What legacy do you think Donald Trump will leave behind in America when he finally steps down from the Oval Office?
The greatest legacy that the current President will leave behind once he is out of office, whether that is voluntarily or involuntarily, will be an electorate who is again empowered to stand up for the rights of the citizenry, for the Constitution, and for real American values.The current administration is doing what Hillary Clinton could never have done had she won the Presidency in 2016. Voters have been woken up out of our self-satisfied slumber and been reminded of how fragile the progress is that we have made in the past decades. We realize now how easily we can lose the right to expect that the people of this country will be respected by those who run our government, how easily our welfare can be sacrificed so that the wealthy can become wealthier and so that corporations can increase their profit levels.The millions of Americans who earned their Medicare coverage and Social Security income through decades of hard work are joining with all those who fight for decent care for the poor through Medicaid, CHIP, DACA, and other support programs. We are standing up to those who would steal the money we have put into these programs during our working life or cut back necessary aid programs to the poor, the disabled, and the newcomer.This is a powerful legacy — millions of citizens and other members of our community who are standing up, marching, and speaking out and millions of citizens voting to restore our country to its status as the land of the free and the home of the brave. We are taking back our country from those like our current President who willfully and neglectfully toss our birthright away for their own profit.Just imaging it — millions of people marching on every city in this country demanding our rights and our country back! This will be the legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency!
How do I respond to a claim by my colleauge that Obama will not leave office in 2017?
I believe it's the 22nd Amendment that prohibits more than 2 terms as a POTUS. Obama HAS in the past made comments that this Constitutional Law is archaic and out dated ( just as he says of the Bill of Rights ). With the "sissy", spineless Congress we have in both houses, it would NOT be hard at all to pass an Amendment to that Law, permitting a 3rd or even 4th term and the country would be unable to stop it. Obama has CLEARLY demonstrated his contempt for the Constitution on a dozen occasions and Congress STILL refuses to act to stop his continued violations of our Laws. There are millions of Americans who DO believe Obama WILL try and force some change, to permit an additional term. His problem is, he won the reelection by a small percentage and now with Obamacare becoming more of a disaster, the odds drop considerably. And never forget Obama's Executive Order power, which he has used frequently. And the simple "threat" of calling Marital Law into play. Many options for a corrupt and power hungry man.
Leaving the United States if Trump wins?
To begin, this is not for Trump supporters to bombard my question with how much they love Trump. But who of you have considered leaving the U.S. if Trump so happens to win the 2016 election? Where would you go and why? I am considering somewhere in central america because it s cheap and warm. But I do plan to move back after 4-8 years after he is out of office.
Should Donald Trump be forced out of taking office?
Unless someone can prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that he committed a disqualifying felony before the election the answer is “No”. Of course, since he wouldn’t actually have been tried by a jury of his peers and given the opportunity to confront his accusers in open court the answer is still “No”.Once he is President he would have to commit some “high crime and misdemeanor” (maybe like lying under oath in a civil suit, but I digress) and then removed by the impeachment process.So, NO.When Barack Obama won the first time there was nowhere near the level of unhinged hysteria on the part of the right about preventing BHO from taking office. There were concerns, sound ones as it developed, about the man’s policies. But no ranting about keeping him out of office, or demonstrating against the election results, or threats to leave the country. If one needed a nutshell (maybe that connection stays) comparison of conservatives and progressives it’s the absence of hyperemotional outbursts from the former about defeat or setback and the over the top emotionalism of the latter in similar situations.Just sayin’.
Why didn’t Obama get to nominate/appoint the Supreme Court Judge?
My assumption is that you are talking about Merrick Garland. Once Justice Scalia died, the Constitution says the President SHALL nominate a judge, in this case, for the Supreme Court. Obama, did do that, thus fulfilling his requirement via the Constitution.The Senate is a co-equal branch of government. Meaning, the President does not govern them, they are his equals, just in a different branch of government. Once the Senate receives the nomination, it is totally up to them what they do with it. There are no Constitutional requirements for them to act on it. They have no duty to have a hearing, though that has been the tradition. They have no duty to have a vote, though that to has been the tradition.Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell decided to roll the dice, see who became president, and then deal with the situation. By leaving the office of Supreme Court Justice open, it gave his base a strong reason for showing up at the polls.That is exactly how it worked out. The turn out of those voting Republican swamped those voting Democrat, in enough states to give the election to Trump. Everything Mitch McConnell did was perfectly fine under the rules of the Senate. The rules of the Senate, under the Constitution, are determined by the Senator and no one else. The President has no say in what they are. This is the theory and practice, in this case, of the separation of powers, and is the bulwark against a dictator, or an all to self possessed president. It serves as a check on her/him.Whether it was cricket, or fair , is another matter, but in Washington D.C. one is dealing with politics and power, and anything that can be done, and succeeds, is approved of, and remembered for when the tides change.
Do you believe that Mike Pence would be a better president than Donald Trump? Or would he ultimately do more harm to America than Donald Trump will?
Pence would probably be more effective as a President when it comes to dealing with Congress. Perhaps even on the international front, he won't say as much as Trump to piss off other countries.But when it comes to liberals Pence should have them in fear of what his policies would be. The guy is far to the right. He is just barely left of the Mormon Church, and I'm not even sure of that.I think he would be a continuation of Trump, but even more intense on many issues. Needless to say the guy basically tried to outlaw Gays in Indiana. Abortion and Gay Marriage would be squarely in his sights if given the opportunity.Pence knows how to work the political system in DC. He is more of a finesse guy than Trump will ever be. I don't think we would see or hear nearly as much of a President Pence, but behind the scenes he would be quietly working every angle available. He knows how to hold his mouth right. We certainly wouldn't be getting daily/hourly Tweets from the Oval Office.I can lean pretty far to the right, yet I don't get out there where Pence lives. I don't find Pence electable for the Presidency. So we are probably looking at a place holder presidency at best. I don't see Trump resigning either so he would have to be forced out.I'd really like to see what Mueller is going to do. How Trump left office would be a great influence on anything that Pence could hope to achieve. No matter how Trump left office I think Pence would be to tainted to ever win a Presidential Election.Of the two I prefer Trump as President of the United States. The best thing that would come out of a Pence Presidency is that CNN ratings would drop dramatically, or they would have to go back to some real journalism.
Trump probably won't step down if he loses the next election. Is there a title better than president or dictator in this scenario?
The other answers all state the correct facts and law — if he loses the election, he ceases to be president, and then the various organizations that “protect the Office of the President” will remove a criminal trespasser from the White House.The End.So, if he can’t just not step down, how might he try staying in office? What tools does he have?Any attempt at retaining power would likely start years before the next election. For the 2020 election, massive voter suppression actions would be put in place to suppress enough Democratic party voters to ensure easy victory. This would delay the 22nd Amendment (presidential term limits) for four years. Assuming that’s successful (current polling has him losing re-election in 2020), a more aggressive set of behaviors would be needed to overcome the 22nd Amendment and cast doubt on the results of the 2020 election.The best tactic to call into question the entire 2020 election would be massive interference by a foreign government. The Constitution doesn’t have a mechanism for handling an utterly invalid election. The general election is held, Electors are elected, the Electoral College meets, and then the “real” election happens. Somehow the Electors would have to refuse to vote or refuse to certify the results, or something else of that sort. Mostly, there would have to be enough of these “rogue Electors” willing to participate in this kind of scam.So, let’s assume they do that. The Electoral College says “Hey, there was outside interference and we just can’t pick a President, so the current one has to stay.” Well, the Constitution doesn’t just let the president “stay”. If the Electoral College fails to elect a president, the process moves to the House. If the House fails to elect a president, the Vice-President Elect acts as president. This keeps going on for a while — it is presumable that the Senate could fail to elect a Vice-President. At that point, the Constitution seems to run out of options. Infinite regression stops, sooner or later.So, yes, if the current president can rig an almost never-ending stream of events so that the election is invalidated, the Electoral College is dead-locked, the House doesn’t select a replacement, the Senate doesn’t select a Vice President, presumably then, and only then, could the current president claim to be the only valid successor. And note — the Constitution doesn’t have a mechanism for an “early vote”.Otherwise, he’d just be arrested to wild cheers of “Lock Him Up!”