President* Trump is so eager to complete hundreds of miles of border fence ahead of the 2020 presidential election that he has directed aides to fast-track billions of dollars’ worth of construction contracts, aggressively seize private land and disregard environmental rules, according to current and former officials involved with the project.Let's be clear about this: Trump is normalizing authoritarian behavior. What he is doing will be replicated by a Democrat.
He also has told worried subordinates that he will pardon them of any potential wrongdoing should they have to break laws to get the barriers built quickly, those officials said.
Funny thing, too: Conservatives were so, so outraged by Kelo v. City of New London and who cheered when Vera Coking fought off Trump's attempt to take her home for a parking lot are now silent about Trump's orders to aggressively confiscate the private property of American citizens to build an arbitrary portion of his fucking wall.
One might wonder if Trump's telling subordinates that he will pardon them if they break the law is enough to justify a conspiracy charge against Trump.
Also, as anyone who has ever seen a road project hurried, construction done at a rush is often as well-made as a Soviet apartment block.
But keep this in mind, conservatives: The tools that Trump picks up will be used by others in ways in which you will not approve.
Conservatives: You can stand behind Trump or you can stand behind the United States as a nation of laws. You no longer can do both.
12 comments:
“The tools that Trump picks up will be used by others in ways in which you will not approve.”
This is what our Conservative friends fail to realize. Make a norm of behavior that might hurt you, if someone else did it instead of your “hero”, is a very risky tightrope trick. The Patriot Act should have revulsed both sides intelligent Legislators, but they buckled under the pressure, and thus the slow descent of American Democracy intensified.
Kinda cheap, trying to conflate Kelo or Coking to the Border Wall. Taking of a person's private property and GIVING it or selling it to a developer isn't QUITE the same as the eminent domain takings for the wall (or a road or highway, or a library). Not the same thing, not at all. (Unless, of course, there are two standards...but I won't belabor that again)
And 'tis funny how y'all cheered the machinations of Congress and the Senate when your side wanted to change the rules to get the outcome that you approved of, but now you state “The tools that Trump picks up will be used by others in ways in which you will not approve”.
Funny how that seems to bring that same double standard into the light again, though.
B, Kinda like the double standard of the Repubs when they filibustered Obama's judicial appointments in the Senate during the Obama Administration. But when the Dem's tried to filibuster shortly after the election (Gorsuch) rules were put in place to curtail it. Seems that double standards, as you say, are not limited to one side.
Dale
Or how Mitch said a President shouldn’t get a Supreme nominee in their last year or two, it has to wait for an election...unless it’s a Republican President.
Dale:
I never said that the cheap tactics were limited to one side. I abhor it when anyone tries to do something as underhanded as both sides of our congressmen do.
And, again, how does using eminent domain for the Wall differ from using it for a road or interstate or public building? (except that y'all don't like the Wall)
I don’t remember any other President promising pardons for underlings breaking the law, B. You won’t address that fact because your “both sides do it” line of defense doesn’t work here.
Actually, Dr. Tam, there may be precedent for a president promising pardons to underlings for breaking the law. There's a fair bit of evidence pointing to Nixon promising to pardon Howard Hunt and James McCord in order to cover up Watergate. Doesn't help much with B's "both sides" argument though...
B, my point is when you claim the left has double standards when pointing out trump's misdeeds, and then turn around and claim what-aboutism to deflect or misdirect those arguments against trump's position, it's self defeating.
Does trump lie? yes. Does he cheat? yes. Does he make shit up? yes. Does he try to circumvent the law? yes.
Those statements are irrefutable. The gist of the arguments on this blog (from what I read) is that the right are willing to overlook the bad behavior of the President for the simple reason he's got an "R" after his name. And the unwillingness to criticize his behavior is simply enabling him to push the boundary of acceptable social behavior.
Dale
I'm fairly good friends with Howard Hunt's son Saint John, who is a musician who sold me a '67 SG that was my favorite guitar ever. He says his dad was pissed when Nixon let him hang out to dry. Don't know for sure whether that means he was expecting a pardon or not, as the Nixon administration warped justice and law enforcement in many other ways also.
-Doug in Oakland
I cry "Whataboutism"? Really?
Seems that that is the excuse you folks use when I bring up that double standard. It always falls back to me claiming What about" but you never address that issue.
Barry lied. Hillary lied. But you defended those, or denied it.
And you have avoided the question I asked about Eminent Domain.
Where in the numerous Benghazi hearings did Hilary lie, B? Even Nixon never promised his aides a pardon until after they were caught doing something criminal.
Interesting that you bring up the Benghazi hearings...I never mentioned them. In fact, I wasn't specific where she lied (I didn't have to be....it was pretty much anywhere she was questioned). What do you know about her Benghazi testimony that I don't?
"Enquiring minds" and all that...
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