TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) famously robs its victims of their ability to reason, a skill on which leftists’ hold was already tenuous. Thus, in their ends-justify-the-means war to undermine democracy by preventing a fair race, they have concocted numerous half-baked strategies. One of them — the lawfare one — looks something like this:
- Go after Trump with as many legal attacks as possible
- ???
- Biden’s Second Term!
Granted, even if the attacks don’t prevent Trump from running, they still have the effect of handicapping him in several ways. They drain his coffers. They pull him from the campaign trail. They smear and besmirch his reputation among less-aware citizens who still have faith in state prosecutions not to be politicized. And they heap enough peril on Trump’s shoulders to send almost anyone else quivering to the insane asylum.
But that second step is a doozy. Reuters put together an explainer of how the lawfare strategy is supposed to work that is more effective at explaining how it’s not going to work:
Some legal experts say Trump’s Jan. 6 actions disqualify him for the presidency. They cite his fiery speech to supporters who then stormed the Capitol in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying Democratic President Joe Biden’s election.
They cite Section 3 of the post-Civil War 14th Amendment, which bars government officials who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding office.
If that sounds like a long shot to you, you’re not alone. First of all, despite being the most-prosecuted politician ever, “Trump has not been charged with insurrection or rebellion,” admits Reuters. There’s a whole lot more, too:
Disqualifying candidates based on crimes they have not been convicted of, or even charged with, could run afoul of their rights to due process and equal protection, which are also enshrined in the 14th Amendment.
HOW WOULD DISQUALIFICATION WORK?
Section 3 has no clear enforcement mechanism. Some legal scholars say it would require an act of Congress to put it into effect. Others say state election officials are bound to apply it when considering candidates for the ballot and can be compelled to do so by court order.
Voters and groups representing them would need to persuade secretaries of state across the 50 states – many of them elected Republicans and Trump allies – to determine Trump is disqualified or to persuade judges to bar them from putting Trump on the ballot.
For the maneuver to succeed, its proponents would need to persuade officials in enough Republican-leaning states to block Trump from the ballot that he would be denied the 270 Electoral College votes needed for victory.
Those efforts would almost certainly draw legal challenges from Republicans.
And if malicious leftist hopes come to fruition — if Trump is locked up for any of the weak, spurious cases against him — even that won’t stop him from running or Americans from voting for him. Trump has told them as much and in so many words. Speaking in Iowa over the weekend, the front-running candidate said, “What they [the weaponized left-wing establishment] don’t understand is that I am willing to go to jail if that’s what it takes for our country to win and become a democracy again.”
President Donald Trump in Iowa: "But what they don't understand is that I am willing to go to jail if that’s what it takes for our country to win and become a democracy again.” pic.twitter.com/ELp0AgLQQi
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) October 16, 2023
Svante Myrick is an impressive 30-something who is president of the established Marxist activism group People For the American Way. In a column for The Hill published yesterday, titled “The fantasy that indictments will stop Donald Trump is fading fast,” Myrick has begun breaking the cold, hard truth to his fellow leftists:
The cavalry is not coming. Neither the courts nor other Republicans appear likely to stop Donald Trump in time for the general election. Legal theories about how he might be disqualified face an enormous uphill battle. Anybody waiting for a deus ex machina moment that sweeps Trump from the scene is wishcasting in an increasingly dangerous way.
He goes on to let his panic flag fly:
The warning signs are all around. Trump’s diehard base is not going away. Millions are still in thrall to the Big Lie. Trump’s ratings in polls are untouched by his numerous felony charges. He’s a master of publicity and knows how to use it to his advantage. His closest competitors in the Republican primary have been reluctant to criticize him — and there are so many that no one person can consolidate anti-Trump sentiment.
And, most critically and recently, it now looks like Trump’s criminal court cases won’t be resolved before Election Day.
How to ward off disaster? Myrick advises the same activities to promote his side that we on the right recommend for ours (though we don’t have their advantage of incessant state legal attacks on our opponent):
… volunteer, fundraise, organize and get behind one candidate now, because the 2024 presidential election is going to be a rollercoaster ride like nothing we’ve ever seen.
He wraps it up: “To all the serious, well-meaning people who believe Donald Trump will be in prison or otherwise disqualified by Election Day, this is a wake-up call. It’s not going to happen.”
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Coupled with that is the fact that, unlike during the run-up to the 2020 election, Trump has been running tied with or ahead of Biden for most of this cycle.
As more leftist influencers surrender to the panic, it will likely be both horrifying and fascinating to see what underhanded tactics they pivot to next.
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