SkyBlueFlux
Well-Known Member
Well there’s a reason the 14th amendment exists. A democracy can’t tolerate people who try and dismantle democracy. It’s self-defeating. Having no safeguards is how you end up with the Putins and Hitlers of the world. And it’s not like it is being used without precedent, it was introduced to prevent senior Confederates who had instigated the civil war from running for office.
In terms of slippery slope, I don’t really agree as it’s actually super super easy to avoid this clause being used against you. Simply don’t incite a coup.
You can’t really have it based on a conviction, because if somebody has literally overturned democracy then it’s highly feasible they are also evading conviction. So the judges have to weigh up - did Trump try to overturn democracy? Does the clause apply to him? Those are really the only two questions in play here.
You absolutely need independent courts checking the power of the executive. They do not have unbridled power to do what they want in the name of democracy, as the Tories have learned. That way leads complete madness and the downfall of many many nations.