as a tragedy and disaster, and his reputation long term will be in tatters!

And now, the Voting Rights Act is being challenged in the Court, which could destroy the idea of representation for minorities, and making the possibility of a white dominated House of Representatives, that could make the Republican Party dominant into the future.

And if that happens in this Supreme Court term, the Roberts Court will have sealed its reputation of returning American to the time of JIM CROW, and white supremacy, which was overcome by the Civil Rights Movement and the massive positive contribution of President Lyndon B. Johnson and the “Great Society” in the 1960s!

Trump Attack On The Smithsonian Institution, Library Of Congress, Copyright Office, Kennedy Center: An Attack On Truth And Facts Of American History And Culture!

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Donald Trump has unleashed an attack on the Smithsonian Institution and its various museums, including the National African American Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the proposed National Women’s History Museum, and the proposed National Latino Museum in particular; on the Library of Congress, on the US Copyright Office; and on the Kennedy Center For Performing Arts.

This is endangering the quest for facts and truth regarding the American historical past, and on American culture at large.

It is also interfering with the separation of powers, with agencies that the Executive Branch should have no power over, and should not be able to fire their leadership, but Trump has gone ahead and done so, anyway! This is Executive Branch overreach to the extreme!

The nation is in a crisis over so many issues, but interference with these institutions is something that Congress MUST stop in its tracks, for the safety and survival of these crucial organizations!

Checks And Balances, Separation Of Powers, And The Constitution After 236 Years!

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The American Constitution, adopted between 1787 and 1789, has gone through multiple crises, including most notably the Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Great Recession, and the COVID 19 Pandemic.

Through it all, the basic belief in American democracy and freedom has held, due to strong leadership in Congress and the Presidency.

But now, America faces a very severe threat to our system of checks and balances and separation of powers, as Donald Trump and his Billionaire supporters, and most notably Elon Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, are posing a massive threat and disrupting our economic, social, and foreign policy.

Donald Trump in just 24 days has been acting like a revolutionary leader, creating a whirlwind of constant crises and challenges.

It is difficult to keep up with the chaos which is assisted by MAGA followers and Republicans willing to give up their oversight over the Executive branch.

The role of the news media, the Democratic Party in the states and in Congress, and massive numbers of lawsuits, as well as public demonstrations and support, are the only way to prevent the threat of Fascism.

This is a time to pay attention, and be constantly active in pursuit of the truth, and the abuses of power that are being waged.

This is not a time to turn our heads and ignore what is happening, as that would just insure an authoritarian dictatorship!

Russell Vought, The Destroyer Of The Federal Government Work Force And Agencies!

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The confirmation of Russell Vought as the head of the Office of Management and Budget in the Trump Administration is a danger sign to the issue of federal civil service employees and federal oversight on a host of issues and policies.

This man is a “wrecking crew”, considered by Democrats as the most dangerous of all Trump nominees, as he is a prime author of Project 2025, which is a right wing declaration of war on federal regulations in so many areas, including as examples, the environment, consumer protection, civil rights, labor protections, and separation of powers. He also is an advocate of Christian Nationalism.

Vought believes the Presidency should be more centralized and not be accountable to Congress and the courts, so he is promoting anarchy, chaos, and endorsement of what would be authoritarian Fascism, if it is not stopped by those who believe in the survival of American democracy and the rule of law!

Mike Pence Proves He Is A Coward, Unwilling To Testify About Trump Threat To His Life On January 6, 2021!

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Former Vice President Mike Pence will go down in history as one of the most ineffective and cowardly Vice Presidents.

Pence has refused to testify before the January 6, 2021 House Committee investigation of the US Capitol Insurrection, claiming “separation of powers” prevents it!

This is pure poppycock, as Pence needs to testify and hold Donald Trump accountable, especially considering that he was the target of a possible lynching on January 6, 2021, provoked by his “boss”, Donald Trump!

Pence demonstrates he has no principle and no concern about the dangers that day’s events represented, and as Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois has stated, he will not go down in the annals of history in a positive light!

Concept Of Political Coalition Against Donald Trump: Does History Tell Us It Could Work In America?

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Thomas Friedman, esteemed columnist for the NEW YORK TIMES, suggested in a recent column that the concept of a political coalition against Donald Trump might be the way to prevent him from coming back to power in the Presidential Election of 2024.

So Friedman suggests the following possible coalition tickets of a Democrat and an anti Trump Republican:

Joe Biden–Liz Cheney

Joe Biden–Lisa Murkowski

Kamala Harris–Mitt Romney

Stacy Abrams–Liz Cheney

Any Klobuchar–Liz Cheney

Friedman makes the comparison to the present coalition government in Israel, but Israel has a Prime Minister and a parliamentary system, which is totally different than our Presidential-Congress system of separation of powers.

And if one looks at past past attempts to have a Vice President who is not part of the majority party at the time, just look at John Tyler, not a Whig, under William Henry Harrison, who then had horrible time and constant turmoil after Harrison died after one month in office in 1841.

Or even better, Andrew Johnson, NOT a Republican, running with Abraham Linoln in 1864, and succeeding him after six weeks, and the horrible relationship and disaster of Johnson as President, facing impeachment and constant vitriol, much of it incited by his own prickly personality.

There was talk in 1968, of Hubert Humphrey selecting Nelson Rockefeller; of 2004, of John Kerry selecting John McCain; of 2008, of John McCain selecting Joe Lieberman. None of those would ever have been able to work out, and elect Humphrey, Kerry, or McCain.

Also, in the run up to 2020, some thought of a John Kasich-John Hickenlooper unity ticket, as an alternative to Donald Trump, and it never got off the ground!

And really, Liz Cheney, with strong right wing views on every topic except the danger of Donald Trump, paring with Biden? That is NOT serious, and Stacy Abrams or Amy Klobuchar paring with Cheney, so two women on the ticket, really?

And Mitt Romney running with Harris, really, with his strong criticism of Biden policies, and unwillingness to even back voting rights legislation?

The only one of these pairings that sounds at all logical, but really is not so, is Biden with Lisa Murkowski, the most acceptable Republican in national office, but how would Biden convince Harris why he has to “dump” her as Vice President?

28 True Conservatives Who Support Removal Of Donald Trump As Violator Of Separation Of Powers And Rule Of Law

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As the Donald Trump impeachment trial begins, it is clear that a true conservative would support his removal from the Oval Office on the basis of his violation of the separation of power and the rule of law.

The list is long, including, among others the following 28 in no special order:

George Conway

Steve Schmidt

John Weaver

Rick Wilson

Jennifer Rubin

Charlie Dent

Richard Painter

Max Boot

George Will

Joe Scarborough

John Kasich

Jeff Flake

Mia Love

Bill Kristol

Even McMullin

Mike Murphy

Justin Amash

Bill Weld

Joe Walsh

Susan Del Percio

Elise Jordan

Michael Steele

Nicole Wallace

Rick Tyler

Amanda Carpenter

Charlie Sykes

Carlos Curbelo

Tom Ridge

Nikki Haley Has Damaged Her Image Irreparably With Criticism Of Rex Tillerson And John Kelly Opposition To Donald Trump, And Her Laudatory Endorsement Of Trump

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Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, earlier Governor of South Carolina, always had a good reputation, including her opposition to Donald Trump’s candidacy in 2016 for the Presidency.

When she agreed, however, to be his UN Ambassador, her image was harmed, although she came across as one of a very few Trump appointees not involved in corruption nor in unseemly advocacy of horrific policies.

There is no question that Haley has political ambitions, but her decision to criticize former Trump appointees Rex Tillerson and John Kelly for trying to recruit her to undermine Trump, makes her look totally unable to see the danger that Trump represents in both domestic and foreign policy, and on the issue of separation of powers.

It seems clear that Haley is trying to undermine Vice President Mike Pence, and possibly replace him as the Vice Presidential nominee in 2020.

This shows she has no principles, decency, ethics, morals, or scruples other than her own advancement. She is totally delusional, when she says Trump was always truthful, and that she had no doubts about his capability to be President, a mind boggling assertion on her part! How could she say that Trump listened well, and that she always enjoyed working with him, when we know that Trump is on a constant rampage of anger on Twitter and in public statements?

So she has lost a lot of decent Americans who wanted to believe she was a quality figure, a rare one, but now it is clear she has no concern except her own aggrandizement. She is willing to see the destruction of the Republican Party by her constant endorsement of the worst President in American history, a denial of all GOP Presidents of the past!

So Nikki Haley is just another typical disgraceful Republican who should be repudiated for future political office, as she is willing to accept the lawless, abuse of power, and obstruction of justice of Donald Trump!

Time For Republican Senators To Be Held To Account: Are They For Good Of Nation And Constitution Or Party And Self Interest?

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The series of escalating events surrounding Donald Trump’s abuse of power and a legion of impeachable offenses is ever worse now with the revelation that Trump was pressuring the government of Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who was involved in business dealings with a Ukrainian company.

The push for impeachment is ever greater, as it is another example of collusion with a foreign government, this time Ukraine, while in 2016, it was Russian collusion that helped Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton for the White House.

So an impeachment inquiry was inevitable, with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announcing, finally, an impeachment inquiry this afternoon.

Many say there is no point to impeachment, as there will be no conviction and removal by the two thirds majority needed in the Senate.

But that was not a factor in the Andrew Johnson impeachment, nor the Bill Clinton impeachment, with the case against both Johnson and Clinton very weak, as compared to Richard Nixon, and now Donald Trump.

The point is that in 1974, courageous Republicans let Nixon know they would not support him in an impeachment trial, and he resigned.

This is now what Republicans need to do when an impeachment trial comes to the Senate. The message must be that if you vote to support a lawless President, public outrage will work to defeat you in the next election for your seat, and your reputation in history will be in tatters, as you are endorsing the destruction of the checks and balances and separation of powers that make the American Constitution work.

Republicans’ feet must be held to the fire, and no excuses will be accepted.

So Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Susan Collins, and others who like themselves to be seen as moderate conservatives need to show courage and guts and do the right thing.

And those who cater to Donald Trump, and know better, such as Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, John Cornyn, John Thune, and a multitude of others, the wrath visited against all of you will be massive, and you will regret supporting a man who has no ethics, no morals, no scruples, and is out to destroy the Constitution of rule of law.

It is time for a Profile in Courage on a massive scale!

Is Chief Justice John Roberts On Road To Judicial Leadership Of John Marshall, Charles Evans Hughes, And Earl Warren?

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Chief Justice John Roberts is clearly a conservative on the Supreme Court, but he is also very much aware of and concerned about the turmoil in American society, and concerned about the long term reputation of the Court, as well as his own historical image, since he has a sense of history.

So Roberts has surprised Court watchers in some of his decisions, and he has emerged as the “swing” vote on the Court, as only he can prevent the Court from going so hard to the Right that it will lose its image of being an institution that promotes fairness and equity under the Constitution.

So expect that John Roberts will become a true judicial leader on the level of John Marshall (1801-1835), Charles Evans Hughes (1930-1941), and Earl Warren (1953-1969).

These three Chief Justices, generally acknowledged as the three greatest of the 16 previous Chief Justices before Roberts came to the Court in 2005, all demonstrated courage and principle, and came into conflict with Presidents.

Marshall had to deal with the strong opposition of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, while Charles Evans Hughes had Franklin D. Roosevelt challenging the Court during the Great Depression, and Earl Warren steered the Court in a direction not always agreed with by Republicans Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon.

Now John Roberts has to deal with Donald Trump, who he has already issued a criticism, when Trump spoke of “Obama Judges”, “Bush Judges”, and “Clinton Judges”, with Roberts asserting there is no such thing as judges based on a President, but rather judges adhering to the Constitution as they see it.

This makes it quite clear to many observers that Roberts is ready to take a more moderate stand than he does typically, as he did in saving the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) in 2012.

Expect Roberts to side, if necessary, with the four “liberals” on the Court (chosen by Bill Clinton and Barack Obama), with the constitutional crisis that has clearly arisen, including trying to convince the four conservatives selected by both President Bushes and even the two Trump judges, to consider how the Court was unanimous in curbing President Richard Nixon in the Watergate Scandal 45 years ago, and Bill Clinton in the Paula Jones lawsuit 22 years ago.

It is the Supreme Court that is being looked to as the ultimate government branch to rein in a President far more abusive than Richard Nixon, and to reassert separation of powers and checks and balances.