112 Comments
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Catherine Alvarez's avatar

Not on topic but interesting . On this day,

April 30, 1945 ,Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin .

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Al Keim's avatar

And here we are 80 years later with no holiday!

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Annette's avatar

<snort laugh> It is, however, National Honesty Day!

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kdsherpa's avatar

I guess his birthday that year on April 20 wasn't a very happy one.

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Christopher Sweet's avatar

But not before the last act of the stereotyped script: Blaming the people who supported him for his failures, his downfall. In this scenario, it is necessary that the tyrant blame his own people for treason, for not being tough enough, not strong enough. Only he, the Hitler, has true virtue!

I am not leaving the theater until the final curtain comes down on all of them.

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Kathy's avatar

Coward.

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Glenn Ebo Perry's avatar

Come gather, true patriots, and list if you can

To the wisdom and knowledge of Sharon McMahon

In defending our battered and bruised Constitution

Before Trump can enable a Final Solution.

Donald’s cultists, who congregate at Mar-A-Lago;

You know they’re batshit crazy

And hence, covered in guano.

That vile guano, encrusting the lost Fourth Estate

Prevents truth and the facts from informing debate.

My dear Liverpool Grandma spoke truth on the level,

When she’d say, “Tell the truth, and by that, shame the Devil”.

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L. R. Abramson's avatar

Glenn, PERFECTION in all ways.

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Glenn Ebo Perry's avatar

I think we detect, as we toil up the slope,

That, as we gather forces, we start to feel Hope.

‘Til the bright day will come when we see Trump in check

And his traitorous minions are hung by the neck.

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L. R. Abramson's avatar

How glorious! A Grammy and a Nobel for Literature for G.E.P.!

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Carol Bradford's avatar

Hanged, not hung. Still works.

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Andy Weitz's avatar

Even your name is pentameter lol @glenneboperry. Well done!

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Glenn Ebo Perry's avatar

It is always a pleasure to find living fans

For a poem that rhymes and has meter that scans. Thanks, Andy.

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Teresa JV's avatar

This was an excellent program! I learned some new things and was reminded of what I thought I already knew. Thanks!!

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Annette's avatar

me too - Sharon is a great resource; I think the current administration should bring her in weekly for workshops on DOING THEIR DAMN JOBS

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Sean M Carlin's avatar

If Trump is able to get a third term I am guessing that the suicide rate will hit numbers that would make Jim Jones very jealous. I have only been through 100 days with this Orange Asshole and I am beyond exhausted.

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Sue's avatar

He can't legally get a third term under the Constitution, but the Constitution can be repealed. Just claim a national "emergency," declare martial law and cancel all elections. It worked for Hitler. Then Trump can stay in power for life. And the way he's been tarting up the Oval Office with gold kitsch and planning to tear out the rose garden, he is certainly acting as though he thinks it's npw his permanent home.

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Kathy's avatar

Russia only allowed two terms but Putin changed the law while he was prez, so now he’s a dictator. He also did everything Trump is now doing - Putin gave Trump lessons; and GOP is allowing it all

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Annette's avatar

if the Constitution is repealed to allow for third terms, we should start a gofundme for Obama, so he can run against him!

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Michele Desoer's avatar

The repealing of the amendment would never happen. There needs to be a super-majority of the states to pass an amendment to the Constitution.

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Charles Hall's avatar

Not to mention a super majority in Congress

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Susan Stone's avatar

Tear out the rose garden? I did not realize that his hatred extended to everything in nature, no matter how beautiful. I have to conclude that he sees no beauty in the rose garden or anything else that grows.

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Annette's avatar

His M.O. is destroy first, try to rescind later, tell everyone "I'm just jesting"

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Susan Stone's avatar

If he rips out the rose garden, he won't be able to rescind it or convince anyone he was just jesting. (Sorry, I'm an old botanist, and I will always defend the plants - or at least most of them). I do agree with you about his M.O.

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Barry Blue's avatar

And if he actually builds the ballroom.

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Al Keim's avatar

I wonder if orange Kool aid has that effect on sphincters?

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C K Smith's avatar

Me too!

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L. R. Abramson's avatar

My eyes pop each time some one-seat 𝘱𝘰𝘰-𝘣𝘢𝘩* spouts about the authority his/her branch has over another. Not only is it trump who needs to repeat third grade (if it's sure that he has been there already), but many of his passel as well.

*speaking of which, Gilbert and Sullivan would have a field day with trump.

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Kathy's avatar
3hEdited

If MTGreene, Boebert, and Karoline had classes on the constitution, they’d realize how ignorant they’ve been, and would stfu out of embarrassment

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Annette's avatar

<standing ovation>

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Susan Stone's avatar

Ah, the Mikado! When I was a teenager my younger sister used to blast G&S through the house so she could hear it in her room at the far back (the record player was by the front door). I agree with you that G&S would have a field day with trump, in addition, of course, to Tom Lehrer.

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Diane Johns's avatar

I would love to hear Sharon’s explanation for the separation of church and state. And what that means for freedom of religion.

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Al Keim's avatar

The more religions the bigger the choice. A government that enters the religious marketplace will limit choice. The guys who wrote the founding documents were very familiar with how toxic a mix of temporal and spiritual power is.

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Sandra Hardie's avatar

So that's democracy for you. We get to fuck it up any way we like and then piss and moan about what we chose. I'm not a fan of homo sapiens.

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Al Keim's avatar

Take heart we're evolving:-)

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Susan's avatar

Not fast enough

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Al Keim's avatar

Or as the philosopher once said, "Life's a bitch and then you die."

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Judith G's avatar

Now that’s a gifted teacher. I had civics class in jr high school—I found it dull and confusing. Here I am at 73 yrs old and wide awake and more than eager to learn all I can. I’d love to see free civics classes for adults open to the public at universities, libraries, schools. Thank you to Andy and Sharon for a great “civics” discussion.

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Al Keim's avatar

The Quadratic equation does not apply to Q-annon.

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Judith G's avatar

Sad and true.

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Cindy La Ferle's avatar

So helpful -- and reassuring as well. Thank you for this, Andy.

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Katherine James's avatar

Thanks so much for the reminder of that wonderful episode!

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Florence Webb's avatar

Uh…Martin Luther King said every man created equal? No credit to T. Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence?

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Andy Borowitz's avatar

Jefferson (and most of the Founders) were slavers. MLK is a better reference for the point she is making.

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Frank D Repp's avatar

How about a one-way ticket for Donnie to the Black Hole of Calcutta?

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Robot Bender's avatar

Or just a black hole? 🌀

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Kathy's avatar

Trump is a black hole

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Michael's avatar

Snap!

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Susan Stone's avatar

I would venture to guess that Calcutta, even the black hole, doesn't deserve him. I would also guess that everyone there is a better person.

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Michael Richmond's avatar

Don't forget that the two term limit found its way into the Constitution via the amendment process. Trumpers are talking about a constitutional convention which would change the Constitution to remove that provision and many others as well. We need to be familiar with the process to fight it.

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Andy Borowitz's avatar

Ratification of such a constitutional amendment would be virtually impossible—certainly not in time to help Trump.

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Michael Richmond's avatar

The key here is "virtually". We need to be aware of this threat given the reality that red states outnumber blue states. Red states do dumb things -- Florida is now tending toward outlawing fluoride in drinking water.

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Michael's avatar

But what if he declares one of his "emergencies" and declares martial law and susoends elections?

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Richard Wexelblat's avatar

3rd term? He's going to do a Putin and get Vance elected whereupon he'll be the "Eminence Gris" behind Vance in the Oval Office.

é·mi·nence grise /ˌemənəns ˈɡrēz/ noun - a person who exercises power or influence in a certain sphere without holding an official position.

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Betsy Groth's avatar

I am not too worried about Vance getting elected. EVERYONE despises him.

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Annette's avatar

I can't imagine the Commander in Cheat taking a backseat to anyone, unless Jay Deviance let ConOLD schedule rallies for weekdays and golfing for weekends, to keep the bloated yam out of the White House.

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Susan Stone's avatar

Love "Commander in Cheat".

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Annette's avatar

apropos

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Susan B's avatar

Great interview - I agree that the idea of "settled" seems tenuous with this court. Just feels like we can't depend on any norms - or laws! - anymore.

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Jac's avatar

So Andy, Here is a question for Ms McMahon. Now this does require a bit of a stretch of the imagination, but not all that much beyond what is happening these days.

Say The Donald can find two flunkies who will run for Pres/VP under his sway and they actually win. At the same time BigD runs for a house seat [that would be a breeze for him]. Now BigD runs for speaker of the house and wins, again not at all a stretch.

I think you can now see where this is headed since speaker of the house is 3rd in line to be president if "something should happen to both the Pres. and VP". VOILA!! The Donald is once again president with out even having to 'run' for it if he can pursuade his two flunkies to resign simultanecously.

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Alan's avatar
3hEdited

Jac -- The 12th Amendment states:

"But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."

Many Constitutional scholars interpret this to mean that the Speaker cannot succeed the VP under the Succession Act -- thus could not use the path you outlined to succeed their way to a 3rd Presidential term (to which they'd be ineligible under the 22nd amendment).

That said, the language parsers of our nation can challenge any interpretation in our judicial system -- which ultimately can be ruled on by the SCOTUS.

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Al Keim's avatar

Many people have never heard of Dred Scott, Plessy, Buck or Korematsu. You are correct Alan we can and have gone down some very twisted paths.

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Michael's avatar

Al- Buck??

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Al Keim's avatar

v Bell

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Jac's avatar

Sorry Alan, but you missed the point [only slightly but enough]. I did not suggest that he would become VP, but directly to the presidency since there would be no president under my fanciful idea.

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Alan's avatar
3hEdited

Jac -- so your hypothetical concept is that both the Pres. and VP meet their demise at precisely the same time (based on a coroner's report) on the same day -- enabling the Speaker to skip the step of succeeding the VP? If this were to transpire, it looks like another SCOTUS interpretation would be in order.

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Susan's avatar

He did say “resign”

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Jac's avatar

Thanks Susan. Good eye.

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Alan's avatar
2hEdited

If the scenario is 2 simultaneous resignations, it still looks like a SCOTUS decision on whether it was a concerted effort to circumvent the 12th Amendment.

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Susan Stone's avatar

Are you expecting demento to live forever? And stay free of the dementia he is already into?

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