No matter your political alignment, the methods of President Donald Trump’s administration should give you some angst – executive orders abrogating laws passed by Congress, court orders flouted, judges attacked, longtime allies disparaged, masked ICE agents ambushing non-violent legal immigrants, DOGE firing then unfiring thousands. reckless security breaches….
And, so far, the Republican controlled Congress simply kowtows, raising the specter of a despotic presidency. In 1838 Abraham Lincoln spoke of “The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions” to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, IL: “There is, even now, something of ill-omen, amongst us. I mean the increasing disregard for law which pervades the country; the growing disposition to substitute the wild and furious passions, in lieu of the sober judgment of Courts.” Perhaps nothing exemplifies more what Trump and his cohorts are doing than this proclamation by Tom Homan, his border czar: “They’re not gonna stop us,” Homan declared on Fox News. “We’re not stopping. I don’t care what the judges think, I don’t care what the left thinks, we’re coming.” Lincoln warned that the leadership norm of constrained ambition essential to self-government would not always constrain an emerging tyrant from the “family of the lion, or the tribe of the eagle” who “thirsts and burns for distinction.” Alienated Republican columnist David Brooks said on PBS, “Donald Trump does everything he can to destroy things that would restrain his power.” Another alienated Republican columnist George Will wrote, “The Constitution’s Article II says the president ‘shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.’ Trump says, ‘I have an Article II, where I have a right to do whatever I want as president.’” Lincoln said that when one with such unrestrained ambition arises, “it will require the people to be united with each other, attached to the government and laws, and generally intelligent, to successfully frustrate his designs.” After some Trump allies in the House introduced resolutions to impeach several judges hindering Trump’s orders, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, appointed by President George W. Bush, took notice. He issued this statement: “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.” Sixty-one years before Lincoln, founding father Ben Franklin told the constitutional convention, “This Constitution…can only end in despotism…when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other.” As Congress acquiesces to Trump’s despotic impulses, remember Franklin also counseled “rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." Aptly, one of Trump’s sycophants in the House introduced a bill to put Trump in place Franklin on the $100 bill. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit” – Philippians 2:3.
Crawford is the author of A Republican’s Lament: Mississippi Needs Good Government Conservatives.
39 comments:
wow bill, are you telling us history repeats itself? gee whiz...i didn't know that.
maybe next time you can tell us water is wet.
Trump has done exactly what those that elected him want. As usual Bill’s description of his actions is incorrect. He didn’t complain about Biden doing some of the same things. Trump is just getting started Bill, so head to your safe space.
People are complaining about Trump firing 125,000 government employees. Where were they when Clinton fired over a half of a million?
As far as judges, why should some democratic judge from some podunk town have more power than the president?
We went through stuff like this in Trumps first term. Anyone remember the Russian hoax? How about Hunter's lap top that was a Russian plant. Hunter sued the man where he took it to be repaired for not returning it. Remember all of those politicians who signed a letter saying it was a Russian plant? Remember Hillary' email problems? Look at all of the crimes Biden has been responsible for.
Trump is trying to right some of the wrongs that were started by the last president. One who didn't know where he was half of the tome. Wonder who was actually making the decisions. Especially about the border.
Bill Crawford is a RINO tome to vote him out!
Our federal government is awash in waste, fraud, and corruption and yet people like Bill say finding and correcting all that goes against Lincoln, mom, and apple pie.
Lincoln didn’t have to deal with out of control Congressional corruption and spending - wars- inflation— foreign policy — not sure what your answer is to 77 million Americans wanting an answer to where their tax money is going.
He's yearning for the good ole Biden days?!?!
10:49 am I agree with much of what Trump hopes to accomplish. For example, I've been for better immigration laws for decades before it was popular. But, he's not reforming and making things more efficient or even reducing fraud, he's dismantling government willy/nilly without stopping first to learn what's working or not working in the systems of government or which people are the most competent and which are not.
If you knock the carton of eggs off the shelf while looking for a beer, your wife she the cooking and grocery shopping), you'd best not think you can make the deviled egg sandwich or separate out just two eggs for pie she was planning,
Indeed you'd first better figure out where the eggs are in your supermarket!
Bad things happen when you are so sure you know it all and never imagine what you don't know. If you did, you'd be more careful when you forage in the refrigerator.
And really smart people, know what they don't know. And, geniuses have never been good at everything...ever...only the subject they chose to study.
And very successful, wealthy businessmen often fail spectacularly. They even can end up in prison. Do I need to list them? We had one in Mississippi.
It is curious that someone should bring Lincoln into this. Lincoln, in order to save the Union, ignored the constitution. While it would overstate things to say that he destroyed the constitution, he certainly did ignore parts that were inconvenient. As for respect for the judiciary, he had little trouble in trampling on the judiciary when he thought it advisable. Such as suspending habeas corpus, declaring martial law. He destroyed the balance between the federal governments and the governments that created it. In doing that, he made it inevitable that we would get a federal government whose power and scope far exceeds the authority the constitution actually gave it. And for this crime, Lincoln is treated as a Demi-god and given a temple in Washington. I don’t understand why some people revere him. He had no constitutional basis to oppose secession and in doing so he destroyed the sovereignty of the States that created his government.
Lincoln was assassinated for opposing the takeover of US banking by the European central bankers. The same bankers who loaned the Confederacy just enough to feel brave enough to sign the articles of confederacy. Then the European Central Banker wanted to loan the Union enough to fight the South. Lincoln opposed them and issued banknotes not backed by gold (green backs) to fund the war. He was soon after assassinated by an actor.
To this very day, the majority if this problems in the nation are caused by the Central Bank that did eventually take over. The unchecked spending on failed social programs, the war profiteering, the world policing, is all because our currency is backed by nothing more than a debt ledger owed by future generations of Americans to International Banking families who all reside in Europe.
10:49 AM, sure Bill Crawford didn’t complain; he’s the White Liberal Democrat Malcom X warned us about.
The illegal immigrant gangs only took over a few apartment complexes, and of course they weren’t where Bill and his elite White Liberal Democrat buddies reside, so who cares?
Laken Riley, like the murder of Kingston Frazier, the 2 children killed with stray bullets in Jackson? Just collateral damage to White Liberal Democrats and their grifter buddies like Chokwe.
The civil liberties and even the lives of American children matter not! But we can count on that Leftist White Liberal Democrat fake outrage when the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gangs get deported.
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matthew 7:5
And guess what Crawford?! It is believed that Lincoln ordered a warrant for the arrest of the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, Roger Taney - and used it as an ace in the whole to get him to do his job, and stop interfering with the Executive Branch. We can only pray that DJT replicates this action John Roberts, but prosecutes him. The Judiciary is unhinged.
Prosecutes Roberts? For what? Maybe you are the threat to the Republic.
So far as anyone competent knows there is no contemporaneous physical or even circumstantial evidence supporting the 'Lincoln's warrant for Justice Taney' conspiracy theory.
Hey Bill-you “forgot”to mention Biden flouting Court Orders.
$37-39T national debt justifies austerity measures by Trump and the genius of our age, Elon Musk, because this mountain of debt threatens our survival. Personally, I enjoy seeing blood suckin, do nothin fedreaucrats and DC agencies advancing billions in slush funds and deviancy getting pink slips.
For the Democrats, and the RINOs who de facto propped up Dementia Joe by their inaction, it is as if the Biden Presidency never happened.
F'ing warmonger Wicker is so intent on driving the US to die on the hill of this Ukraine fiasco (Obama foreign policy) it is thoroughly disgusting.
Invoking Lincoln to protest tyranny and despotism shows astounding ignorance.
12:29: Pure Bravo Sierra!
The federal judiciary is destroying itself in real time. Unhinged judges hasten its demise
There're some very good comments on the board. I'm happy to be here to read them.
President Trump reminds me of Dr. Phil McGraw in the fact they think they are experts on every subject, and everyone else is clueless.
@3:33 PM Exactly what court orders did Biden "flout?" You must have had your tin foil hat on as you typed it.
12:15 nailed it when he said, " Bill Crawford didn’t complain; he’s the White Liberal Democrat Malcom X warned us about."
Crawford is not as stupid as this column indicates. Crawford is trolling the readers to see how many negative comments he can get.
Sack Crawford and bring back James Tulp.
Lincoln suspended habeas corpus.
I believe a couple decisions he ignored concerned student loan forgiveness.
He also padlocked newspaper offices.
This is a democracy no matter what the Trump haters say about him. We have the right to choose our dictator.
Lincoln was president during an actual knock-down drag-out shooting civil war, not some name calling pissing contest between fat-assed spoiled political hacks. Comparing his actions is ridiculous.
Clinton made those adjustments to Federal staffing by working with Congress to craft legal, bipartisan legislation to accomplish his goals. Trump signs any XO placed before him, acting like he has the authority to assume to the role of the legislative branch. He does not and his executive orders are illegal.
They are both far more often correct in their observations and assessments than they are not.
As the song goes, "If you listen to fools, the mob rules"
@6:27
No- you had yours on.
Flout
/flout/
verb
1.
openly disregard (a rule, law or convention)
For the life of me, I cannot remember Billy getting upset when Slow Joe had total disregard for the U.S. Constitution. Give it up Billy, you are irrelevant!
@9:09 AM I know what the definition of flout is. I was asking you to give one court order that Biden flouted because you can't.
You were answered above. Biden disregarded the Supreme Court rulings on student loans.
Does anyone remember Clinton firing government employees? I don't remember anyone saying anything and he fired more than double that Trump has.
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