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Chasstev365

(8,069 posts)
Fri May 8, 2026, 11:21 AM 17 hrs ago

I've said it before, but it needs to be said again:

The Founding Fathers envisioned a Trump. What they didn't envision was an entire political party giving up their power of checks and balances and allowing the president to commit multiple crimes and violations of the Constitution.

They also couldn't fathom that 6 partisan hacks in robes on the Supreme Court would rule so blatantly in favor of a president and against any oppostion, and that they would literally invent law out of thin air to aid a criminal president.

This is what we are up against in 2026.

27 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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I've said it before, but it needs to be said again: (Original Post) Chasstev365 17 hrs ago OP
Impeach the 6 (when we retake the House) even if the Senate does not. nt in2herbs 17 hrs ago #1
And Money is how we got here Lokee11 17 hrs ago #2
The Founding Fathers also did not anticipate the imbalance between populations in urbanized states and those that are Martin68 17 hrs ago #3
The Electoral Coillege Mr.Bee 17 hrs ago #5
The U.S. Supreme Court popsdenver 16 hrs ago #12
Does Putin have p-tapes on SCOTUS? RainCaster 11 hrs ago #25
The "winner take all" (states give ALL there EC vote to the winner of the popular vote in their state) came later Martin Eden 15 hrs ago #17
The Electoral College was created to prevent slaveholding states from losing votes to control or eliminate slavery. eppur_se_muova 8 hrs ago #26
No one could have envisioned the Internet and "social Medias" where what used to be fringe question everything 17 hrs ago #4
IMO, there is only one solution. The voters in this country have to demand their rights by walkingman 17 hrs ago #6
They are trying to roll back to 1850 JT45242 16 hrs ago #7
Media deregulation, repeal of the Fairness Doctrine, hate radio, the internet - have all been an enormous influence hadEnuf 16 hrs ago #14
Expand the SC to 13 ouija 16 hrs ago #8
Yup. Hang on, it's about to get real. Joinfortmill 16 hrs ago #9
They couldn't anticipate that so many Americans could be lied to, and convinced to vote against their own interests FakeNoose 16 hrs ago #10
Founders never imagined SCOTUS deciding the White House occupant DemocracyForever 16 hrs ago #11
I totally agree with you on that! Chasstev365 16 hrs ago #15
They absolutely did not anticipate Trump. BannonsLiver 16 hrs ago #13
All the historians I've head said the Founding Fathers absolutely did not anticipate a Trump. betsuni 15 hrs ago #18
Have heard the exact same. BannonsLiver 15 hrs ago #19
They had King Charles I mr715 11 hrs ago #24
The fucking media enablers. nt AnotherMother4Peace 16 hrs ago #16
One further detail. The founders did not envision or favor political parties and certainly not a two party system. flashman13 15 hrs ago #20
We could solve that by adopting proportional allocation Wednesdays 11 hrs ago #21
You are correct on both points. flashman13 11 hrs ago #23
With respect to our founding fathers, mr715 11 hrs ago #22
The Heritage Foundation BurnDoubt 1 hr ago #27

Lokee11

(414 posts)
2. And Money is how we got here
Fri May 8, 2026, 11:29 AM
17 hrs ago

I may not know how to fix everything, I may not know what could have been done to explicitly prevent it, but money is why we got here.

Nobody's motivating factor to go into politics should ever be to become rich, and for most (cannot convince there is even one with an R next to their name) that is why they are / became politicians. Not to represent and help their communities but to benefit themselves and only themselves.

Martin68

(28,030 posts)
3. The Founding Fathers also did not anticipate the imbalance between populations in urbanized states and those that are
Fri May 8, 2026, 11:49 AM
17 hrs ago

largely rural. Nor did they anticipate that the Electoral College system would backfire if a totally corrupt party gained control of enough states.

Mr.Bee

(1,902 posts)
5. The Electoral Coillege
Fri May 8, 2026, 11:57 AM
17 hrs ago

Should have been eliminated the first time is was proven to be manipulated.
Electronic voting machines should have been removed the first time it was
proven they could be hacked.

popsdenver

(2,544 posts)
12. The U.S. Supreme Court
Fri May 8, 2026, 12:55 PM
16 hrs ago

should have been beaten down badly , the first time they literally THREW an election, without any authority, what-so-ever, in 2000
HWBush should have been beaten down badly, when he committed Treason in 1980 to install Reagan as a pawn of his......
ETC ETC ETC

The Dems have missed countless opportunities to confront the Republicans......

RainCaster

(13,854 posts)
25. Does Putin have p-tapes on SCOTUS?
Fri May 8, 2026, 06:10 PM
11 hrs ago

Or are there Epstein Files that mention these august justices?

Martin Eden

(15,842 posts)
17. The "winner take all" (states give ALL there EC vote to the winner of the popular vote in their state) came later
Fri May 8, 2026, 01:16 PM
15 hrs ago

States wanted to be a bigger prize, to garner more attention and perhaps concessions from candidates.

The Electoral College has become an anachronism. Back in the day it was necessary for actual electors to travel to the Capitol, sometimes taking multiple votes before a winner could be declared. Also, large segments of the populace (women, blacks) were not allowed to vote.

Today, counting all eligible voters, we do not have 1 person = 1 vote. Because of the Electoral College, one person's vote in Wyoming carries the weight of nearly 4 voters in California.

This is just plain wrong, especially since smaller population states are grossly overrepresented in the Senate. California and Wyoming both have 2 senators.

eppur_se_muova

(42,377 posts)
26. The Electoral College was created to prevent slaveholding states from losing votes to control or eliminate slavery.
Fri May 8, 2026, 08:12 PM
8 hrs ago

The argument is often framed in terms of big/small states, rural/urban states, but it was the *plantation* states like VA (home of many of the FF, especially the ones that owned slaves) that forced the creation of the EC. It should have been abolished as part of Reconstruction. But then, Reconstruction was sabotaged by the infamous Compromise of 1877.

question everything

(52,329 posts)
4. No one could have envisioned the Internet and "social Medias" where what used to be fringe
Fri May 8, 2026, 11:56 AM
17 hrs ago

are now main players; where “influencers” are courted and quoted without being challenged.

walkingman

(11,107 posts)
6. IMO, there is only one solution. The voters in this country have to demand their rights by
Fri May 8, 2026, 12:07 PM
17 hrs ago

voting in mass, no matter the obstacles. Until the people stand up for their rights themselves it will never happen. We have to remember this is how they (the GOP) was able to roll us back to the 1950s in the last 60 years.

The GOP incorporated religion, racism (segregation), misogyny, and white supremacy into their party since around 1980. It was a deliberate slow movement that began at the Local and State level which led to finally the National level.

America will a minority majority nation (around 2040) and the battle will intensify.

Voter suppression, selective immigration, white Christian nationalism, and concerted effort to shift away from a pluralistic, secular democracy toward a more homogenous, white Christian-influenced state is there way to maintain power.

We have to unite for the common good, otherwise the oligarchs will continue this push towards servitude - history is pretty clear about this.



JT45242

(4,103 posts)
7. They are trying to roll back to 1850
Fri May 8, 2026, 12:13 PM
16 hrs ago

Don't be fooled -- SAVE is a way to get rid of the 19th amendment
13, 14, & 15 will be voided soon. They will come up with reaosns to arrest people and then the slavery in jail is OK will be applied
They want to get teh 16th as well so the rich pay nothing

hadEnuf

(3,647 posts)
14. Media deregulation, repeal of the Fairness Doctrine, hate radio, the internet - have all been an enormous influence
Fri May 8, 2026, 12:57 PM
16 hrs ago

on getting us to where we are today by giving the Right the vehicle to peddle their propaganda non-stop. So many are misinformed or are literally brainwashed it's not even funny anymore. Yet we are trying to use these same vehicles to try and get our messages of sanity out as well, and it just isn't going all that well.

The fact that Trump and the GOP have approval numbers that are higher than one digit is amazing.

FakeNoose

(42,218 posts)
10. They couldn't anticipate that so many Americans could be lied to, and convinced to vote against their own interests
Fri May 8, 2026, 12:52 PM
16 hrs ago

Also the Founding Fathers couldn't anticipate that over half of our citizens would be so disengaged that they wouldn't bother to vote, even if it meant preventing a crazy despot from taking power.

DemocracyForever

(133 posts)
11. Founders never imagined SCOTUS deciding the White House occupant
Fri May 8, 2026, 12:54 PM
16 hrs ago

which is what happened with the Rehnquist 5 in 2000. This is what started this nightmare. The corrupt, sexist, racist, anti-democracy behavior of the GOP is exactly why George Washington hated political parties.

betsuni

(29,246 posts)
18. All the historians I've head said the Founding Fathers absolutely did not anticipate a Trump.
Fri May 8, 2026, 01:17 PM
15 hrs ago

BannonsLiver

(20,811 posts)
19. Have heard the exact same.
Fri May 8, 2026, 01:27 PM
15 hrs ago

And it's also evident by the many avenues in which the system can be manipulated, abused, shaped, etc.

mr715

(4,054 posts)
24. They had King Charles I
Fri May 8, 2026, 05:46 PM
11 hrs ago

A head of state that wore a lot of makeup and had a developmental disorder.

They had read Hobbes, etc. They knew a Trump could happen, they just never expected such a compliant legislature.

And even if they could imagine a Trump, he would be heavily on the side of theoretical.

flashman13

(2,548 posts)
20. One further detail. The founders did not envision or favor political parties and certainly not a two party system.
Fri May 8, 2026, 01:50 PM
15 hrs ago

In Federalist No. 10 Madison said that factions (parties) could threaten the public interest. He felt that diversity (novel concept) over a large republic would best serve the public interest and prevent factionalism.

Wednesdays

(23,035 posts)
21. We could solve that by adopting proportional allocation
Fri May 8, 2026, 05:16 PM
11 hrs ago

That wouldn't abolish political parties, but it would allow far more parties to be participants. And more closely represent the real will of the people.

Good luck in getting red states to adopt such a system, though.

mr715

(4,054 posts)
22. With respect to our founding fathers,
Fri May 8, 2026, 05:27 PM
11 hrs ago

they also couldn't envision a jet engine or a woman.

It is amazing to me how the legislative branch which is so compromised by the promise of payouts and quiet power, gave up its governing authority. The GOP has made Congress into a bad faith debating society. It is Robert's Rules of Order cosplay.

Regarding the Court, they have empowered the legislature to correct problems with the judiciary. A very simple solution would be to expand the court.

And, to allude to the title of this post, with respect to our founding fathers, they did envision the people fighting back against an oppressor and doing the unlikely.

You are correct, but we're going to be able to at least stem the damage being done.

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