I keep begging the mainstream press to just act normal, and they just can't do it. David Frum is the latest example of that. Penning an article for far-left outlet The Atlantic, the former Republican managed to rhetorically wet himself over a potential Donald Trump second term.
Frum's commentary is as overdone as the former president's steak. Tell me if you've heard this one before. Trump being re-elected would plunge the nation into a (gasp!) constitutional crisis.
A second Trump term would instantly plunge the country into a constitutional crisis more terrible than anything seen since the Civil War. Even in the turmoil of the 1960s, even during the Great Depression, the country had a functional government with the president as its head. But the government cannot function with an indicted or convicted criminal as its head. The president would be an outlaw, or on his way to becoming an outlaw. For his own survival, he would have to destroy the rule of law.
All I can do is roll my eyes at this point. Last I checked, we live in a republic that selects its leaders via a democratic process. In other words, voters get to vote, and who they vote for doesn't become illegitimate just because mainstream press members need to go take a Xanax.
There is no "constitutional crisis" if Trump is elected. That overwrought terminology suggests there is some kind of Constitutional issue at play when there isn't. Would it be a bit of a cluster if he's convicted on state charges in Georgia (he can simply pardon himself from the federal charges)? Yes, but there is no constitutional provision that would disqualify Trump in that case. Things would still have to go through the normal impeachment process.
Frum's last sentence in that excerpt is also nonsensical. It would not be destroying "the rule of law" if Trump pardons himself because a president's pardon power is absolute. The rule of law is not dictated by the fainting spells at major news outlets.
From Trump himself and the people around him, we have a fair idea of a second Trump administration’s immediate priorities: (1) Stop all federal and state cases against Trump, criminal and civil. (2) Pardon and protect those who tried to overturn the 2020 election on Trump’s behalf. (3) Send the Department of Justice into action against Trump adversaries and critics. (4) End the independence of the civil service and fire federal officials who refuse to carry out Trump’s commands. (5) If these lawless actions ignite protests in American cities, order the military to crush them.
I love these hand-wringing sessions because they lack so much self-awareness. Wait, you mean Trump might send the DOJ after his adversaries and critics? Do you mean just like Joe Biden is doing right now? I also can't do anything but laugh out loud at the idea that the "civil service" division is currently "independent."
The bureaucratic state is one of the most partisan aspects of the federal government, loaded with far-left hacks. I'd also note that said bureaucratic state is supposed to serve at the behest of the executive branch. Would Trump fire those who "refuse to carry out (his) commands?" Well, I would certainly hope so. Hasn't Joe Biden done that? Why isn't Frum losing his mind over it?
Perhaps my favorite part is that final line, though. Frum asserts that Trump would use the military to stop "protests" in American cities. The nation burned in the summer of 2020 and Trump never did that. He should have, but he didn't. Regardless, wouldn't the violent protesters be the ones responsible in that situation and not the government for presumably invoking the insurrection act?
The press is made up of the most ridiculous people. Frum is just one of many.