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THE VIEW FROM HERE - The US Constitution created a Federal Democratic Republic. “Federal” means that there are sub-jurisdictions, e.g. individual states, which are bound together by the Constitution. “Democratic” does not mean that we are a democracy, which the Constitutional Convention rejected. Instead, the framers chose a Republic whose main purpose is to create a strong enough government protect individual inalienable rights, but which places myriad checks and balances on the accumulation of power. Some of those checks and balances impose mandatory duties. The Senate’s duty to advise and consent (or reject) Presidential nominee is not discretionary. When Senator John Thune said that each GOP Senator had a duty to approve all of Trump’s nominees, he materially breached his constitutional duty and could theoretically be criminally tried for leading a conspiracy to subvert the US Constitution. Thune definitively proved that he was devoid of honor.
Thune’s goal is to replace the Republic with the Unitary Executive, which is a highfalutin way to say Military Dictatorship. The Senate’s constitutional duty was to reject incompetents and miscreants. The Constitution confers no mandate on the President by winning an election, except to defend the Constitution. The President has to work within the Constitutional framework, which Trump often refuses to do. Had Sen. Thune not materially breached his oath of office and allowed Trump to blackmail GOP Senators to vote in favor of the likes of Pig Hegseth and the lunatic anti-vaxer, Robert Kennedy (JFK, Jr), Trump would have been compelled to have at least sensible advisors. Instead, Trump has been allowed to act without any restriction so that Trump is sabotaging his entire administration.
People become irrationally upset when one says that they should look at the Nazi regime to gain some understanding where certain actions can lead. It does not mean that Trump is a Nazi, but authoritarian regimes made the similar type of errors, and Sen. Thune’s breach of duty has allowed Trump to act like a dictator. As mentioned in a previous article, Hitler’s power to overrule his generals and attack Stalingrad lead to Germany’s total defeat in WW II. While this outcome was great for the world, the lesson for historians is that uncheck(ed) power often lead(s) to total disaster. Trump’s absurd attack on Mexicans has laid the seeds of Trump’s destruction, but no one inside the White House will speak truth to a madman.
One minor scrimmage in Trump’s grandiose belief that he has a mandate to do anything was his myopic demand that Texas violate the national norms and have a reappointment in 2025, rather than after the 2030 census. The purpose as to wipe out five Dem districts so that five more GOP would be elected to the House of Representatives. Although the President has zero constitutional authority to interfere with a state’s reapportionment, Texas followed Trump’s order without bothering to see what Texas voters wanted. In brief, Texas allowed Trump to redistrict Texas so that he would not lose control of the House of Representatives in 2026.
If Trump loses control of the House, then his policies will be tempered by the House. Among other things, the House controls the purse strings and can cut funding for Trump’s projects. If the Dems control the House, it could be the worst of all political worlds. Also, Trump is a lame duck President. Despite Bannon’s insistence that Trump can run for a 3rd Term, Bannon’s plan may simply land him back in prison. Presently, Trump’s dream to have a 3rd Term is pie in the sky. Thus, Trump feels that it is crucial that he control both the House and the Senate after the 2026 mid-term elections. That is why he rashly demanded that Texas re-gerrymander its congressional districts now.
In response, California Governor Newsom has asked California voters whether they wish to reapportion their congressional districts. Although the election is not until Tuesday, November 4th, it seems clear that the voters will approve the reapportionment wiping out five GOP districts. Other states – both Red and Blue – are now getting into the re-districting game. Each re-apportionment will incur a legal challenge and those which disenfranchise minority voters are likely to be judicially overturned. Because Dem districts are more likely to be minority districts, the GOP states reapportionments run a greater risk of being thrown out, resulting in a much larger DEM majority in the House.
Here’s Trump’s Grand Folly
Had Thune prevented Trump from loading up his administration with many idiot sycophants, country would be turning against him. For reasons not publicly know, Trump listens to the racist Stephen Miller – Trump’s own Joseph Goebbels. When Trump said that he would deport only “the worst of the worst criminal illegals,” the nation was solidly with him, but he allowed the hateful Stephen Miller to order ICE to arrest 3,000 per week, which meant to target hard working Mexicans who had been here for years. See also, Goebbels and Miller and Miller Destroys Trumps Presidency
If Trump had listened to someone who understood the Mexican community, he would have understood that Mexicans are not like Blacks and they do not support Woke DEI. Trump should have declared victory over the criminal aliens and then moved on to other matters. A year later, he could then come up with rational anti-DEI policies and lure millions of Mexican voters away from the Dems.
Newsom’s Constitutional Prop 50
California is holding an election on November 4th for Prop 50 so that California voters, and not the political leaders, will decide whether to redistrict California to offset Trump’s Texas ploy. Because California’s reapportionment is voter approved and does not single out minority districts, it is more likely to withstand a court test.
While California GOP members whose districts will disappear cannot be happy, they should have the integrity to admit that Newsom did not initiate the events which will wipe out their Congressional seat. With the growing number of Centrist voters, a GOP congressperson might still hold onto his seat if he has honesty to admit the origin of his troubles. The more Woke a new Dem candidate, the more likely California voters will stick with the former GOP Congressperson.
(Richard Lee Abrams is a former Los Angeles-based attorney, an author, and political commentator. A long-time contributor to CityWatchLA, he is known for his incisive critiques of City Hall and judicial corruption, as well as his analysis of political and constitutional issues. Abrams blends legal insight with historical and philosophical depth to challenge conventional narratives. A passionate defender of civic integrity and transparency, he aims to expose misuse of power and advocate for systemic reform in local government. You may email him at [email protected])
