4 ms·

I do expect the same "'business as usual' to follow, whatever the specific outcomes of this election." It is very hard to imagine the legislative process would

I do expect the same "'business as usual' to follow, whatever the specific outcomes of this election." It is very hard to imagine the legislative process would change much even if Trump is the president. Probably he would be muss less beholden to the typical political power brokers (mainly bought lobbyists for all sorts of interests). But for any legislation I would expect things to be very much the same. He would likely use the executive branch much more aggressively than even Nixon or Bush and Obama in the ongoing spying nation state efforts they both aggressively promoted. In a Trump administration we would be likely be even more reliant on government employees standing up to unlawful orders but given the recent history with spying and all the very questionable government actions undermining constitutional protections, current (access to spying apparatus for personal gain, prurient interests etc.) and past abuses of police power (Hoover etc.), past history with Nixon, past history with McCarthy, etc. that is a very dangerous hope to rely on. But it also is more a matter of degree given that all the examples given are under the traditional/establishment Democrat and Republican party rule in the last 60 years.

hga 11y ago
It is very hard to imagine the legislative process would change much even if Trump is the president I don't find it hard to imagine at all; for example: Trump to the American public in 2018: "Please elect this slate of high energy candidates and turn out of office these traitors to the American people." With of course his preceding dealings with the Congress based upon such threats; what are they and the rest of the establishment going to do, call him Hitler again? Do you remember how Reagan managed to get his programs passed by a House lead by a Communist sympathizer who said he was "the most ignorant man who had ever occupied the White House", "Herbert Hoover with a smile", and "a cheerleader for selfishness," and who's "policies meant that his presidency was 'one big Christmas party for the rich.'" (All quotes from Wikipedia's article on Tip O'Neil, and there's worse out there.) The rest of your posting is on issues of importance but that don't even hit the top 5, probably top 10 of what the people who are supporting Trump care about ... especially if the government is "fundamentally transformed" in to one that isn't trying to destroy them. As for those government employees you base some hopes on, anyone who genuinely wants to change things will abolish the current "civil 'servant'" system and return us to an updated spoils system where they're actually held accountable for their actions. Given how many Baby Boomers in it are retiring right now, it wouldn't even be all that messy. Now, I'm not saying this is what Trump will do, but it's just the barest of what he could do if he's not accepting "business as usual" with its inevitable fatal end for the country. And while we're talking about the branches of the Federal government, clipping the judiciary's wings with the end of the last sentence of paragraph 2 of section 2 of article III shows our Founders had a clue about its dangers.

hga 11y ago

It is very hard to imagine the legislative process would change much even if Trump is the president I don't find it hard to imagine at all; for example: Trump to the American public in 2018: "Please elect this slate of high energy candidates and turn out of office these traitors to the American people." With of course his preceding dealings with the Congress based upon such threats; what are they and the rest of the establishment going to do, call him Hitler again? Do you remember how Reagan managed to get his programs passed by a House lead by a Communist sympathizer who said he was "the most ignorant man who had ever occupied the White House", "Herbert Hoover with a smile", and "a cheerleader for selfishness," and who's "policies meant that his presidency was 'one big Christmas party for the rich.'" (All quotes from Wikipedia's article on Tip O'Neil, and there's worse out there.) The rest of your posting is on issues of importance but that don't even hit the top 5, probably top 10 of what the people who are supporting Trump care about ... especially if the government is "fundamentally transformed" in to one that isn't trying to destroy them. As for those government employees you base some hopes on, anyone who genuinely wants to change things will abolish the current "civil 'servant'" system and return us to an updated spoils system where they're actually held accountable for their actions. Given how many Baby Boomers in it are retiring right now, it wouldn't even be all that messy. Now, I'm not saying this is what Trump will do, but it's just the barest of what he could do if he's not accepting "business as usual" with its inevitable fatal end for the country. And while we're talking about the branches of the Federal government, clipping the judiciary's wings with the end of the last sentence of paragraph 2 of section 2 of article III shows our Founders had a clue about its dangers.