For the record, and to the chagrin of some readers, I've been vocally and consistently critical of Donald Trump's actions and rhetoric in the wake of his 2020 election loss -- which played a central role in setting up the national disgrace that was the January 6th Capitol riot. I have no interest in whitewashing that terrible event, or engaging in revisionism about Trump's recklessness and culpability. I do, however, have an interest in once again calling out the flagrant and dangerous norms destruction being carried out by the party that purports to be the stalwart defenders of norms and "democracy." Donald Trump is currently under indictment for dozens of alleged crimes. Some of the charges are legitimate and earned, in my view; many others are questionable stretches, at best -- and illegitimate partisan weapons, at worst.
Among those many charges, brought by zealous-to-over-zealous prosecutors who'd love nothing more than to nail the former president to the wall is not 'insurrection,' which is the supposed crime that's been used to justify disqualifying Trump from the ballot in a few states. In Colorado, a sharply-divided state Supreme Court (comprised entirely of Democratic appointees) managed to reach this conclusion, which one of the dissenters effectively dismantled. In Maine, a single official from the opposing party unilaterally decided that Trump was guilty of a crime with which he hasn't even been charged, and used that determination to decree Trump's ineligibility for the ballot. This is extraordinarily corrosive and dangerous. It's laughable for the "democracy" and "voting rights" party to use its power to throw leading opponents off the ballot, using dodgy, power-abusing maneuvers.
Both of these decisions have been appealed to the US Supreme Court, and I'm cautiously optimistic that they will be reversed, hopefully in lopsided fashion. If and when this happens, the usual suspects will seize on the opportunity to attack and delegitimize the Court, which has been a project of the Left ever since they stopped approving of its ideological breakdown and judicial outcomes. Apparently eager to pile on any legally-sound ruling on this front? The overwhelming majority of 'Democratic' voters in America, who want the Republican frontrunner's name absent from ballots:
“Eighty one percent of Democrats believe states should disqualify former president Donald Trump from presidential ballots, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll.” https://t.co/S9INhKQJyq
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 7, 2024
By contrast, 90 percent of Republicans believe states should keep Trump’s name on the ballot. Independents are more closely split: 44 percent believe states should remove Trump’s name from ballots, while 56 percent believe states should allow Trump’s name to remain on ballots. Both Colorado and Maine have disqualified Trump from their respective primary ballots because his actions in the wake of the 2020 election allegedly violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which forbids individuals who have “engaged in insurrection” from seeking federal office.
Eliminate the competition from the ballot, using untested and extremely dubious machinations -- for democracy. This is the destructive path Democrats have chosen to pursue, independent of Trump's own conduct. Republican lawmakers have been floating retaliatory plans, which Ron DeSantis hinted at in the last few days. This where we are headed, if the madness isn't decisively stopped. I'll leave you with this -- it's hard enough to take seriously the "defend democracy" incantations from the 'throw him off the ballot' party without even being reminded of this high-octane hypocrisy:
https://t.co/kkxEyOqFMw pic.twitter.com/gT8EwYactu
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) January 7, 2024
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