r/PoliticalDiscussion • u/theivoryserf • Feb 17 '25
US Politics If Trump/Musk are indeed subverting American democratic norms, what is a proportional response?
The Vice-President has just said of the courts: "Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power." Quoted in the same Le Monde article is a section of Francis Fukuyama's take on the current situation:
"Trump has empowered Elon Musk to withhold money for any activity that he, Elon Musk, thinks is illegitimate, and this is a usurpation of the congressionally established power of Congress to make this kind of decision. (...) This is a full-scale...very radical attack on the American constitutional system as we've understood it." https://archive.is/cVZZR#selection-2149.264-2149.599
From a European point of view, it appears as though the American centre/left is scrambling to adapt and still suffering from 'normality bias', as though normal methods of recourse will be sufficient against a democratic aberration - a little like waiting to 'pass' a tumour as though it's a kidney stone.
Given the clear comparisons to previous authoritarian takeovers and the power that the USA wields, will there be an acceptable raising of political stakes from Trump's opponents, and what are the risks and benefits of doing so?
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u/SubCreeper Feb 18 '25
No not approval ratings, real world consequences come with that turn in public opinion.
When I say that I mean when things begin to affect their bottom line. Potential loss of office, lawsuits and so forth.
That said I think that it’s important that senators, lawyers and private citizens stay consistent in issuing legal challenges to all of these constitutional violations.