Posted on 12/19/2023 9:23:20 PM PST by SeekAndFind
As the dust settles from Tuesday's stunning Colorado Supreme Court decision that bars former President Donald Trump's name from appearing on the state ballot in the upcoming GOP presidential primary because he "engaged in insurrection," reaction is pouring in from all quarters.
Hot Takes: GOP Politicos Unload After Colorado Supreme Court Primary Ballot Ruling on Donald Trump
Trump Team Blasts Political and 'Deeply Undemocratic' Colorado Decision Taking Away Rights of Voters
One of the more forceful responses was from biotech entrepreneur and presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who blasted the decision and said he would not appear on the ballot unless Trump were allowed to compete. He also demanded that rivals Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley also make the same move:
This is what an *actual* attack on democracy looks like: in an un-American, unconstitutional, and *unprecedented* decision, a cabal of Democrat judges are barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado. Having tried every trick in the book to eliminate President Trump from running in…— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 19, 2023
He said that if his competitors didn't make the pledge, they would be "tacitly approving the illegal maneuver" (bolding mine):
Having tried every trick in the book to eliminate President Trump from running in this election, the bipartisan Establishment is now deploying a new tactic to bar him from ever holding office again: the 14th Amendment. I pledge to *withdraw* from the Colorado GOP primary unless Trump is also allowed to be on the state’s ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley to do the same immediately - or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country.
His tweet is long, but he argues that the 14th Amendment should not apply here because "it was passed to prohibit former Confederate military and political leaders from holding high federal or state office." He argued that it was ludicrous to use this measure against Trump because it was intended to prevent people from becoming president who "had clearly taken part in a rebellion against the United States: the Civil War."
Trump doesn't rise anywhere close to that status, in Ramaswamy's view.
He also makes a legal argument that Section 3 of the Amendment should not apply to the former president:
And there’s another legal problem: Trump is not a former “officer of the United States,” as that term is used in the Constitution, meaning Section 3 does not apply. As the Supreme Court explained in Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (2010), an “officer of the United States” is someone appointed by the President to aid him in his duties under Article II, Section 2. The term does not apply to elected officials, and certainly not to the President himself.
But his closing statement was his most powerful:
The Framers of the 14th Amendment would be appalled to see this narrow provision—intended to bar former U.S. officials who switched to the Confederacy from seeking public office—being weaponized by a sitting President and his political allies to prevent a former President from seeking reelection. Our country is becoming unrecognizable to our Founding Fathers.
True words.
Ramaswamy is an extreme long-shot to win the GOP nomination, at least according to the polls, but this is the second time he's been on the money recently:
Vivek Ramaswamy Hits It Out of the Park With His Criticism of DEI at CNN Town Hall
It will be interesting to see if the other GOP contenders take him up on his challenge.
I agree. He would be fantastic and I don't think it is beneath him. He is new to politics and his biggest challenge is name recognition.
Press Secretary would be a great way to introduce him to the voters, probably better than running in the primary, in my opinion. What better way to get his face in front of the entire country?
Well Trump won’t be happy with that because it means the voting will still take place. The marching orders he gave his puppet Pharmaphony was to try to get everyone to drop out so no voting happened at all.
Ridiculous. We’ve never before seen someone whine and cry so much that the debates and even the primary itself should be cancelled. His display of arrogance, entitlement, and bitterness make Hillary’s quest to become the nominee in 2016 look like a portrait of graciousness, which sounds impossible, but is how it’s playing out.
Yes we. Can you name anyone who’s even come close to being so petulant and demanding that the Presidential nomination be handed to them on a silver platter, in either party?
Stop corresponding with me.
“ I love Vivek but he doesn’t help the ticket in any way. If he was black, I could see it but he just won’t help win anything. For the most part, people who like Vivek like already like Trump so there is no point to him being on the ticket”
You are mistaken about that. I have been following his social media feeds closely and he is doing VERY well with young voters. Many are Biden regrets and an even bigger bloc are younger voters who aren’t into politics but feel excited about his candidacy, similar to the Obama effect of 2008. Read the comments on his YouTube channel and you will get an idea. This is the demographic Trump could make big gains with with VR as his running mate.
Every 4 years, we hear we are making inroads with the young people demographic and every 4 years we end up disappointed.
If young people can't see what the Biden Presidency is doing to their future, then Vivek won't make a difference.
I would much rather have Kari Lake who would deliver votes in Arizona, a state Biden stole, and balance the ticket with a woman.
There are somewhere between 10-20 particular scum trolls on Free Republic that are sowing dissension daily on the threads.
This crap needs to STOP!
The country is on fire and being invaded by military-age men 24/7, with the FED GOV’s implicit help, and these TROLLS are worried about the personality flaws of Trump...
STOMP THEIR GUTS OUT AND GREASE OUR TANK TRACKS WITH THEIR GUT GOO!
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