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kentuck

(113,152 posts)
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 11:19 AM Jan 13

Is our Constitution obsolete?

There is no way in hell that our founders that wrote the Constitution wanted the President, or the Executive, to have the powers that are bestowed upon the office at this time.

We seem to have gradually evolved back to the power of George III?

Yes, there is a memo in a drawer at the DOJ that says a "president" cannot be prosecuted for breaking the law while he is in power?

Yes, the "president" has the power to nominate whomever he wants and the Legislature should never question his judgement?

Now, the "president" is immune from prosecution, even for treason, or even if found guilty by a jury of his peers, so long as he is in power?

We are no longer living under the same Constitution that was envisioned by the founders of this nation.

20 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Is our Constitution obsolete? (Original Post) kentuck Jan 13 OP
The GOP has made it so. 50 Shades Of Blue Jan 13 #1
It is a quaint artifact from the past. Irish_Dem Jan 13 #2
I guess you're a modern day Paul Revere Beringia Jan 13 #3
At least his compatriots listened to him. Irish_Dem Jan 13 #7
No ForgedCrank Jan 13 #4
Why not? kentuck Jan 13 #5
I can do that. ForgedCrank Jan 13 #16
Yes and no -misanthroptimist Jan 13 #6
The Constitution isn't the problem the flood of money in our electoral process is the problem. CrispyQ Jan 13 #8
This message was self-deleted by its author PeaceWave Jan 13 #10
Archaic, definitely. maxsolomon Jan 13 #9
Not obsolete, perhaps fatally undermined dickthegrouch Jan 13 #11
This message was self-deleted by its author PeaceWave Jan 13 #12
We live in an Oligarchy now, even Jimmy Carter said so. jalan48 Jan 13 #13
Yes, the congress unrepresents the people Johonny Jan 13 #14
No but it kacekwl Jan 13 #15
Certainly the electoral college and the undemocratic apportionment of senators are obsolete Mysterian Jan 13 #17
It's just a peice of paper Clouds Passing Jan 13 #18
GW VBNMW Jan 13 #19
Nope. Just horribly corrupted. OldBaldy1701E Jan 13 #20

Irish_Dem

(63,087 posts)
2. It is a quaint artifact from the past.
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 11:25 AM
Jan 13

Only of interest to historians and cultural anthropologists.

ForgedCrank

(2,517 posts)
16. I can do that.
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 01:50 PM
Jan 13
We seem to have gradually evolved back to the power of George III?


This is not the case, The President is still constrained by The Constitution

Yes, there is a memo in a drawer at the DOJ that says a "president" cannot be prosecuted for breaking the law while he is in power?


I would like to see a copy of this because there is nothing stating that The President can just break laws however he wants. There are very specific qualifiers that must be present in order to protect a President from prosecution. If Trump walked out into the street on 5th Ave like he said and shot an innocent person just for fun, he would be going to Prison.

Yes, the "president" has the power to nominate whomever he wants and the Legislature should never question his judgement?


The nominees will need to be voted on as always in order to to be approved. Whether we like it or not, the majority vote will decide it in the Senate

Now, the "president" is immune from prosecution, even for treason, or even if found guilty by a jury of his peers, so long as he is in power?


Tis is also simply not true. the rulings simply reinforce the guidelines already in place. The difference is that a President has to be convicted by the Senate rather than the normal justice system. This is in place for a reason too. Can you imagine what Trump would have done to Hillary had this not been the rule?

-misanthroptimist

(1,255 posts)
6. Yes and no
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 11:55 AM
Jan 13

The ideals, in general, definitely aren't out of date. However, the structural and procedural elements are archaic.

Not to worry. I am working on a new Constitution even as I post this.

CrispyQ

(38,946 posts)
8. The Constitution isn't the problem the flood of money in our electoral process is the problem.
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 12:33 PM
Jan 13

Yeah, the Constitution needs serious revision & updating to get rid of the rich-white-man bias but it's a living document with built-in mechanics to change it. The problem is our electoral process, which has been turned into a profit-making industry, & the very people who can change that are some of the ones who benefit greatly from it.

Response to CrispyQ (Reply #8)

dickthegrouch

(3,867 posts)
11. Not obsolete, perhaps fatally undermined
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 12:57 PM
Jan 13

It is anachronistic and these days requires more work to update it than was originally designed for. It is a whole lot easier to get 3/4 of 13 states to agree than the same proportion of 50. Proportional Representation would make a lot more sense today.
Changing wording from equal to equitable in most places would also be fairer and cause billionaires to have to pay more in taxes for instance.

Response to kentuck (Original post)

jalan48

(14,645 posts)
13. We live in an Oligarchy now, even Jimmy Carter said so.
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 01:06 PM
Jan 13

American's need to believe we are still a democracy, otherwise all hell would break loose and that wouldn't work well for the oligarchs.

Johonny

(22,638 posts)
14. Yes, the congress unrepresents the people
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 01:12 PM
Jan 13

Judges live too long and politically game their exit, and simply congress doesn't function. We live in a vastly faster pace ld society and the inability of a gridlock led congress to address any modern problem leaves the executive branch to assume more and more power.

Mysterian

(5,278 posts)
17. Certainly the electoral college and the undemocratic apportionment of senators are obsolete
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 02:08 PM
Jan 13

The electoral college is how we ended up with a corrupt supreme court which is how we got Citizens United, which gave us unbridled plutocracy.

 

VBNMW

(67 posts)
19. GW
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 03:54 PM
Jan 13

Our new affable elder statesman told the truth that one time when he said “it’s just a goddamned piece of paper”.

If it were anything other than that trump wouldn’t be rubber stamped into office. The Supreme Court is just making shit up as they see fit. It’s all a pathetic joke and those who swore to uphold and protect it laugh in our faces while violating it. Just like international law. It’s flexible for those with the most guns.

OldBaldy1701E

(7,042 posts)
20. Nope. Just horribly corrupted.
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 04:16 PM
Jan 13

The corruption could be removed once we remove the party that is trying to destroy the country. Then, we could start tweaking the thing back to where it should be.

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