Trump, Musk Launch Blitzkrieg Against Democracy
President Donald Trump is moving quickly to establish a right-wing dictatorship, with Elon Musk commanding the shock troops. We must change the way we talk about Trump’s approach to the Presidency. Trump is not “defying norms” or “pushing the boundaries” or “disrupting government”. The President is breaking laws and violating the Constitution. Trump is shredding long-established democratic traditions in his drive to achieve absolute power. And Musk is thrilled to lead this coup d’état.
Trump claims that he wants to purge the “deep state” of “radicals”, cut wasteful spending and eliminate “woke” programs on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Like his war on illegal immigrants, these are all smokescreens.
Trump wants to get revenge on his perceived “enemies” and to deliver on his campaign promises, of course. Trump might also claim that his anti-government drive may generate “huge” cost savings that would “pay for” the next round of tax cuts that he is seeking. As in 2017, the tax cuts would mostly benefit his ultra-rich donors…oligarchs like Musk.
But Trump’s ultimate goal is to destroy our democratic form of government, so he can rule as a strongman.
Trump wants to eliminate any checks and balances on him by:
· Ending the rule of law
· Turning the FBI into an American version of the KGB
· Taking away Congress’ power of the purse
· Replacing apolitical career civil servants with partisan lackeys
What Can Democrats Do?
Congressional Republicans are terrified of Trump, so they won’t try to stop him. Fortunately, Democratic leaders are finally waking up from their post-election coma. Their fellow Democrats, and fair-minded Republicans, should encourage them to speak out and to use hardball tactics. Demanding that Musk testify before Congress is a good start, so that Democrats can publicize the damage he is wreaking on the government.
As former Rep. Tom Malinowski of New Jersey has proposed, Democrats should refuse to negotiate over the debt ceiling unless they get an ironclad guarantee that the Administration will spend all funds authorized by Congress. This would be a risky move—the public might blame Democrats for a shutdown—but they should use any leverage to preserve the Constitutional balance of power. That’s a risk worth taking.
What can you do?
Contact your Representative:
202-225-3121 and
http://www.house.gov/
and Senators:
202-224-3121 and
https://www.senate.gov/general/resources/pdf/senators_phone_list.pdf
and urge them to fight this tyrannical assault on our government.
Litigation can also be an effective way to stop Trump’s abuse of power. Democrats should support state officials and private advocacy groups that are suing to block the Administration’s illegal maneuvers.
January 6 Pardons Set the Tone: Lawless
In one of his first acts as President, Trump pardoned 1,600 criminals who tried to overthrow the government on January 6. This was a direct attack on the rule of law.
The rioters badly injured 160 Capital Police officers, and several died as a result. Trump’s thugs fought to prevent the peaceful transfer of power, the hallmark of our democracy. They were convicted in trials that strictly followed due process and respected their rights as defendants. Their guilt was firmly established. Many January 6 defendants had previous records of violence.
But like any Mafia don, Trump took care of his “soldiers”. By pardoning them, Trump mocked and defied our judicial system. His message was clear: I am above the law, and so are my supporters.
Worst of all, the President set free the leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers militias. Rather than express any remorse when they left prison, Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes spoke gleefully of “retribution”. These criminals know that they can act with impunity, because Trump will pardon them again.
Trump’s Private Army
After taking some time to rebuild, the militias can serve as Trump’s private army. They might intimidate or attack his enemies. As an astute capo, Trump will, naturally, deny that he had anything to do with the violence.
Trump has intimidated many Republicans by threatening to primary them. Now he has another tool for menacing them (and other opponents). During Trump’s first term, some Republicans in Congress privately admitted that they voted for his proposals only because they worried about their families’ safety. Now they have even more grounds for concern.
Trump has effectively put a bull’s eye sign on several former officials in his first Administration: Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton. Trump terminated their security details and then declared, “I’m not responsible” if something happens to them. Translation: it’s not my problem if they get thwacked.
Firing the Cops
Under Christoper Wray, the former FBI Director, the Bureau focused on investigating far-right militias, which it considered the #1 terrorist threat to the U.S. You can be sure that will change under this Administration, particularly if Kash Patel becomes the Director. Instead of pursuing the militias, Patel will go after Trump’s “enemies”, such as political opponents or journalists. The heat will be off the militias.
Elon Musk/photo: Getty Images
Musk and His Tech Bro SWAT Squad
When Adolf Hitler became Chancellor, his party was in the minority, with only 40% of the vote. The Socialist and Communist parties were well-organized, powerful parties with 60% of the vote. Hitler deputized his brownshirts as policemen, so they could intimidate and beat up his political opponents. Within 100 days, Hitler achieved complete control over Germany’s government.
So far Trump is taking a more subtle approach. The President deputized Elon Musk to cut off payments to government agencies and the non-profit organizations that depend on their support, so he can cripple them. Musk is conducting mass layoffs of career civil servants, dismantling the “deep state” that Trump hates. Musk and his tech bro minions are demanding, and getting, access to highly confidential information, even though they may not have the requisite security passes.
The New Operation Warp Speed
Musk has already shut down USAID, and he has targeted the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau as well as the entire Department of Education. This is the new Operation Warp Speed.
But this all-out assault on the Federal bureaucracy is blatantly illegal. Musk and Trump are violating the Constitution and applicable laws. Musk gloated that “USAID is a criminal organization, and it must die”. Like his boss, Musk was projecting; he is breaking the law.
Turning Congress Into An Advisory Council
When the Founding Fathers set up our three branches of government, they clearly and deliberately gave Congress the “power of the purse”. Congress’ control of the budget is the cornerstone of the balance of power between the legislature and the executive branch. That’s why this President wants to eliminate it. In Trump’s view of the world, he is King, and Congress should be an advisory council.
Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress, not the President, the power and authority to determine how the government will raise revenues and how it will spend them. Congress passes a budget each year, in which it allocates funds to the various Departments and agencies, such as USAID. As the people’s representatives, the members of Congress thrash out their priorities for government programs and expenditures, which they express through the budget. They authorize the creation of Departments and agencies and appropriate the funds for their operations.
Congress passes the budget as a law. Under Article 2 of the Constitution, the President “must faithfully execute all laws”, including the budget. The President cannot pick and choose which programs he wants to fund and support, by issuing an imperial decree (a.k.a. an executive order). Trump has no legal authority to shut down government agencies or Departments that don’t suit his policy preferences. And his enforcer, a private citizen like Musk, has no right to “feed USAID to the woodchopper”, fire civil servants or destroy the basic infrastructure of our government.
Nixon Tried to Impound Funds, Too
President Richard Nixon tried to upset the Constitutional balance of powers, by “impounding”, or refusing to spend, funds on programs that he did not like. Congress quickly responded by passing the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which bans such behavior by Presidents. The Act sets forth a detailed process, called rescission, whereby the President can ask Congress to reconsider and retract a particular appropriation. But even in that instance, the final decision remains up to Congress.
Purging Civil Servants
Under the guise of cost-cutting, Musk is conducting a massive purge of career civil servants. This is also probably illegal, because most Federal employees have been protected against arbitrary dismissals –and being fired because of retaliation—for almost 140 years.
Although one of Musk’s goals may be to reduce government spending, it’s worth noting that he has installed many business associates in key positions of power in various agencies. That could be highly advantageous for a CEO whose companies (SpaceX, Star Link) have lucrative contracts with the US government or have benefited from tax credits (Tesla).
The purge will be very convenient for Trump, too. The President can reward his followers and cronies by giving them government positions. And this time, Trump can be confident that his apparatchiks will slavishly follow his orders, whether they are lawful or not. Trump will not face resistance from officials who object to his initiatives because they are unlawful, unconstitutional, or simply foolish.
To paraphrase Stalin’s dictum: no guardrails, no problems.
Back to the “Spoils System”
Trump talks about “returning to a merit-based system” in government. However, he seems intent on resurrecting the “spoils system” that flourished under President Andrew Jackson, who took office in 1829. A radical populist, Jackson disregarded the tradition of hiring government employees based on their qualifications. Instead, he handed out jobs to his supporters. Subsequent Presidents followed this patronage system.
As a result, for decades the Federal government was plagued by incompetent employees who held their positions only because of their political connections. Corruption was rampant. Eventually, the public’s disgust with these shoddy practices and inefficient government led Congress to pass the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883. This legislation created the modern system of a professional civil service, with hiring and promotions based on merit, not political affiliation.
The system has worked well, despite criticisms from the far right. But Trump seems dead set on taking us back to the bad old days.
Don’t be fooled by Trump’s blather about “waste” and “woke” bureaucrats. He wants to wipe out our democracy and replace it with a dictatorship. Trump has “joked” several times recently about serving “four more years or more, possibly.” No other President has talked about a third term since the days of FDR. We must fight back, or the joke will be on us.
The Wall Street Democrat