Our democratic republic is slip-sliding away. Only a wishful thinker can deny that.
The United States of America was created as a nation governed by laws and built upon the idea that a written document could bind a ruler. These concepts go back to the Magna Carta, a thirteenth-century English written agreement by which the English aristocracy limited the power of King John of England.
We all should have learned in school that the United States Constitution built upon that Magna Carta tradition of limited government by establishing a form of government that deliberately assigned specific powers to three branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The idea of the Founders of this new republic was that these three branches would check and balance each other so that no one of them could become too powerful.
They no longer do.
Donald Trump has taken more power into an already too powerful Office of the President than Founders intended. Congress and the Judiciary have assisted him in doing this in violation of both the intent and words of the Constitution.
Many Americans tried to prevent this, first by warning for years that Trump would change our government into a dictatorship, and then, after his election last year, showing our opposition to Trump’s usurpation of power in mass rallies of millions of people throughout the nation.
We have complained loudly and frequently about Trump’s lawless behavior and steady movement toward kingly control of our government. So far, none of this has slowed his movement toward authoritarian, one-man rule.
Have we focused on the wrong target in our attempt to save our democracy? Several decades ago, the popular author Stephen Covey used to tell his readers to “keep the main thing the main thing.” Because of his skill in manipulation, lies, and distraction, it is hard for Americans to avoid seeing Trump as the main thing, the major problem. I confess to succumbing to this temptation myself.
We should also remember that Trump is executing a plan to create a “unitary presidency” (read dictatorship) drawn up after 2020 by people like Steven Miller and Russell Vought in Project 2025.
Trump’s actions are certainly a danger to our democracy and people should resist them. Since our cowardly Congress has not resisted Trump, we must turn our attention to the Supreme Court, which is allowing Project 2025 to wound our Constitutional system.
On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court, in the case of Trump vs. United States, the Court ruled that “the President is absolutely immune from criminal prosecution for conduct within his exclusive sphere of constitutional authority.” They did not define what was included in that “sphere of constitutional authority.”
Later in that opinion, Justice John Roberts did add that “when the President exercises such authority, he may act even when the measures he takes are incompatible with the expressed or implied will of Congress.” The authority of the President was so great, he believed, that it “disables the Congress from acting upon the subject.”
This significant alteration to our Constitution is a fig leaf that Republicans in Congress can use to hide their cowardice. This new interpretation probably means that, should Democrats win a majority in Congress in the 2026 elections, they could not impeach Trump since they “are disabled from acting upon the subject.” The subject here would be Trump’s impeachable actions.
That is why, at this moment, The Supreme Court should be the main thing in our minds.
SCOTUS broke the Constitution. They are the ones who can fix it. Millions of us need to put a laser-like focus on the Supreme Court.
Our slogan should be “Restore our Constitution.”
The Court has changed its mind on many issues over the years, most recently on the legality of abortion in 2022. They can express regret for placing the President above the law by reversing the decision in Trump vs. United States.
SCOTUS may respond to widespread and sustained public pressure. Given how quickly our republic is being dismantled, we must protest peacefully but in large numbers now. If we do not, our First Amendment rights to “freedom of speech” and “peaceably assembly” will be taken away. That is the next step in Project 2025.
Restore our Constitution!
--30--
Comments
