Lindsey Graham: As President I Would Deploy The Military Against Congress - Vox

[WillyT]

Lindsey Graham: as president I would deploy the military against Congress
Amanda Taub - Vox
March 11, 2015, 6:10 p.m. ET

<snip>

Republican senator and presidential maybe-hopeful Lindsey Graham stopped by the "politics and pies" forum in Concord, New Hampshire, today, where he announced that if he is elected president in 2016, his first act will be to deploy the military in Washington to force Congress to reverse cuts to the defense and intelligence budgets.

Yes, you heard that right. Here are Graham's exact words:

And here's the first thing I would do if I were president of the United States. I wouldn't let Congress leave town until we fix this. I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to. We're not leaving town until we restore these defense cuts. We are not leaving town until we restore the intel cuts.

Graham would use the military to force members of Congress to not just vote on the bill — but to pass it. Graham didn't say "until I get an up-or-down vote on restoring defense cuts." He said "until we restore these defense cuts."

In other words, Graham is proposing that his first act as president would be to use the military to force the legislative branch to pass his agenda.

Is Senator Graham announcing his plans for a self-coup?

If taken literally, Graham is basically announcing his plan to stage a coup: he is saying that if he gains control of the executive branch, he will use his authority as commander in chief to overcome the separation of powers and force the legislative branch to do his bidding, instead of allowing it to act as an independent branch of the government.

Political scientists often refer to that type of action as a "self-coup," a situation in which a legitimate leader uses the military or other armed force to unlawfully seize more power than is permitted under the constitution of the country in question. Usually that's a permanent seizure of power and a total shutdown of the legislature, so what Graham is proposing is a relatively mild version. But as silver linings go, "it's a coup, but only a small one" isn't very comforting.

<snip>

More: http://www.vox.com/2015/3/11/8193751/lindsey-graham-military-coup

[frazzled]

1. Well, isn't that special

[Faux pas]

2. Must be something

in the water???

[cpwm17]

3. Literally?

[Sherman A1]

4. I suspect not

as I recall, there are some rules against that type of thing. Perhaps the Esteemed Senator may want to take a few moments from his surely hectic schedule and review that Constitution thing again.

[leftofcool]

5. Yo! Miss Lindsay, go somewhere and work off those vapors!

[nxylas]

12. Now now

Couldn't we have just one Lindsey Graham thread without the homophobic slurs? Especially when he's planning a fucking military coup.

[democrank]

6. Poor Lindsey....

He sees everything in blood red and white.

[Dems to Win]

7. THIS should be today's media firestorm

Graham just disqualified himself to any sane American who heard about this statement.

[WillyT]

8. Absolutely !!! - He Should Be Hung Out To Dry...

[gratuitous]

16. You'd think there'd be some coverage of this

I wonder why these remarks aren't being scrutinized? Or do the popular media just don't think the Senator's remarks are very serious?

[neverforget]

9. He loves America so much, he wants to destroy the Constitution

and impose 1 Party rule.

[DeSwiss]

10. ''Dictater Lindsey''

[center]
''We're not leaving town until we restore these defense cuts.
We are not leaving town until we restore the intel cuts.''[/center]

K&R

[ND-Dem]

11. every year it seems more and more crazy people get into politics. why?

[Aerows]

13. Senator dipshit

once again speaks.

I'm pretty sure the two or three brain cells Graham has to rub together (and I'm being generous, here) are collapsing under the strain.

[WillyT]

14. Morning Kick !!!

[hughee99]

15. Which is just one of many reasons he'll

Never be president. Even the republicans don't like him very much.