President Donald Trump claimed the “total” authority to decide how and when to reopen the economy after weeks of tough social distancing guidelines aimed at fighting the new coronavirus. But governors from both parties were quick to push back, noting they have primary responsibility for ensuring public safety in their states and would decide when it’s safe to begin a return to normal operations.Yet barely a month ago, Trump said this: "I don't take responsibility for anything."
Trump would not offer specifics about the source of his asserted power, which he claimed, despite constitutional limitations, was absolute.
“When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total,” Trump said Monday at the White House.
Maybe Trump ought to sit down with somebody who has read the Constitution, other than his paid bootlickers. The President does not have "total authority". If any president were to call you on the phone and order you to do something, unless you're in the military, you pretty much are free to tell him to go take a flying fuck at the Moon.
If King Babyhands had any authority in this matter, he ceded it when he left it up to the governors to decide what measures to put in place in their respective states to deal with the Covid-19 virus. There were states that moved quickly and states that are still sitting on their hands, because their lickspittle governors wouldn't take a shit without Trump's blessing.
We shall see if Republicans, who, in the past, claim that they are all about freedom and Constitutional rights, push back against Trump's declaration that he has total authority. My bet is "no".
In other news, Trump's panel of economic toadies is forming up. Their sole job will be to support whatever Trump has already decided to do.
Also, it seems that the Republicans' little shitty-ass move of holding a primary in the midst of a pandemic in order to try and suppress the votes of minorities and those who live in Milwaukee didn't work out, as the judge they were trying to sneak onto the state supreme court was defeated.
13 comments:
"I have total authority"? I would think that even the average rethug might have a problem swallowing that one. Even within context, that is a lousy overreach.
I guess we will see how well, or sadly, they react.
I can only imagine what would have happened to a Democratic President that hinted at such a thought, much less outright spoke it.
Donny sure is worried about his reelection image, isn't he? Mr. All Powerful needs a big fall for everybody's wellbeing, I just really hope it doesn't include a large body count.
w3ski
"I have total authority"
Those are the words of a would be dictator and despot.
I say would be as that means if he tries its going to be
a shit fight and pres-nut smallhands can throw shit.
He will be king of the hill, the hill being a large stack
of bodies.
Eck!
Imagine my surprise when I read that Jill Karofsky won. A new shift at work means I can't listen to trump radio 1130AM WISN in Milwaukee. I can only imagine how it sounded to hear the talking heads explode "VOTER FRAUD!!! RECOUNT !!! RIGGED ELECTION!!" This gives me hope.
So Trump doesn't have any authority over the states, to tell them when to shutdown or open up, from quarantine? Then why is it that he was blamed for not forcing the states to enact shutdowns at the very beginning of the pandemic?
He either has authority or he doesn't. Obviously he doesn't have authority over the states. If her were to declare martial law, I am guessing that it might change things, but again, I am not sure.
One thing I do know, is that here in Michigan, our governor has put a set of guidelines in place, with orders on what is ok to do, and the things that are taboo. Some business are open and some are closed. The federal government came out with guidelines as to essential services/businesses. They came out a week or so later, with additional guidelines, adding some other necessary businesses. Our governor refused to go along with the second set of guidelines. The only reason I have been able to figure is that the new guidelines include gun stores and the sale of ammo, and our governor is strongly anti gun.
So this is as much a political thing as it is a health thing.
pigpen51
Let's see... the liquor stores are open, check, churches open, check, guns shops ...
I'm not sure that's the argument you want to make, Pigpen.
(both hands)
Pigpen51 to me that sounds more like the federal government moved too slowly for your governor and in the absence of guidance from Trump they made their own call. That sort of thing is messy to undo, especially a week or so later. At that point layoffs have already happened, childcare plans have been made, inventory has been shifted around to adapt, etc. Not to mention that there's enough confusion already with one set of "essential business" orders, let alone two or more. Of course one could argue that your governor moved too quickly but given that you're one of the biggest US hotspots it seems like a pretty ridiculous argument...
I don't think Trump has the authority to close down businesses. What he does have the ability to do is strongly recommend doing so and he could have jawboned the Trumpanzee governors to follow along.
The states are the ones with general police powers. The Federal government has limited powers, if it's not constitutional, the Feds are SOL.
In other words, Trump is full of shit. Again. For the 18,000th time.
If Fergus had issued stay at home orders he would have the authority to rescind them.
He didn't, so he doesn't.
He is already culpable for the extra growth of the transmission in states whose governors made it plain that they weren't issuing stay at home orders because the president hadn't told them to. He will be further culpable if he somehow manages to prematurely end the orders that are in place, or even lie the citizens into failing to comply with them.
Things aren't going back to the way they were, full stop.
They won't go back to whatever semblance of normal we do manage to attain until people feel safe from a hideous death while doing the normal activities they always do.
That won't happen until certain things are in place. First would be an effective and widely available vaccine. Herd immunity could bring back herd behavior.
Until that happens, most likely some time next year, we have behavioral mitigation and pharmacological intervention, the latter of which is actually looking promising right now, but again won't be in wide use for at least months.
So as much as he wants it to be otherwise, the choices on immediate offer are social distancing or body counts in line with the first estimates from a month ago.
What we have done has lowered those estimates from hundreds of thousands to perhaps sixty to eighty thousand, but only contingent on the distancing staying in place.
It's a simple choice, and to any leader worth the title, an easy one.
What we will get remains to be seen.
-Doug in Sugar Pine
Pigpen,
I too, live in Michigan. Western burbs of Detroit. Governor Whitmer acted on the advice of medical experts here in the state due to a lack of guidance from the federal level. Trump took no responsibility nor a position of leadership during the early stages of this debacle. And now he wants to have the authority to order states to get back to ‘normal’? In my opinion she did what was necessary to try to stop/curb the spread. Closing of non-essential businesses but not specifying which businesses were “essential” was a major mistake. The same businesses in Ohio that were open, are closed here in Michigan. Guidance from the federal level that all states could’ve adhered to from the beginning would have been helpful.
Just curious, how would having gun stores open aid during a pandemic anyway?
Dale
As I’ve said before, I’m not having this devolve into a gun control debate. I’ll lock this thread if it does.
Please govern yourselves accordingly.
What good are fun bang tools against a virus?
Quotes for the ages:
-The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
-I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.
-I don't take responsibility at all.
Forget guns, in Michigan, you can take your kayak or canoe out on the lake. But if you take your rowboat out, you better not have a motor, because motor boats are prohibited.
The State Police ticketed a couple who had driven out in the country, went for a walk on a trail, into the woods, and came back to their vehicle. There was not a soul around for miles. Yet they were deemed to be in violation of the social distancing rule, or some such.
The state will sell booze, and lottery tickets, they even will allow the sale of marijuana. But if you want to buy flower seeds, or have a load of bark delivered to your yard, so you can still get some work done, in your time out of work, that would be a big no.
The point is, the rules are arbitrary and capricious. They reward certain businesses, and force others to shut down. She even has made it a rule that you cannot even advertise anything that is not necessary to sustain life, etc.
Churches are not open, but she has said that she won't enforce the rule. How that plays out, I don't understand.
I understand that there will be another protest in Lansing at the end of the month. We will see how that one is handled. Because the governor was pretty angry about this last one. She said that it might have caused her to extend the quarantine even longer. Michigan has never been a leader before, but it may be a leader this time. I just don't know what it is going to lead in.
pigpen51
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