French Prime Minister François Bayrou recently called for a national debate on just what it means to be French, a question he said has been “festering for years” and needed to be brought out into the open.
Good essay! However, I suggest we continue to claim the title of "Americans" for those adhering to the traditional principles of the Constitution, and refer to Trump/MAGA/Musk as the radicals. If we give up our claim as Americans, we have truly lost our country. As long as we resist, we can still claim - and hope - to recover the rule of law and the Constitution.
That's a nice thought, Wayne. And I certainly remain an American in the historic sense, in same way many Germans remained so in 1933. But short of an economic collapse--not impossible--I don't see the people of this country recommitting to the self-sacrifice that is the cornerstone of any democracy.
I hope you're wrong about the American people. But I understand your reasons. I'm willing to retain hope that, ere long, the American people will come to their senses and begin to turn the page on this awful chapter in our history. Perhaps as early as November 2026. Until then - chaos and corruption will reign supreme. We will see sooner than that where the justices stand, or don't stand.
You should call yourselves Americans. They should not. You shouldn’t give an inch in your opposition to Trump, and calling him an American but yourself something else is giving him a mile.
Of course I consider myself a "real American," and the Trump folks seditious. But let us not forget that in 1933 those who opposed Hitler considered themselves "real Germans." It is a sad truth that to some significant degree, national identity, at least in the short term, is determined by who is in power. And right now, it ain't the good guys.
For the moment, that is certainly true and the future, at least the immediate future, appears bleak. It will take a groundswell from a citizenry that to date has shown itself not sufficiently invested in democratic ideals to change that, which in turn, will economic disaster. With Trump running the show that is hardly impossible.
I'm not ready yet to give up on the rule of law. Holding aside Thomas and Alito who are true fanatics, we have the three "liberals" and then four justices who should still care about their post Trump future and reputation and legacy within the legal community.
I would not include Gorsuch in the four. If you remember, i posted a piece a while back "Supreme Court Math. 3x3=5," which discussed the breakdown you're talking about. And yes, there is some scant hope that the Court will try to stop the most egregious Constitutional violations. But keep two things in mind. First, for people like us, who have means and resources, those of Trump's policies that the Court will certainly uphold are unlikely to cause real harm. But for the weak, the powerless, and the marginalized, they will be devastating. Second, and this is scarier, Trump might simply refuse to abide by any Supreme Court decision he doesn't like, as it appears he will do with lower court rulings. There is the old (apocryphal) quote by Andrew Jackson, "Mr. Marshall has made his ruling. Now let us see him enforce it." There is no power in government to make Trump do anything he doesn't want to do unless, again, his party kicks him out. I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. We are in deep, deep trouble as a nation, more so even than in 1860, and I simply cannot see the Supreme Court pulling us out of it.
The wildcard is the economy and the markets. If Trump’s chaos is coincident with a recession or market meltdown, then he will lose a lot of support very quickly. Teflon will turn to toxic when money has been lost.
I agree that is our only hope, but even that may not do the trick. Here's an exchange I just had with my friend who's in prIvate equity.
Him:
So what happens if the Dems refuse to give into the debt ceiling w/o safeguards on congressionally-approve government disbursements, etc?
Senate Republicans change filibuster rules? That will come back to haunt them because the debt ceiling has been one of their primary pieces of legislative leverage (even when they’re in the majority!)
Trump defies Congress and instructs the Treasury to float more bonds without statutory authority? That would trigger a bond market meltdown, rates will spike etc. (Who would have thought that the bond market might save American democracy?)
Democrats wilt under public pressure (closed airports etc)?
Remember, tough guy Trump almost always caves when punched in the nose.
Me:
Here’s the biggest problem.
Republicans LIKE what's happening. We’re moving toward an autocratic, right-wing theocracy, which suits them just fine. A scant majority is still a majority and the House will likely cave rather than do business with Dems. And they will gleefully change the filibuster rules without regard to the future. If they had any regard for the future, they wouldn’t have ass-kissed Trump. I agree Trump is essentially a coward, but now he has the country backing him up—remember, incredibly, he won the popular vote. The only thing that will save us is economic collapse, or at least near-collapse, which is far from impossible. Even if that happens, he will blame the Democrats and, this is the most frightening thing of all, his voters may actually believe him.
Tom, we live in a profoundly ignorant country. History does not treat such societies well.
Good essay! However, I suggest we continue to claim the title of "Americans" for those adhering to the traditional principles of the Constitution, and refer to Trump/MAGA/Musk as the radicals. If we give up our claim as Americans, we have truly lost our country. As long as we resist, we can still claim - and hope - to recover the rule of law and the Constitution.
That's a nice thought, Wayne. And I certainly remain an American in the historic sense, in same way many Germans remained so in 1933. But short of an economic collapse--not impossible--I don't see the people of this country recommitting to the self-sacrifice that is the cornerstone of any democracy.
I hope you're wrong about the American people. But I understand your reasons. I'm willing to retain hope that, ere long, the American people will come to their senses and begin to turn the page on this awful chapter in our history. Perhaps as early as November 2026. Until then - chaos and corruption will reign supreme. We will see sooner than that where the justices stand, or don't stand.
Let us not forget that Republicans will ferociously game the system so taking back the House won't be easy. Forget the Senate. Look at the map.
You should call yourselves Americans. They should not. You shouldn’t give an inch in your opposition to Trump, and calling him an American but yourself something else is giving him a mile.
Of course I consider myself a "real American," and the Trump folks seditious. But let us not forget that in 1933 those who opposed Hitler considered themselves "real Germans." It is a sad truth that to some significant degree, national identity, at least in the short term, is determined by who is in power. And right now, it ain't the good guys.
No there is no America anymore
For the moment, that is certainly true and the future, at least the immediate future, appears bleak. It will take a groundswell from a citizenry that to date has shown itself not sufficiently invested in democratic ideals to change that, which in turn, will economic disaster. With Trump running the show that is hardly impossible.
I'm not ready yet to give up on the rule of law. Holding aside Thomas and Alito who are true fanatics, we have the three "liberals" and then four justices who should still care about their post Trump future and reputation and legacy within the legal community.
I would not include Gorsuch in the four. If you remember, i posted a piece a while back "Supreme Court Math. 3x3=5," which discussed the breakdown you're talking about. And yes, there is some scant hope that the Court will try to stop the most egregious Constitutional violations. But keep two things in mind. First, for people like us, who have means and resources, those of Trump's policies that the Court will certainly uphold are unlikely to cause real harm. But for the weak, the powerless, and the marginalized, they will be devastating. Second, and this is scarier, Trump might simply refuse to abide by any Supreme Court decision he doesn't like, as it appears he will do with lower court rulings. There is the old (apocryphal) quote by Andrew Jackson, "Mr. Marshall has made his ruling. Now let us see him enforce it." There is no power in government to make Trump do anything he doesn't want to do unless, again, his party kicks him out. I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. We are in deep, deep trouble as a nation, more so even than in 1860, and I simply cannot see the Supreme Court pulling us out of it.
The wildcard is the economy and the markets. If Trump’s chaos is coincident with a recession or market meltdown, then he will lose a lot of support very quickly. Teflon will turn to toxic when money has been lost.
I agree that is our only hope, but even that may not do the trick. Here's an exchange I just had with my friend who's in prIvate equity.
Him:
So what happens if the Dems refuse to give into the debt ceiling w/o safeguards on congressionally-approve government disbursements, etc?
Senate Republicans change filibuster rules? That will come back to haunt them because the debt ceiling has been one of their primary pieces of legislative leverage (even when they’re in the majority!)
Trump defies Congress and instructs the Treasury to float more bonds without statutory authority? That would trigger a bond market meltdown, rates will spike etc. (Who would have thought that the bond market might save American democracy?)
Democrats wilt under public pressure (closed airports etc)?
Remember, tough guy Trump almost always caves when punched in the nose.
Me:
Here’s the biggest problem.
Republicans LIKE what's happening. We’re moving toward an autocratic, right-wing theocracy, which suits them just fine. A scant majority is still a majority and the House will likely cave rather than do business with Dems. And they will gleefully change the filibuster rules without regard to the future. If they had any regard for the future, they wouldn’t have ass-kissed Trump. I agree Trump is essentially a coward, but now he has the country backing him up—remember, incredibly, he won the popular vote. The only thing that will save us is economic collapse, or at least near-collapse, which is far from impossible. Even if that happens, he will blame the Democrats and, this is the most frightening thing of all, his voters may actually believe him.
Tom, we live in a profoundly ignorant country. History does not treat such societies well.