Posted on 04/03/2017 6:28:56 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
While the majority of the mainstream media focuses all of their energy on reporting every item they can find which looks like “bad news” for the Trump administration, they’re clearly generating something of a sense of false optimism among Democrats. There still seems to be some sort of (primarily delusional) hope that if these investigations into Russian meddling bear fruit, then last November’s elections can be swept under the rug and Hillary Clinton can be carried on the shoulders of the adoring crowds and installed at the White House. (Or at least Trump could be swapped out for someone else.) This phenomenon shows up yet again in a recent WaPo column by Jonathan Capehart.
In it, the Post editorial board member discusses some desperate questions sent his way by Cheryl Pelicano, a Democrat friend of his from South Carolina. Since she’s asking about fantastic scenarios best left to the Constitution (specifically removing Trump from office over these Russia stories), Capehart tosses the questions over to Laurence Tribe, who he describes as a “legendary constitutional law professor at Harvard University.” (Some of our regular readers may also know him as a legendary advocate for the Democratic National Committee and all things liberal.) What follows is part of that exchange.
Pelicano: If it turns out that the election was heavily impacted, and Trump colluded with Russia, is the presidency illegitimate? If so, what happens?
Tribe: There is no mechanism in the Constitution and laws as they stand today for redoing a presidential election, however many people believe it was rendered illegitimate by treasonous or otherwise unlawful manipulation; and no institutional mechanism exists even for reaching an authoritative determination that a presidential election was illegitimate. Those who have imagined the Supreme Court might entertain a claim of that sort and order a new election are deluding themselves.
In contrast, the question whether Congress might conceivably have authority, under the Constitution as written, to enact a special law for making such a determination and holding a new national election is one that some people have been contemplating, but the odds that any such law could be passed over Trump’s inevitable veto seem much too remote to warrant taking that option seriously.
That’s a refreshing bit of realism to inject into the conversation, even if it’s perceived as generally peeing in the Democrats’ swimming pool. But one element of Tribe’s comments repeats a theme which we keep seeing over and over again. Jonathan describes Tribe as someone who believes that, “to say Trump is illegitimately in the White House would be an understatement.” Tribe also makes reference to, “the apparent existence of evidence … pointing to collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.” He puts the cherry on that dessert dish by describing Trump as having been sworn in “wrongfully.”
This has become something of an article of faith among despondent Democrats, and while we’ve briefly touched on it before, this presents an opportunity to ask the pertinent question which is being widely ignored. Illegitimately how? Tribe half-heartedly slips the word “apparent” into his claim of supposed evidence proving collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians, not one shred of which has been offered up for public scrutiny as yet. But let’s take a stroll into Fantasyland here and entertain the worst possibility we’ve heard thus far. Nobody has credibly suggested that anyone hacked into the voting machines and altered the results, or that Hillary Clinton actually had more electoral college votes. So what we’re left with is the intentional release of information through Wikileaks. Let’s just say that either Donald Trump himself or one of his flunkies acting under his direction “coordinated” with the Russians regarding the timing of the Wikileaks document dumps for maximum political effect. Now what?
The actual act of hacking into the DNC emails, along with those of Podesta, is a crime. (Or at least it certainly should be.) But nobody has even suggested that anyone on Trump’s team did the hacking, nor even any of Assange’s people. Also, the content of those emails, as problematic as they were for Clinton, was never in question in terms of their authenticity. So in this dark, dramatic fantasy scenario, what crime do liberals feel Trump could be convicted of which would bring us into impeachment territory?
The original hacking may have been a crime, but the contents of the emails were news. (Not even fake news.) No matter how dubious the methods of obtaining it, the emails were real. How the timing of their release was handled may have been dirty pool, but obviously nothing which is against the law. What if the origin of the leaked emails had been someone from inside the DNC with an ax to grind leaking it to a journalist? (As has been suggested by Assange’s people repeatedly.) Would that have made the election “illegitimate?” In a similar line of reasoning, we still don’t know who gave that tape of Trump and Billy Bush on the bus to the media. If Clinton had won the race, would that leak have made her presidency illegitimate? If releasing actual information to the public which may impact their voting decisions is “meddling” then every election we’ve ever held has been meddled with.
I think we all know the answers to these questions. It’s good that at least some progressives are coming around to the idea that there won’t be a do-over of the election simply because they didn’t like the results. But they should take the next step on the path through grieving and begin to accept the fact that the smoking gun they are searching for has most likely turned out to be a replica with no firing pin.
Out of the bargaining phase.
I look forward to their despair.
Every 200 years or so we need an “Andrew Jackson” to clean house...
I thrive on it!
George Steinbrenner was Trumps mentor & friend beginning in the 80’s.
Trump ain’t going anywhere.
One thing Trump is doing that the Left and the media have been very slow to learn is that he’s willing to let the false narrative grow only to play “gotcha” and make the Left and media look like fools.
Take the income tax narrative for example. He didn’t rush right out and display his income taxes. He waited for the narrative to spin out of control then probably leaked a tax return which the Left breathlessly put on the air showing not only that Trump paid his taxes but he paid more than the Obamas, Bushes or Clintons. Game, set, match on that subject.
He’s doing the same thing with the Russia narrative. I think he’s waiting for just the right moment to spring the trap and may be almost there now that the “unmasker” has been unmasked. Soon, this will be Game, set and match.
If he seems to toy with the media like a cat with a mouse, not really taking them seriously when the rest of the GOP cowers in fear against what the media might say, it’s because he knows how to beat them. When has he not?
So, don’t panic. He’s winning far more than losing and he’s making the media crazy thinking they’ve got him only to watch him turn the tables on them. By summer, the media may learn to be more careful with what they say.
Politicians and 'journalists' continue to think they're the smartest people in the room.
They forget that it's businessmen like Trump that earn the money that goes into their pockets and are the real brains behind the money.
Exactly. The MSM just doesn’t get that you don’t build a multi billion dollar empire by being an idiot. They are so out of their depth.
I hope these liberal %^#$*& suffer as much as I did under 0bama and Judge Roberts.
——One thing Trump is doing that the Left and the media have been very slow to learn is that he’s willing to let the false narrative grow only to play “gotcha” and make the Left and media look like fools.——
I’ve been trying to explain that very concept to a liberal Trump hating relative,
He has bought into the idea Trump is too full of himself to be that clever...
Spot on.
It is so fun to watch.
One thing Trump is doing that the Left and the media have been very slow to learn is that he’s willing to let the false narrative grow only to play “gotcha” and make the Left and media look like fools.
Perceptive, and correct. Trump, initially naive about the Establishment Media, very quickly realized that they were the enemy that needed to be defeated. His plans and methods were built on that premise. He shows that he understands how they work, and how to crush them, over and over.
The only things needed are that understanding and an independent way to communicate to the public. He has both, and he has a staff that have built their lives around thwarting the Establishment Media templates.
This is a historic dynamic that will likely end the rule of the Mediacracy in the United States.
The social media and the building independent media both offer future candidates the potential for independence from the Establishment media. Virtually all Conservatives recognize the power of the Establishment Media over them; many “progressives” do not, because they do not feel its sting. Thus many “progressive” candidates are unable to understand the dynamic, and it leaves them ill prepared to deal with independent and social media effects.
I hope that there is a sequel to the past election night coverage. When the Democrats realize they LOSE the Russian smear and Trump WINS as Demcrat dirty tricks are confirmed.
...they’re clearly generating something of a sense of false optimism among Democrats...
Like the boundless “optimism” they had for the felon in waiting winning on November 8th.
They are still wallowing in their misery. It’s a mental illness.
One thing Trump is doing that the Left and the media have been very slow to learn is that he’s willing to let the false narrative grow only to play “gotcha” and make the Left and media look like fools.
Trump will act super fast went he moves. But on other thnges like this he just lays is wait letting his opponents have enough rope to hang themselves.
Trump tactical but has long-term strategies and he doesn’t seem to Flinch about it what others would be freaking out that they’re getting chewed up .. guess this comes from being a private business...he thinks in the long game... after all a businessman has to make big risk where he is upside down for a while because he knows it will pay off in the end
It not the score at the first quarter or the half or even a third quarter ....is the score at the end of the game.
Perfectly stated!
It’s delish to watch if you are patient.
Yes. I suppose if there is really any justice left at the top of our government, then it should prevail.
IF justice is able to prevail, I know I will look back on this time and wish I had enjoyed it more. I would like to enjoy the despair, as you rightfully say, and all the angst and the misery, the yowling, the head in the oven hopelessness and helplessness of ALL the nets and the cables and the newsers and the anti-Trump loons, out there.
But, no, it’s a constant a white knuckle period of time, with high tension. You see, I am not convinced that Justice rules the day, anymore. I already know that Justice is no longer blind. The Stature of Liberty and the scales of justice are quite tipped to favor the evil rich and powerful.
Hillary Clinton has guaranteed us that.
Liberals are not going anywhere either. They are a disease that can adapt like any other pandemic.Look how the liberals allied with Islam and freak culture. In my opinion, we lost the resolve to eradicate this. It is entrenched. They will come back with a vengeance. They fight and plan. GOPE gets historic majority and sucks it thumb, acts like the slaves of the Democrats and hides under their desks. Our party that is supposed to represent conservatism sucks and needs to die just like the DNC. If Hitler had Soros power and America was the way it is now the world would be very different. The way this is going, the world would wish for Hitler for the worst case scenario of liberalism and Islam winning is the darkest ages of all time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.