times do change.

[ford_prefect42]

So, today I figured out that, in point of realistic fact, we no longer live in a Federalist nation. That went away with the civil war. Nor do we live in a constitutional representative democracy, that went away with FDR. Nor do we live in a Parliamentary representative democracy. That went away much more recently

Comments

[harvey_rrit]

Congress still has the power of impeachment... but then, it's possible that BO will declare that his nonimpeachment will be "deemed to have passed".

[jordan179]

At which point the issue will become whether or not the military sides with him. One would think that this would be obvious to the well-educated "Constitutional scholar," but then he didn't have the benefit of attending a third-rate college like I did.

[coercedbynutmeg]

Meh, they're pussifying the military and throwing out as many people who might stand up to him as possible. 2016 is too soon for him to stay in place but it might be a different story if he's followed by a like-minded successor.

[ford_prefect42]

2016 *may be* too soon for him to stay president... But a lot can change in 2 years with an active saboteur in the white house. There are a lot of scenarios that would see him cancelling the elections, and all of us being called "terrorists" for suggesting that that's not appropriate. One example being Ebola outbreak. Even 10 cases dispersed through the country, and the spread confinement measures would make the notion of "going to the polls" laughable.

[jordan179]

It's far from obvious that Obama even has the authority to cancel the elections. He might be able to get it accepted that he had the authority to delay them. If he delayed them past the end of November, though, other leaders would become aware that he was no longer administering as President. Past Inauguration Day, January 2017 he would no longer be President, and military and security forces would have no Constitutional reason to obey him -- and every Constitutional reason to take up arms against him.

If we simply ditch the Constitution, then there would be no reason other than fear or habit to obey him -- and the military has bigger guns than the Secret Service. And the Secret Service would themselves be wondering "Why are we still protecting him?" A man who was himself a brilliant and successful military leader or strong poltiical leader, like Marius or Sulla, could get away with this. Obama is neither, and it would show if he were trying to rule as a despot.

[ford_prefect42]

There are VERY few things Obama has done since his re-election that he actually has the authority to do. That doesn't change the fact that he did them. Functionally, the authority of a president is unlimited unless and until the congress exercises their power of impeachment. The democrats will never impeach a democrat, regardless of what he does

[coercedbynutmeg]

I doubt the heir apparent in his party would allow it, and I'm pretty sure the opposition wouldn't allow it either. Even a large-scale terror attack a few days before the election probably wouldn't forestall elections. I don't think they'd be cancelled altogether short of complete societal collapse, in which case he'd nominally be president but wouldn't be able to do anything since there is no ruler in anarchy.

[ford_prefect42]

You may be right. But I am not confident that Hillary will torpedo the democrat party by exposing a coup from above attempt. The heir apparent of the democrat party will more likely knuckle under, because IF Obama has to be removed, then the democrat has already lost that election.

Again, you may well be right, I am just not confident enough of it to feel really comfortable. Particularly given that 3 years ago, I would have bet at LONG odds that the president couldn't simply dissolve our southern border (among other things).

[coercedbynutmeg]

The southern border has been wide open for a long time with lax enforcement (blame businesses that want cheap labor) which has helped contribute directly or indirectly to other societal problems (including black unemployment), but it has seemed that only recently the illegal immigrants actually get preferential treatment to citizens. For awhile, they were actually going back to Central America because the US economy was so shitty. Then they came up with the DACA and this other rumored shit and completely killed off enforcement.
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