• @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    201 year ago

    This is turning out to be a game of hot potato where no one wants to be the one who is deemed responsible for keeping Trump off the ballot. Reading the 14th Amendment, it’s clear as day that he is no longer eligible to become president, seeing how he led an insurrection and all.

    But everyone who is in a position of authority to do something about it (save for the 5 justices on the Colorado Supreme Court) is too scared to step up. Instead, they keep passing the potato along, hoping that someone else will do something about it.

    I hate to say it, but I’m sure the Supreme Court is going to pass the potato as well. They’ll say “the enforcement mechanism of the 14th Amendment isn’t clear, so it’s up to Congress to determine if someone is in violation and must be kept off the ballot.” That final pass of the potato back to Congress will be what kills the whole issue.

    I’d love to be wrong.

    • FuglyDuck
      link
      English
      31 year ago

      I’d love to be wrong.

      We need republicans to loose the house and senate in november. Get control. that I’m aware of, the Victor Berger was the only guy, until recently who was barred by the 14th outside of being a civil war leader. He was a German-American senator that opposed entering WW1, even after the 1917 espionage act. He ran for office, won, then was convicted just before getting off to office.

      they created a special committee and had a full vote in the senate. Granted, Berger was a senator, and not POTUS, so it might require both houses.

      If we can take the house back and maintain control of the senate… there’s a chance.

      otherwise, we’re probably fucked.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        11 year ago

        Interesting. I’d never heard of Victor Berger before. So he won a seat for Congress, but the House refused to seat him, citing the 14th Amendment. That doesn’t really work for the presidency, since there’s no one to “seat” the president. I guess John Roberts could refuse to swear a president in, citing the 14th Amendment, but it’s not a requirement that the Chief Justice administer the presidential oath .

        Probably best to just keep him off the ballot to avoid this mess, but like I said, I’m sure they’ll keep kicking the can down the road.

        • FuglyDuck
          link
          English
          01 year ago

          The enforcement clause in section 5 of the 14th says congress gets to do it

    • @spongebue
      link
      31 year ago

      They’ll say “the enforcement mechanism of the 14th Amendment isn’t clear, so it’s up to Congress to determine if someone is in violation and must be kept off the ballot.”

      Which would be such a stupid take, because if someone were deemed ineligible, Congress can override that per the last sentence of section 3

      But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

      Why would Congress be designated the one to make that decision if it’s also the one to override it? Especially when 2/3 is a pretty big threshold to make?

      I’m not saying you’re wrong in predicting the possibility, it would just be a terrible ruling if you’re right.