I'm Getting Worried: The Erosion of Our Rights

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
402

“During that briefing” is a pretty big clue that it happened during the briefing where Trump asserted absolute authority over all things American.

That’s our point. What’s great about Trump is that he can claim that the executive branch has absolute power on live TV and conservatives are quiet about it. He’s doing everything he complained that Obama was doing, and doing more of it. The stimulus alone was the biggest ‘big-government’ move since the New Deal. You are obviously not a stupid person, this is all happening right in front of you.

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Make no mistake: What you call “conservatives” can often fall under the “Progressive” umbrella, in my opinion.

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404

What did “Trump say” bud?

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In the United States, conservatism vs liberalism, first and foremost, is the idea of small government vs big government. Once again, these are astounding mental gymnastics.

“The people who support states’ rights the most and have sought to limit the power of the executive branch in fear of authoritarian rule are standing by quietly while the president asserts absolute authority.”

“Some of those people are liberals.”

  • literally your counterargument
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406

“When somebody’s president of the United States, the authority is total, and that’s the way it’s gotta be.”

Right before that, you posted a meme of the constitutional convention laughing about how, during a crisis, the constitution doesn’t matter. Trump didn’t say ‘during a crisis’, he just said if you’re president you have total authority. That’s why your meme was literally the most perfectly timed and hilariously ironic meme I have ever seen, because you posted it while Trump was saying the constitution doesn’t EVER matter to him, and then you ignored all the posts between yours and mine to ask a question that was answered 20 times already.

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407

HUYYUUUUUGE facepalm!

Of all the answers they could have given. SMH. Someone should get fired or have their tweeting privileges immediately revoked for that one.

I bet the protestors were gathering closely together. Separate into distinct groups of 10 (or whatever size is allowed by your state), and protest. It would take up more space and allow everyone to protest freely.

The Second amendment is dumb, and should be changed IMO… But don’t mess with the First. It’s the first for a reason!!

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What is the context of that quote? Total power of what? I honestly have not heard, been pretty busy at work. Do you have a transcript or link?

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Do you have a couple minutes and at least one finger, or an appendage pointy enough to hit one key at a time? If so, you can find where Trump, Monday morning, said that it was the president’s decision, not the Governors’ decision, to reopen states, and then, when asked about it at a press conference, he said that when somebody is the president, their authority is total, and that’s the way it has to be.

You could just watch the video. It’s just a video of the press conference. No captions below, no commentary, just a recording of him talking.
Watch as he just…says things. Slides his hands around in the same gestures over and over again, and when a reporter said “You said that when somebody is president of the united states, their authority is total. That is not true. Who told you that?”
His reply, literally, is “Okay. You know what we’re gonna do? We’re going to write up papers on this, it’s not going to be necessary, because the governors need us one way or the other. Because ultimately it comes with the federal government, that being said, we’re getting along very well with the governors, and I feel very certain that there won’t be a problem.” (3 out-in measuring gestures during this word salad)

First of all, what? Read that back as a response to that question and tell me that’s an honest person telling you the honest truth. Can’t top that, right? Except, 0 seconds later, next question:

“Has any governor agreed that you have the authority to decide when their state opens back up?”

Trump: [interrupts last few words of the question]: “I haven’t asked anybody. Because I don’t - you know why? - because I don’t have to.”

“But who told you that the president has total authority?”

Trump: [holds up finger]: “Enough.”

Sucks that I had to transcribe it for you, but it was worth it to see how you’ll frame this.

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It seems to begin around 1:01:35.

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Honestly it’s no crazier than a million other things he has said throughout the last 5 years or so when he “officially became a candidate and President.”

Trump has a limited understanding of our government and that’s not new news. It’s news to him when he says he wants to do something and then he finds out he can’t. He mentioned maybe we should try a President for life thing. He didn’t know much to start with and he’s never wanted to learn. Finding out about any limited powers just annoys him and that’s why he envy’s Putin, Kim, China.

He’s flat nuts and the bending over backwards people do to defend him is hilarious. I will actually miss watching people do that if he is defeated because it’s terrific comedy. I won’t miss having a three year olds temperament in office, but I will miss that. And those defenders will all return to those small government principles that mattered so much under Obama.

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Thoughts?

Asking for @Alrightmiami19c’s as well, of course.

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He’s said a lot of crazy shit, but honestly, this is the most direct attack on American conservatism that has ever been issued by a sitting president. I’m already aware that my previous responses are going to be met with what-aboutism, cherry-picking, willful ignorance, or unabashed lies. Even posting a video which contains the video I posted is an implication that I posted something that was out of context. It was, undebatably one of the most direct questions ever asked in journalism - “heres a direct quote from you, that’s not true, who told you that?” And the answer was what it was. But without a quick response in mind, the best course of action was to ignore my post and post the entire presser, in hopes that someone can scour it for the type of ‘context’ that would allow for the president to literally shit all over the constitution while constitutionalists lick his boots.

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Sure but who really cares? I mean if you can defend everything else he has said that were attacking those views what’s another one? It’s just the latest not the last. So it will be he was kidding, didn’t mean it like it came off, meant the governors should take his advice into consideration, something along those lines. The right will do what they typically do and say something along those lines, with a mixture of Obama thrown in or hey he’s way better than Hillary or something.

The people on the right who defend this type of shit don’t give a fuck about the constitution if it’s one of their own. If they did they wouldn’t have supported him in the first place when he ran as a debt doesn’t matter we print our own money healthcare for all at a cheaper cost, Mexico builds the wall.

The President can’t do that from those people comes out the moment a Dem is elected again. Until then it’s defend, deflect, whatever. Just sit back and laugh at the latest one.

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He said, when asked about states deciding not to re-open, “I guess that could happen.”

“Well, they can decide,” when asked about consortiums of states declaring that they will decide when to re-open.

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You responding with this requires you to ignore the entire section where Trump asserted absolute authority over states, and said he doesn’t even have to ask about said authority, because he has it.

Congratulations, you hit cherry-picking, willful ignorance, and an unabashed lie all in one. 3/4 ain’t bad.

Perhaps I should be more direct with you.

Did Trump assert absolute authority over the states, and did he explicitly state that he doesn’t even have to ask the states whether or not he has authority?

Are you able to answer that without dancing?

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Yes(edit: at least, his rambling gave that impression at times). The past 150-ish years back him.

I haven’t heard that part. Where is it?

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Why do the both of you ask questions that have been repeatedly answered? Is it just a stalling technique or something?

Amazingly enough, the answer to your question is in my video, which is part of the video you posted to provide context to my video, but now we know you skimmed around until you found the most out-of-context quote you could find. I mean, seriously - you haven’t heard that part?

…so he’s right? And the past presidents and politicians that you’ve criticized for being too authoritarian, you’ve exonerated, right?

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Nooooo. He is definitely not correct(in my opinion, anyway). The Supreme Court decisions were not correct either. And no, I have not.

I encourage everyone in the U.S. to vote for people that will restore the federal government to its constitutional limits, but I won’t hold my breath. Trump is definitely not a constitutionalist.

Edit: Finally found the exchange you mentioned. Around 1:16:30. He seems to be talking about the federal government being able to withhold funds from states. He seems to say “I don’t have to” because he believes the aforementioned power will be enough to bring everyone around.

I can’t agree that his dismissive words are “the most direct attack on American conservatism that has ever been issued by a sitting president.” Sorry.

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Anyone that’s interested should read this Wickard v. Filburn - Wikipedia ,to see an example of a past decision that clouds the original relation between State and Federal governments.

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The question the reporter asked was directly about opening the states back up. I wrote it out, word for word. You didn’t have to take my word for it, but once you listened to it yourself, you could just refer to what I wrote. This is you providing your own context to his blanket statement. He doesn’t “seem” to be talking about anything. He was asked a question, he answered it.