Thanks for laying out the four categories and suggesting " informally authoritarian." It fits perfectly. Keep up the good. informative work--The last EOs (i.e. K-12 et al ) were under the radar with the past two days news and flooding the zone during the prior 2 weeks.
I like the categories. Your last point about the fourth category: "But it also represents the category with the clearest opportunities for legal pushback" is also why it is the most dangerous. First, you claim that the actions (firing people in contravention of the law and reinterpreting the 14th Amendment citizenship clause) as clearly illegal...yet the administration has articulated arguments to the contrary (the "original intent" of the 14th Amendment was to make slaves citizens, it had nothing to do with immigration; the unified executive theory). While you (and I) may think it is clear that these actions are illegal, they are only illegal if the Supreme Court says they are...and who knows how this Court is going to rule. You also suggest no one wants a full blown constitutional crisis. Probably true, but "no one" includes the Supreme Court. I am VERY concerned that they will uphold some of Trump's apparently illegal actions, for fear that if they rule against him, he will simply ignore the Court. We saw a hint of that with the recent forced physical removal of the Agricultural Department employee who insisted that her firing was illegal, and would only leave when a court upheld the removal. Armed security forces settled the dispute. As Andrew Jackson said (paraphrased), "The Supreme Court has ruled, now let them enforce it."
Thanks for laying out the four categories and suggesting " informally authoritarian." It fits perfectly. Keep up the good. informative work--The last EOs (i.e. K-12 et al ) were under the radar with the past two days news and flooding the zone during the prior 2 weeks.
I like the categories. Your last point about the fourth category: "But it also represents the category with the clearest opportunities for legal pushback" is also why it is the most dangerous. First, you claim that the actions (firing people in contravention of the law and reinterpreting the 14th Amendment citizenship clause) as clearly illegal...yet the administration has articulated arguments to the contrary (the "original intent" of the 14th Amendment was to make slaves citizens, it had nothing to do with immigration; the unified executive theory). While you (and I) may think it is clear that these actions are illegal, they are only illegal if the Supreme Court says they are...and who knows how this Court is going to rule. You also suggest no one wants a full blown constitutional crisis. Probably true, but "no one" includes the Supreme Court. I am VERY concerned that they will uphold some of Trump's apparently illegal actions, for fear that if they rule against him, he will simply ignore the Court. We saw a hint of that with the recent forced physical removal of the Agricultural Department employee who insisted that her firing was illegal, and would only leave when a court upheld the removal. Armed security forces settled the dispute. As Andrew Jackson said (paraphrased), "The Supreme Court has ruled, now let them enforce it."
Interesting times, for sure.