We’re watching US democracy dying right before our eyes.

If Biden and the Democrats had any mental coherency and a spine they’d be using this ruling to their advantage and fuck over conservatives before conservatives get into office to kill democracy and the opposition parties.

  • ceenote@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    So, the United States is no longer a democracy. If a president wants to remain in power despite losing an election, they can, as long as they get the right people behind them, which is how every dictatorship works. What makes democracies different is that they have laws to stop that, and the supreme court just ruled those don’t apply to the president. There is no mechanism to stop them. You can say impeachment, but the results of an impeachment against the president are as much of a foregone conclusion as a North Korean election. The trappings of democracy does not unmake a dictatorship.

    We’re no longer a democracy, and the only way we can ever return to being one is if we elect a string of dictators who feel disinclined to push their power as far as it can go. If we can do that long enough to get this decision overturned, we can have our democracy back.

      • Akuden@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        The U.S. Constitution includes several provisions that limit the powers of the president and prevent the president from committing crimes without consequences:

        Article I, Section 2 and Section 3: These sections provide the House of Representatives the power to impeach the president and the Senate the power to try and convict the president. Impeachment is a process by which the president can be removed from office for committing “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Article II, Section 4: This section specifically states that the president, vice president, and all civil officers of the United States can be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

        Article II, Section 1, Clause 8: The president must take an oath of office to “faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” This oath implies a legal and ethical obligation to adhere to the law and Constitution.

        Checks and Balances: The Constitution establishes a system of checks and balances, whereby the legislative and judicial branches can limit the actions of the executive branch. Congress can pass laws, override presidential vetoes, and control the budget, while the judiciary can review the constitutionality of presidential actions through judicial review.

        Together, these provisions and principles ensure that the president is subject to the rule of law and can be held accountable for criminal actions.

        • obviouspornalt@lemmynsfw.com
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          5 months ago

          Meh, not really. Control 51 seats in the Senate and a majority of the supreme Court and you can do pretty much whatever the fuck you want to as president. We have not yet found the boundary where a president will be held accountable under those conditions.

        • Adalast@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Just going to point out that the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Amendments to the constitution are all specificying that the citizenship are the final check to keep the government in balance.

    • CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      5 months ago

      This is why this election is so important. I know it’s said in every election but this one may be the last free* election.

      That * is there because I know that Republicans have made inroads in red states, with many secretaries of state either vowing to not verify a Biden win or not affirming that they will certify the election.

      Please, for the love of democracy and our Republic, consider volunteering as an election official or as an observer.

      • ceenote@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Not just the next election, either. We can’t afford to have a Republican president again until this has been overturned, or the party has undergone a radical reform

        “This is the most important election of our lifetime” is gonna be true for every election until the GOP stops using any power they can get to inoculate themselves from voters.

        • cmbabul@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          I came to realize this sometime around April of 22, I kinda had a complete mental breakdown, as in I quit my job and tried something crazy career wise because it gave me a feeling of control over my life again. I landed on my feet but that’s not the point. The point is that we are now locked into an ever repeating cycle of stopping the fascists. Which means it will be decades, until after all the ancient occupiers of power have passed. But by the time that comes I don’t even know what the world will look like, we need a general stirke

    • Adalast@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      The whole process could be foreshortened by rapidly shrinking the count of filled seats on SCOTUS. Make it dangerous to be a conservative on the bench and see how many fuckwits still decide it is a career move they see as valid.

      • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Is it an official act to order drone strikes on over half of the supreme court? Nobody knows! Sounds like a case for the remaining justices to figure out.

    • minibyte@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      We’re no longer a democracy, and the only way we can ever return to being one is if we elect a string of dictators who feel disinclined to push their power as far as it can go

      The right to bear arms is provided to protect yourself from tyranny, both foreign and domestic. Less than 250 years ago we gave Great Britain the finger.

      One thing I admire about the French is their ability to remind those in power who they should be working for, forcibly.

      • ceenote@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        The notion that a civilian militia could plausibly overcome the US military was outdated over 100 years ago. The only viable path toward a violent revolution in the United States is getting all or most of the military on board.

        • minibyte@sh.itjust.works
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          5 months ago

          I haven’t considered a militia. I figure a lone gunman could do a considerable amount of damage, assuming they had good timing and were a decent enough shot.

          Navy SEAL Chris Kyle has 160 confirmed kills as a sniper. There are only 100 members of senate and 9 in the Supreme Court.