DT shows how desperately the US needs to have better tools for removing a president...

[Locut0s]

Trump loves to look at running a country like running a business. Well if this were almost any business and Trump were the CEO the board of directors would have long ago fired him.

This also shows how the powers of the office of President also need to be reigned in IMHO. At the very least fine tuned.

[femmocrat]

1. Agree. The hurdles are so high.

I think the best bet is to try to get him to resign. We need some republicans to step up and do their patriotic duty for that. (Fat chance!)

[beachbum bob]

2. the tools are there....it takes congress and right now democrats have zero power

[MedusaX]

3. Unfortunately, he has greater legal protections in office.. so even if he wants to quit.. he really

Cannot afford to..
unless he chooses to go strait to a country with no extradition

[Madam45for2923]

4. To begin with we needed his taxes during the elections.

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. No, we need a more aggressive free press, curbs on cotributions, and a better informed electorate

Someone like Trump should never get near the oval office in the first place. If it was easier to get rid of a President Republicans would have removed Obama and Hillary wouldn't have lasted 100 days in office if she had gotten there.

[Kentonio]

6. Curbing the powers of the president is long overdue

No-one should have the power to arbitrarily pardon anyone they please, and no-one should be practically immune to law enforcement charges. It should also be impossible for anyone to launch a first strike nuclear attack solo, or indeed to carry out military action. You don't need full congressional approval, but at least the heads of the relevant committees should have to sign off to ensure a madman can't kill people for no reason.

[SticksnStones]

12. So basically leadership by committee

I don't think I'd sign on to that.

We need fairer elections, and laws requiring releasing taxes once a candidate.

A country needs a clear, definitive leader...and an election process that prevents electing a madman in the first place.


And CITIZENS UNITED must be overturned. Take the dark money out of politics!!

[Kentonio]

14. It has nothing to do with leadership by committee.

It's about having reasonable and sensible limitations on the power provided to any one person. Most other countries have those checks and balances, as they recognize that the amount of responsibility and trust it places in an individual is too high.

That should be obvious to us too now. We're in a situation where a deeply disturbed and possibly mentally unbalanced liar is in the Oval Office. He's being investigated for serious crimes along with many of his associates, and if he chooses not only can he pardon them at will, but he could also launch either a conventional or even nuclear strike to distract attention and there is absolutely nothing you, I or anyone else can do about it. That's ridiculous.

[SticksnStones]

18. Our constitution provides checks and balance

Changing the constitution to prevent someone like Trump isn't the answer, IMO.

Preventing a madman from getting into the WH in the first place is the flaw in the system.

Addressing those procedural weaknesses through clearer regulations on candidates' financial disclosures, an elimination of dark money and a tighter, FEDERAL LEVEL set of standards for voting integrity would go a long way to prevent this from happening again.

I push back strongly on the notion that the problem in the Trump fiasco is that our Constitution is fatally flawed in allowing the Presidency too much power.

[Kentonio]

20. Why would that make it fatally flawed?

It worked fine for a long time, but times change. Tweaking it to keep it relevant to the age we actually live in doesn't disrespect it's many strengths.

[Jake Stern]

17. Imagine if the president had to seek congressional approval to pardon or commute?

Republicans would love that because it means that all those low level, non-violent drug offenders about to be sent upriver for decades or even life by Sessions and his legal goons cannot be freed by a compassionate president like our previous one.

[Kentonio]

19. Imagine all those immoral rich conservatives

Who wouldn't get to walk away scot free from their crimes..

[Jake Stern]

22. Depends who is in charge

Even if congressional oversight were in place the situation as it stands right now they'd still walk free.

[Kentonio]

23. True.

[John1956PA]

7. I said, in 1974, that the constitution is weak when the need to remove a president is obvious.

Nixon would have hung on if the Democrats had not controlled both houses of congress.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Mixed feelings

If it were easier to remove a president, it would become the priority of a republican House with regard to a democratic president. Not just making that president one term, but to humiliate him-
/her to an impeachment hearing.

[Dem2]

15. I agree

As it is, they are generally working toward impeachment on Day1.

[dawg]

9. We have adequate tools. We lack the political will.

Republican voters, by and large, approve of Trump. Until this changes, nothing will be done.

[JHB]

10. Tools are only as good as the people using them...

...and consider that if there were "better tools" to remove presidents, the Republicans would have certainly employed them against Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. And would have broken out that toolbox on Day 1 of a Hillary Clinton presidency.

The problem is that one of our major political parties has lost its collective mind.

[jmg257]

11. 63 million people want(ed) him there...

Tough call to make it easy to remove him.

Win elections...they have huge consequences.

[octoberlib]

13. Some laws need to be passed so someone like

trump can never gain office again. All candidates should have to release their tax returns by law. If they've ever been sanctioned for money laundering, they are automatically disqualified from running for President. Start there.

[Jake Stern]

16. What is to stop a future GOP held congress from utilizing those tools to boot a Dem president?

Be careful what you wish for. . . . . . . .

[UTUSN]

21. Heck, we can't even shuck off a clear rot called the Electoral College much less something bigger