The Federalist Society (formerly "Supreme") Court & a Republican-led Congress are never coming to the rescue

[Miles Archer]

There is a tendency to say "This can only get so much worse, and then SOMEONE is going to STEP UP."

No, sorry, that will not be happening if your "someone" is Leonard Leo's hand-picked "justices" or the MAGAt House and Senate. They will let Trump burn it all down if they are the only thing standing between him and his worst instincts.

I'm doing my best to read the tea leaves and am still struggling to see that America, in a BIG WAY, gives a damn about what's happening right now.

Honest to God, I have no idea what it's going to take.

Maybe Trump declaring war and calling off the 2026 midterms will do the trick.

Maybe not.

But the one thing I hope that everyone can see is that when it happens, it won't be courtesy of John Roberts, Mean Old Uncle Thomas, Sammy the Flag Man, and Leonard Leo's Three Stooges...OR the Republicans in the House and Senate. NONE OF THESE PEOPLE ARE COMING TO THE RESCUE.

[newdeal2]

1. The next Dem president will either need to expand the court

Or drive a public campaign to pressure enough of them to resign.

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. Presidents don't expand the court, only congress can

The president just has to sign the law, and so support for court expansion must be a litmus test for selecting the 2028 Dem nominee, as well as selecting Dem nominees for senate.

[newdeal2]

4. Good leaders lead and get others in line

Say what you will about Trump, but he has done a lot of damage with slim margins.

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. The damage he has done is only possible with a compliant congress and courts

Trump is enabled by a SCOTUS that supports the Unitary Executive (most lower courts do not).

That is why congress must expand the court and castrate the Roberts MAGA majority.

[newdeal2]

8. Yes but it's going to require a leader who thinks outside the box

And acts outside of traditional norms. That’s going to scare a lot of people on our side, but I don’t see any other way.

[Fiendish Thingy]

10. Thinking outside the box doesn't mean thinking outside the constitution

That’s how we got in this mess.

[newdeal2]

11. I never said that

But the next Dem presidency cannot operate like the last three. You cannot paper over the destruction this time.

[Fiendish Thingy]

12. Which is why the filibuster must die, and the court must be expanded

Without those two steps, long held precedents protecting the rights of the people will continue to be overturned, and rebuilding from the wreckage of the Trump years cannot occur.

I think a president who supports and urges taking those two steps is sufficiently “outside the box” and norms of business-as-usual Washington to make a substantive difference in repairing the nation.

[Miles Archer]

5. I have a long wish list for the SCOTUS

I understand most of this would be impossible without a significant Dem majority, but...

1). Expand the court
2). IMMEDIATE ethics reform. None of this "form a committee and talk about it forever and do nothing" nonsense. Give it six months and commit to having it DONE and IMPLEMENTED at that time.
3). An IMMEDIATE. RETROACTIVE END to "lifetime appointments."
4). IMPEACH CLARENCE THOMAS for FREQUENT conflicts of interest and "gifts" from his billionaire boy pals.
5). STRICT REQUIREMENTS FOR RECUSAL in which ANY justice has "advocated for" individuals key to their "rulings."

[Fiendish Thingy]

9. Only need 51 votes in the senate to expand the court

Assuming Fetterman is replaced in 2028.

#2 - the key to ethics reform, IMO, is the ability to suspend justices without pay for noncompliance.

#3 is tricky, as the constitution implies justices shall indefinitely as long as they exhibit good conduct (doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try for term limits)

#4 I agree congress should hold impeachment hearings, perhaps as a preview for ethics legislation, but removal isn’t going to happen. Nevertheless, Clarence is way overdue for his time in the barrel- the hearings should make his confirmation hearings look like a picnic.

#5 - not sure how that would be enforced, but certainly there could be some narrow, concretely defined and enforceable standards created.

[Fiendish Thingy]

2. Trump can't call off elections due to war

States run the elections, and we had them during the Civil War, WWI and II, Viet Nam and after 9/11.

Trump wouldn’t be pushing for gerrymandering if he thought he could get away with cancelling elections.

I do agree that the Republican congress and, for the most part , SCOTUS won’t rescue us, which is why, when considering which Dem senate candidate to vote for in the primaries, one must consider this litmus test:

1) do they support court expansion and reform to castrate the MAGA majority on the Roberts court?
2) do they support killing the filibuster to do so?

I will not donate to any senate candidate who doesn’t support the above actions.

[NCDem47]

7. I don't even think a genuine fascist state would wake people up!

If folks can still drive their Gus guzzling trucks and SUVs, sip Starbucks and order Amazon, all is good.

Life is FABULOUS if you’re white, straight and Christian. Doesn’t matter if you have a few bucks in the bank or leveraged to your eyeballs.

America has totally and utterly lost the thread when it comes to compassion.

It will take people loosing their shit when there’s no power, Internet, trash pickup, food or prescriptions and the dollar is worth nothing to realize the veneer was really, really thin.