The part where your logic falls down is that you presume that they wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t tried against Trump first. And we know that that’s bullshit. They don’t need a reason like “well, you did it first!”, they just have to decide that they want to do something and then they do it. Reasons are for little people. Republicans would have tried to impeach Biden even if Trump had never been impeached. If they think they can do something, they will.
We have to try the case for disqualification not because of politics but because it is the law. The law needs to mean something. The 14th Amendment is clear as day. There is a history with it. If we want the Constitution to mean something, then we have to call out when it has been violated and this is a clear and obvious case. That’s more important than the optics of the situation.
Yeah, it is. Pretty plain. But the GOP, being the schoolyard bullies they are, will never rest until they get their evens, and that may be against a perfectly innocent DEM. Remember Newt Gingrich (Mr. Family Values) bragging about the Clinton impeachment being revenge for Watergate? He did. So, the message from them is “If you don’t allow us to get away with all the crimes we want, we’ll make you wish you had.” We’re hostages to these pigs. They’re so lousy now, they even think they deserve “retribution” against some guy who beat one of them fair and square. Sick people.
True, they don’t need facts to make allegations, and they have a very extensive noise machine to repeat them until the gullible…well you know. We all do.
I agree the politics being bad and the likely possibility of it being weaponized against Democrats (I actually think Harris is the more likely target than Biden). But the cat’s already out of the bag. If we stop now, Republicans will still try it against Democrats in the future.
The solution is to pursue it in the Courts to (hopefully) set a precedent for a high-enough bar that disqualification can’t be easily weaponized. In short, we need the SCOTUS to punt the question to Congress (i.e. a ‘political’ question) or to define some ground rules for how and where Disqualification can be used.
But that requires us to pursue the case, even if we wish we hadn’t started in the first place.
It’s called democracy with imperfections. If Republicans are elected they will have those powers.
Elections have consequences.
Bluntly, stopping Trump Inc. is more important than protecting Biden from phony charges.
State courts and legislatures already have certain powers with respect to qualifications. The question is whether we are or are not going to use those powers. Or are we going to cower because Republicans might misuse those powers more than they already do? Any difference this will make in the Republicans’ behavior. given that this possibility exists and has been pointed out is apt to be minimal.
And, if we are unsuccessful, they are apt to be less successful. Witness the Durham report. They keep trying to make bricks without straw.
It’s getting comical. Those of us who were politically aware when they were going after Hillary are not apt to fall for that again. Witness 2020 after the first 'perfect phone call."
I also appreciate the timely review and utilization of state powers as the squeakiest (and most dependent) wheels have been interminably crying “states’ rights”. States have responsibilities they’ve shirked for far too long. They can quit sending unqualified candidates to Washington, and they can act as a backstop when the unqualified or criminal squeak through. Democracy is a community project.
