I intended to talk about the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle programs to stop global warming. Then I read an article in the Sunday Times about “A Clash Over a Promotion Put[ting Secretary of Defense] Hegseth at Odds With His Generals.” It describes:
The standoff over [the] promotion [of General Sims] reflects an ongoing clash between Mr. Hegseth’s highly partisan worldview, in which he has written that the Democratic Party “really does hate America,” and the longstanding tradition of an apolitical military that pledges an oath to the Constitution.
Let’s understand what’s at stake. As I’m sure you remember, the man in the White House has been convicted of thirty-four felonies which certainly raises a question about his trustworthiness. If he succeeds in politicizing the military we could all be toast. Remember the tanks rolling over Chinese citizens in Tiannamen Square? Civilians have no more way to confront a military like America’s than they did China’s. Trump knows that. That’s why it’s so dangerous to let any president take the military over and promote only those willing to put their loyalty to him ahead of their loyalty to America.
The outrageous claim that Democrats really hate America makes the problem clear. If our policy views mean that we hate instead of love America then they’re telling themselves that there’s no limit to what they should do with the half of America they disagree with. That’s outrageous.
As an attorney trained sixty years ago and practicing and teaching law for almost as long, I’m appalled by the Supreme Court’s willingness to let the felon in the White House take over American government. They hang their hat on three words in Article II of the Constitution that read, “The executive power” – that’s all – and then ignore the rest of the document intended to take the power that had been in the hands of the British executive, their King, and put those powers in other branches. The Court has become incompetent, disloyal, and won’t protect constitutional government.
For Congress and the Court to allow an untrustworthy man in the White house to substitute autocratic for democratic government is dangerous and damaging; for them to permit him to govern for his personal benefit, the very definition of corruption, to substitute his desire for jets, golf courses and towers with his name on them, for his obligation to look out for the welfare of the American people, threatens the health, safety and welfare of America.
If Trump cared about America, he wouldn’t seize people without due process – a right we have because it gives us a way to show we’ve been wrongly seized and held. If Trump cared about America, he’d show some respect for the preferences of the 50 states instead of substituting his own preferences for everything the people legislated both in Congress and in their states.
Contrary to their trope about who “hates” America, IF Republicans love America they would protect democratic government from attempts to destroy it’s democratic mechanisms, instead of trying to take voting rights away from Americans who disagree with them. They’d protect democracy instead of just reverting to the trope that Trump’s election means the American people support whatever he does, which they clearly and obviously don’t and shouldn’t. And they’d protect all the people and not just those who’re as wealthy as Trump claims he is. Indeed if Trump were half as wealthy as he claims, he’d hardly need to use his office for corrupt gains instead of taking care of the people.
How much should any president be trusted? And who really loves America?
Steve Gottlieb’s latest book is Unfit for Democracy: The Roberts Court and The Breakdown of American Politics. He is the Jay and Ruth Caplan Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Albany Law School, served on the New York Civil Liberties Union board, on the New York Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran.
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