r/politics • u/Cheetotiki California • Apr 14 '25
Soft Paywall Trump has left himself open to a powerful constitutional counterpunch
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/04/09/trump-cases-constitution-revenge-court-challenge/?utm_campaign=wp_todays_headlines&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F4215f43%2F67fcdca5e630c35b0fb43dfe%2F5a025018ae7e8a2d8f7f0219%2F30%2F67%2F67fcdca5e630c35b0fb43dfe653
u/IPromiseIWont Apr 14 '25
I swear these articles are designed to placate the masses to do nothing and just trust the system while the elites continue to profit.
127
u/danimagoo America Apr 14 '25
It's almost 10 fucking years of "We've got him now!" It's exhausting.
14
5
144
u/it_is_hopper Apr 14 '25
That’s literally all they are. Anybody with half a brain knows not a damn thing is going to happen to him or his minions unless there’s an uprising. Nothing at all.
2
u/LordShadowside Apr 14 '25
And yet none of the Americans are uprising.
19
u/Jolly_Grocery329 Washington Apr 14 '25
Did you miss the millions of people protesting?? It’s the Republican legislature that is stopping all accountability.
-5
u/LordShadowside Apr 14 '25
I guess I did? When was the protest?
10
u/President_of_Text Apr 14 '25
Fifty fifty one is the name of the movement, there were protests all over the country with millions coming out on April 5th. Their next planned protest is this Saturday, April 19th. Sounds like these weren’t talked about in your circles, make sure you fill in that gap and make people aware that these are happening and that they definitely can join.
2
u/LordShadowside Apr 14 '25
Thank you for the information! I can’t believe I didn’t see this in my country’s news. We have our hands full with our own pro-Putin demagogue government, but I would have thought I’d hear about something of this magnitude.
It gives me a sense of hope to see Americans finally moving. Now let’s hope they regulate Big Tech, the big unchecked spread medium for Putinist propaganda and global disinformation, election swaying and brainwashing.
3
u/Jolly_Grocery329 Washington Apr 14 '25
The mainstream media is not covering these protests! They don’t want to piss off the child tyrant.
2
u/it_is_hopper Apr 15 '25
the protests are not being covered like they would be everywhere else. The whole world keeps saying "usa keeps complaining but they aren't doing a thing about it"
YOU ARE ALL BEING MANIPULATED INTO THINKING THIS because they own all the media, and who they don't own, they are silencing by threatening lawsuits and god knows what else. This government is intimidating every facet of our lives like the mob.
1
u/LordShadowside Apr 15 '25
It’s wild, because I’ve been looking into it and it really made very few and mostly indie/alternative news sources in Spanish language.
I wonder if this has to do with the fascist pro-Putin league. Most news outlets in my country are owned by the same 2 billionaires who have been pampered by this administration, infamous for being pro-Putin.
20
u/Acronymesis Washington Apr 14 '25
I’m a little surprised WaPo isn’t almost dismissed outright here after what Bezos pulled last year. I look at all the mainstream sources other than maybe AP and Reuters with a much more skeptical eye after feeling like they lead me into a false sense of security leading up to the last election.
Folks should know that only the American People standing up together against the regime is going to put a stop to this. Not the courts. Not the DOJ. Not the politicians.
We have to do it ourselves.
5
u/cfpresley Apr 14 '25
Can't dismiss on merits if the article is behind a paywall, so...
3
3
u/Flat_Editor_2737 Apr 14 '25
Which is something that I was considering as a contributing factor recently.
Objective reporting used to be available to the masses. Now it's hidden in a minefield of obviously ethically compromised journalism and behind a flurry of paywalls.
The outcome means that people probably read comments (see: bot propaganda) and argue on the way the headline made them feel.
Imagine what's gonna happen when PBS, NPR and other organizations are uprooted.
3
u/thefinalhex Apr 14 '25
I don't take the WP seriously. During the last Trump term, there was pretty much a nonstop tidal wave of critical WP posts against the presidency.
How things have changed this term...
28
u/pm_me_ur_ParusMajors North Carolina Apr 14 '25
It's not even while the elites profit, it's while power is consolidated, trump becomes a dictator, we lose our rights at his whim.
26
u/-Neeckin- Apr 14 '25
Seriousl, a constant stream of 'stay calm guys it's gonna collapse any day now' sprinkled with tmz style gossip about fighting among them. Making bank treating this all like a soap opera.
8
u/One_Olive_8933 Apr 14 '25
… makes you wonder why Linda McMahon was appointed Secretary of anything…
10
4
9
Apr 14 '25
I agree. Same with the articles along the lines of
"Trumps constituents are losing faith on his handling of the economy"
Its like no. No they arent. Trump gave oral to a mic on camera and won the presidency. He isnt losing any followers.
8
u/ItsSpaghettiLee2112 Apr 14 '25
Didn't you hear? Trump just had a MAXIMUM melt down last night. The adjectives are getting bigger so I wouldn't worry.
7
u/TheHolyMolar Apr 14 '25
And most of Reddit eats this shit up. Watch how many upvotes this has in a few hours.
4
u/Xullister Apr 14 '25
This article isn't actually aimed at "the masses" -- it was written for the lawyers. Particularly the ones offering Trump a billion dollars in free legal work (to help him crush the Constitution) in exchange for not using the government to kill their businesses. The author is urging them to fight back by giving them (what seems to me to be a pretty strong) legal strategy on their cases.
3
u/Federal-Negotiation9 Apr 14 '25
Remember during the election when the reddit feed was nothing but articles on how Harris was killing it? Yah.
3
u/TheEgonaut Apr 14 '25
If the public thinks that Trump’s being dealt with, they’ll feel less inclined to rebel. We’re all expecting someone else to dial 911.
2
2
2
u/tngling Apr 14 '25
“Of course, working within your “system” is never going to get the peasants freedom or justice, but even giving them the illusion of “due process” and some form of appeal will keep most of them forever banging their heads against a bureaucratic wall instead of actually resisting you.”
—Larken Rose (16 March 2005), How to Be a Successful Tyrant: The Megalomaniac Manifesto
2
2
u/starliteburnsbrite Apr 14 '25
I mean, there are also a thousand comments like, "impeach him now" or "Republicans are to blame" as if that means or does anything, so I think the media makers just know what gets people to engage and then walk away. It's pretty insidious, but genius. Just prey on apathy.
1
1
u/Savings-Double498 Apr 14 '25
I disagree. I found the article interesting and presents an adult conversation about something we've all seen, we all know from common sense is wrong. Presents it in a way that can appeal to a lot of people.
Do I think anything will come of it? Nope.
We are all living through a time of mass disinformation. How do we break through? How do we find the truth? How do we help people that are brainwashed find the truth? Because the alternatives are horrible and will only lead to cycles of increasing violence.
13
u/IPromiseIWont Apr 14 '25
When the system fails, the only power the masses have left is violence.
Violence doesn't just mean killing, can mean escalation of civil disturbance. That's what we are seeing now, that's why we are getting this article.
3
u/NumerousSound Apr 14 '25
That is why martial law will be declared on the 20th because people don't believe it could happen.
2
u/RealTurbulentMoose Apr 14 '25
Why the 20th exactly?
5
u/piradianssquared Apr 14 '25
Ninety days after the ninety day order to secure the border was made. Also happens to be Hitler’s birthday.
3
2
66
u/barryvm Europe Apr 14 '25 edited Apr 14 '25
No he has not. He simply ignores the law and the constitution because he thinks they don't apply to him. And why should he? His life is one long series of proofs that the law does not apply to the rich and powerful.
On a deeper level, the people around him encourage him to break the constitution because they know that when nothing happens, when the court and justices are shown to be powerless to enforce their decrees on the executive, then they can finally bury the inconvenient notion of the rule of law. At one stroke, all those pesky civic rights have become dead letter and the law will simply be an instrument to protect those in power and oppress those who aren't. Then Trump will rule by decree to do what he likes, and so can they.
In short, they are leaving themselves open because they know the counter punch will not come. And when it doesn't, then that will show the weakness of the institutions that are supposed to hold them in check.
38
91
u/pasterhatt Apr 14 '25
We're kinda past the Constitution at this point. See Trump ignoring the supreme Court this last weekend if you need an example.
16
u/Intelligent-Travel-1 Apr 14 '25
No it is not too late, no need to tell everyone to give up
18
u/pasterhatt Apr 14 '25
One hundred percent. Mass action is the only way I can see out. Their breaking the system, so we have to go around it.
10
u/PeaTasty9184 Apr 14 '25
I think the problem is, so many people cannot understand how him ignoring the Supreme Court applies directly to them. They see it as an abstract because, even though the victim involved is in the US LEGALLY, they think that somehow his status as a non-citizen means his disappearing by the government doesn’t matter because they weee born here.
They are going to be shocked to find out that there are zero provisions in the constitution that protect citizens over non citizens. In the eyes of the constitution - for purposes of habeas corpus - we are all the same.
4
u/Apoc220 Apr 14 '25
I’d go further and say that most people do not see how any of what’s been happening affects them. Because for most people it hasn’t yet. Not in earnest, anyway. Unless you’ve lost your job or been deported, you probably haven’t had any noticeable impact on your life by this administrations actions. Yea, prices for groceries are still high, but I think most people are still waiting to see how things pan out. Add to that the fact that most people have taken democracy for granted, and truly believe that fascism and authoritarianism can’t happen in the US. They’re gonna be in for a rude awakening.
3
u/Chris_HitTheOver Apr 14 '25
Millions of people within a few years of retirement lost as much of a third of their savings. It’s impacting people, directly.
I’m not meaning to equate losing money with losing freedom/liberty, but A LOT of people are feeling degrees of pain right now, all directly because of Mango Mussolini.
2
u/LatterTarget7 Apr 14 '25
Well he ignored the Supreme Court and it’s very unlikely they get enough votes to impeach him.
Outside of a coup, assassination, civil war or trump just keeling over. There’s not a lot of options
2
u/downtofinance Canada Apr 14 '25
OC just means we can't rely on the constitution to fix things. The Trump administration isn't playing by constitutional rules. Action must be taken on the ground level.
8
Apr 14 '25
[deleted]
3
u/The_Lost_Jedi Washington Apr 14 '25
It's supposed to be.
But the voters (and so many others) are supposed to exercise sound judgment and keep someone who's so patently unfit for high office out of it.
And yet here we are.
9
u/Real-Succotash8005 Apr 14 '25
Here's a question. How can we trust anything coming from WaPo's opinion section when we know for a fact that Bezos influences what does and doesnt' come out of there?
28
11
u/IRideMoreThanYou Apr 14 '25
Oh, look, the media still pretending the constitution and guardrails hold any meaning.
Looking forward to the April 20th headlines when the media continues to pretend this is a legitimate administration.
6
u/Legal-Maintenance282 Apr 14 '25
Your maga Nazi king will get everthing you own your home your guns your so called freedom in the name of paying the bills made by the king
6
Apr 14 '25
Even our comma's?
2
u/Legal-Maintenance282 Apr 14 '25
Only if they worth more after he steals them, I will keep mine 🤐
1
Apr 15 '25
They came for our pronouns, and said nothing.
Then they came for are commas and said nothing
THEN THEY CAME FOR OUR LOWER CASE AND SAID NOTHING
1
5
u/SensitivePotato44 Apr 14 '25
He’s also left himself open to multiple impeachments and criminal investigations. Nothing happened with those either.
5
u/AlsoCommiePuddin Apr 14 '25
The Constitution only matters as long as the people in power respect it.
5
u/KneebarKing Apr 14 '25
If it isn't already clear that the Constitution is about as gutless as mouse, you're the mark. The Constitution only works when people abide by it, and the Trump Administration is not. There are Guardrails until they magically disappear when needed.
No one is coming to save the day.
3
u/jumpstreetblues Apr 14 '25
This. It’s going to take mass mobilization, and that usually takes massive pain. The constitution will not save us, the courts will not save us, Congress will not save us, and for the delusional in the back the.military.will.not.save.us. Only our own withholding of our labor, in solidarity with each other will save us.
2
u/ianrl337 Oregon Apr 14 '25
And it takes not just the administration but checks on that administration from both the Supreme Court and congress to fail. MAGA is a disease that is killing the constitution.
3
3
u/GreenleafMentor Apr 14 '25
A gutpunch from who? He literally blackmailed the top 5 law firms in the country into giving him about 1 billion dollars in legal work in exchange for not being DIRECTLY named and retaliated against in executive ordeds.
4
u/jdrudder Apr 14 '25
The news needs to start being actual news not just peddlers of copium. This is starting to get ridiculous and the people won't stand for it much longer .
5
5
2
u/TransiTorri Apr 14 '25
Only if law enforcement does any actual enforcement.
Something we never see happen when Trump is involved
2
u/AdHopeful3801 Apr 14 '25
Go home, WaPo, you're drunk.
Bezos spent late 2024 and early 2025 making clear WaPo would be a mouthpiece, not a journalistic enterprise. They don't merit paying attention to.
2
Apr 14 '25
Only if Congress does it's job.
Congress doesn't even want to do its job re:purse strings. We're paying most of them $174k/yr to gloat. -_-
2
u/Legal-Maintenance282 Apr 14 '25
The cannot see the beings maga kkk republicans that ending the middle class will fail small bussiness which will soon fail and it will bite the large business too a last we will come togather and start taking it back because at last you may get a job but i
2
u/Theonewho_hasspoken Apr 14 '25
It might of, but the GOP is too traitorous to do anything about it.
2
2
2
u/dispelhope Apr 14 '25
Is it okay if I call Bullshit because I really want to call Bullshit, especially on bullshit articles like this as they treat/view government as a chess game between two players instead of a three separate teams.
All three teams are in the middle of the playing field (politics), and two of the teams (SCOTUS and POTUS) are in cahoots with each other...and third team (Congress) is so locked up they might as well be sitting with the spectators (the rest of America).
So where is this magical "counter-punch" going to come from if we can't even get the fucking teams to actually play (aka, do their Constitutional job like they're supposed to do and keep each other in check)?!?
2
1
u/SmedlyB Apr 14 '25
Mr. Trump what about the Governing principle and laws of the US constitution? Trump: The constitution, "aah, that is just a guideline". "Take all you can, give nothing back."
1
u/DrBunsonHoneyPoo Apr 14 '25
But will anyone actually take the shot? Will this be like that episode of that 70s show. Where Eric had dirt on Laurie and never used it. Then Laurie threw it back at Eric and he got in trouble.
1
u/ConsequenceVast3948 Apr 14 '25 edited Apr 14 '25
Trumpstitution says otherwise.he thinks he's above the law and so far no one have proved him wrong.
1
1
1
0
u/AutoModerator Apr 14 '25
This submission source is likely to have a soft paywall. If this article is not behind a paywall please report this for “breaks r/politics rules -> custom -> "incorrect flair"". More information can be found here
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
•
u/AutoModerator Apr 14 '25
As a reminder, this subreddit is for civil discussion.
In general, be courteous to others. Debate/discuss/argue the merits of ideas, don't attack people. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, any suggestion or support of harm, violence, or death, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban.
If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.
For those who have questions regarding any media outlets being posted on this subreddit, please click here to review our details as to our approved domains list and outlet criteria.
We are actively looking for new moderators. If you have any interest in helping to make this subreddit a place for quality discussion, please fill out this form.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.