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Comment by throw0101d | Hacker News Reader

> Impeachment speedrun.

An impeachment of a GOP president, by a GOP House and GOP Senate? With one of the GOP reps trying to give him a third term:

* https://ogles.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-ogles-propo...

* https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/23/trump-third-term-amendment-c...

Sure.

The GOP are now basically accomplices.

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Plus it’s not like there are Democrats doing anything to fight it.

Exactly. There is no need for fascism because there is no left opposing him. That is what people do not understand. We have corporate government that will be dictating your lives and you are focused on Trump and not the Oligarchs that control everything.

They lack the numbers. And it seems everyone is frightened by everyone else's obsequiousness towards borderline illegal orders.

What would a hypothetical "left" do differently than the current Democrats? Assuming this "left" is similarly handicapped like the Democrats are, having just lost control of the House, Senate and White House?

You don't get to blame the Democrats anymore. They were voted out in November, and are no longer in power in any way.

There is no "opposition" power structure in the US system.

If congress brings a bill to a vote, democrats can threaten to filibuster it, but the GOP can pretty easily call that bluff right now.

That's it. That's the only "power" a minority party has in the US system.

Imagine being a party so pretentious, so horrible and disgusting that you lose to a fascist

Oh, when the republicans are turning to fascism let's blame the democrats that lost the election completely and has no power to do anything anymore.

What things do you think the Democrats should do but aren't doing? Your "anything" suggests you think there are many such things. A list would be helpful.

> Plus it’s not like there are Democrats doing anything to fight it.

Can you enumerate some of the things that they could do, given recent actions have all been Executive Orders, which is the prerogative of the Executive branch.

Unless things start happening in the legislature, where perhaps things like filibustering are an option, what options do the Democrats have against purely Executive actions?

> Can you enumerate some of the things that they could do,

Biden had a very long time to do a lot of things. You can get a lot done with a bit of creativity and a willingness to cause a few constitutional crisis'.

He was even given a blank check for crime by the Supreme Court.

I am sure at least some of them know right from wrong. It'd be a tragedy if representatives were loyal to a president over the country.

It’s almost like you haven’t been watching US politics for the last eight years.

I should have said I'm hopeful. I'm always hopeful people can behave like adults and see the long term consequences of their action (and inaction) over others as well as themselves.

This is like being hopeful of staying dry in the rain

> I am sure at least some of them know right from wrong.

They also know which way the crowd/mob leans, and they know if they want to achieve their goals/agenda

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025

they need to have power

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik

If you don't have power you can't do shit. Just ask Harris/Biden/Clinton.

“The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it.” ― Abbie Hoffman, Steal This Book

At this point, at least in the US, ideals are for suckers and losers. You can have ideals once you're in, but being effective is more important before that.

There is no if in that sentence. It is Trump's party. The party of what used to be personal freedom is now in support of what amounts to a king.

It's honestly astonishing.

What were once considered conservative values have been completely tossed aside. It kind of blows my mind.

> It'd be a tragedy if representatives were loyal to a president over the country.

Trump was impeached twice by the House but was not convicted by the GOP-controlled Senate twice.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_of_Donald_Trump

The second impeachment was for "incitement of insurrection".

Pardon my bluntness, but what planet are you living on?

Knowing right from wrong and acting on that knowledge are entirely different though.

Standing up to Trump is dangerous to one's political and mortal future. He's removed the security details of Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, two Republicans who served him during his first term. Trump is a spiteful man with no care about the lives or safety of others, and that's partly what got him elected. The remaining Republicans know this, and will toe the line. Speaking out against Trump, even if one retires, is dangerous.

So the Executive and majorities in both houses of the Legislative branch are all aligned? How does that make them "accomplices" and not just a valid government doing governance?

> How does that make them "accomplices" and not just a valid government doing governance?

By supporting someone who attempted a self-coup:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capito...

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-coup

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_impeachment_of_Donald_T...

"Accomplice" means a confederate in a crime. If the executive violates a law and the legislature, among whose duties is to catch and prosecute such acts, allows him to do so, they are accomplices. If they work together to achieve ends through the normal, legal process, they are not accomplices.

Sorry this doesn't acknowledge the reality of how our government has trended over the last 30 years

What is a crime? At the end of the day, laws and legal processes are just social norms. To quote The Onion: "Trump Claims He Can Overrule Constitution With Executive Order Because Of Little-Known ‘No One Will Stop Me’ Loophole"[0]

[0] https://theonion.com/trump-claims-he-can-overrule-constituti...

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