I would genuinely like somebody to lay out for me the way Joe Biden is to assert dictatorial power in the wake of the SCOTUS immunity decision. I see people asserting it pretty confidently but I’m honestly at a loss for how it is supposed to actually work.
Like “he could just order the Supreme Court and Republican members of Congress thrown in Gitmo under their logic” is that true? That’s not really what I read. Could he have done that before? Was being prosecuted for it after all that was stopping him?
And presumably he wouldn’t do it himself, so which armed forces follow and carry out the orders to arrest and detain and transport the Supreme Court? I’m honestly curious because I’ve seen it congeal into common wisdom without any further exploration.
The case really does allow a large amount of executive impunity to conspire with, and/or cajole members of the executive to do illegal shit. This is a real flaw with the case, it doesn't necessarily follow that Biden could actually become a dictator through it.
Assume POTUS orders the Border Patrol to arrest opposite party congressional leaders on false charges. POTUS further explains that this is in exchange for a donation. The plot is foiled because a Border Patrol officer reveals the plot before any moves.
AFAICT this gets absolute immunity.
There's two hyper-elementary reasons why Biden can't become a dictator
1. The People (and security forces) really will throw a fit. The same way a law can't stop a coup it can't instantiate one on its own.
2. SCOTUS doesn't have the courage of its convictions.
Well sure. I think your point 1 above is the largest point of contention (how does he do this stuff and get people to go along with it, both the officials and the People?), but really it’s largely a question of *what* are the *positive* things Biden-as-dictator could do that he merits blame for not?
I'm not the right source for clever ideas on how to wield dictatorial power, but the judiciary really is inviting him to conspire with the executive to corruptly arrest corrupt judges, for example.
Also, underobserved: Dems are a lot less open to a dictator even on their side. This is in no small part because the Dems haven't been priming their voters for their own god-king for years.
It's saddening that the actually religious guy who won't abuse his power is getting no backing from the "Christians" who hate him for not doing so. Saddening for me, at least
It depends on how willing other people would be to agree with it. 25th Amendment if even the other members of the cabinet go “No, we can’t” and countercoup if there’s hesitation
Yeah, i mean i think it is true. He'd have to persuade the men with guns but if they did he could pardon them and that'd be that. Though there are probably smarter fights to pick, which I think some people are seriously advocating.
1) I don’t think he’d persuade the men with guns but if he did
2) he could have pardoned them already, so we have to presume
3) the only reason he didn’t do any of this before, absent abject cowardice, was a fear of being prosecuted which scotus now removed.
