Couldn't we, as DU, get our own petition going? Resign Trump

[H2O Man]

48. Interesting.

I agree with much of what you are saying .....more accurately, "most" of what you are saying. And there is nothing that you've said that I really disagree with. But, being an old man who is postponing my early afternoon walk due to the snow that fell last night, let me explain where I see some minor differences.

I agree 100% that we are not dealing with "an intelligent, moral, compassionate, and lawful president and administration." Gracious! Life would be so much less complicated if we were! In late February, I posted my interview with Yale's top forensic psychologist, Dr. Bandy Lee, the author/editor of "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump." The interview focused upon the fact that Trump is a sociopath, and references Erich Fromm's works, which identify the types of dangerous people a sociopath surrounds himself with if and when they rise to political power.

It is important to recognize not only that, but the socio-political environment which allows such a tumor upon society to grow. This is, in my opinion, essential for providing the context for how we can and should interpret the Constitution. In that sense, your focus on the November elections is spot-on, and surely of huge significance.

The Constitution provides for more than dealing with intelligent, moral, compassionate, and lawful presidents. The example of impeachment being included is obviously the clearest proof, though not the only tool available. It's true that not a single president has ever resigned because of public actions that fall under Amendment 1, yet the Founding Fathers included those protections for important reasons. They knew that a "bad" president would seek to limit those rights, and punish those who exercised them.

Nixon resigned because the republicans in the House and Senate were responding to his growing unpopularity, his chronic lying being exposed, and his inability to function properly as chief executive -- the synergy of which insured impeachment and conviction. Along side of that, those republicans recognized that Nixon had become a ball & chain that greatly reduced the chances of their party remaining in its current position in the next election. While the public protests were not the only factor that made this evident to them, it was the most visible.

What our friend is suggesting is not geared towards sending Trump a message. We can safely take that right off the table. Yet it is a way to exercise Amendment 1 -- in a much more rational manne, for example, than Trump & Co's ranting about Amendment 2. It allows people to send a message to the republicans in DC (even though almost all will ignore it), and to focus upon expanding the interest in the necessary voter participation that is essential come November.