Join us here: [ Ссылка ]... for Daily Zoom Meetups like this one.

Columnist Robert Tracinski interviewed on placing President Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power in a historical context.


Donald Trump's policies in office are a mixed bag about which we can argue endlessly, but there is one issue that stands out as especially crucial as he comes up for re-election: his attitude toward the Constitution. The US Constitution created a brilliant structure for the preservation of freedom. That structure is not well-understood today, either in letter or spirit, and it is frequently ignored by both parties. Donald Trump has made this worse in new ways, including: his use of improperly appointed "acting" secretaries who have not been confirmed by Congress; his abuse of presidential power for electioneering purposes; and above all, his attempts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of November's vote and his unwillingness to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. The office of the presidency is by nature very hard for the other branches of government to limit, so it requires a certain degree of self-restraint on the part of the president, either from personal conviction or at the very least from fear of public opinion--and Trump has proven to be unaffected by either. We will discuss the nature of these constitutional provisions, how Trump has undermined them, the magnitude of the threat, and whether the Democratic Party offers much of an alternative.

Questions:
1) What was John Adams referring to when he said that ours is a “government of laws and not of men.”? What is the place of the US Constitution in implementing the "government of laws"?
2) How does the US Constitution provide a foundation for America, and makes America what it is?
3) What is the historical significance of George Washington voluntarily and peacefully transferring power? Was Ronald Reagan right in claiming: “The orderly transfer of authority as called for in the constitution routinely takes place as it has for almost two centuries and few of us stopped to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every four-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle.”
4) Can you place President Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power in a historical context?
5) What is the likely way in which Trump may try to pull this off?
6) Is this action an exception or part of a wider pattern of action for Trump regarding the Constitution?

Please note that we normally do not discuss current politics—but discuss psychology, philosophy and self improvement instead. We always engage in a dialogue highly respectful of each other—the same standards of civility apply for this experimental Meetup regardless of your positions on this issue.

свернуть