The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that former President Donald Trump will not be allowed on the ballot in the state due to his alleged breaking of the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment.
The clause was meant to prevent Jefferson Davis, among other confederate leaders, from seeking political office again following the Civil War. Trump has already appealed and the case will be taken up in the U.S. Supreme Court for a historic ruling.
When the judicial branch of government attempts to surpass its boundaries by pushing for hurried trials by federal prosecutors and canceling a candidate (Trump) from the ballots, it can and will have the opposite intended effect: It will likely give Trump a political surge.
The best way to make Trump “go away” is to beat him at the polls in the Republican primaries. Correction: The only way you get rid of him is to fairly beat him in those races. Got it.
Trump is making the election not about his policies but about the unprecedented treatment he has been receiving. Federal prosecutors, judges and state supreme courts should do the opposite of what they have been doing. It is quite clear that the approach of swamping him with lawsuits is not working. These judges should not push the trials before the election. They should not take him off state ballots. They should give him time to manage all his legal affairs, showing the public – and Trump supporters – that they are giving in to his “reasonable requests.” Try it.
If Trump loses because of a perceived unfairness in these legal processes, it would just embolden him. That would not be good for America.
It is like calling a technical foul in the final seconds of a tied basketball game. The referee (or judge) should not try to influence the outcome of the game. This would rip apart the integrity of the sport. A small number of folks should not have such power, which should be reserved for the players and coaches.
Our democracy is determined by the people, the voters. Winners and losers should not be determined solely by the men and women in black robes. The backlash could cause irreparable damage to our democratic institutions.
Prior to the Colorado decision, Trump was furious about former Governor of South Carolina and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley’s surge in the polls. In near panic mode, Trump resorted to provocative language, like about how illegal immigrants are “poisoning the blood of the country.”
His fear of Haley is warranted. Let us remember, of all the Republican candidates for president, Haley consistently beats President Joe Biden by the largest margin in head-to-head polls, by anywhere from six to 17 points. Republicans are getting it. Whoever can carry the registered Independent voters will become the next president. And that is not Trump. And now in New Hampshire Haley is creeping up on him.
A recent New Hampshire poll from Saint Anselm College, which nearly matches a recent CBS News poll, shows Trump at 44% and Haley at 30%. For the man who got more votes than any other Republican in history in the last general election to be at such a low point is a bad omen. Trump is so upset with Haley’s surge that he has launched attack ads against her.
Outside forces can screw this all up, however. To the media and pollsters, whenever you refer to Biden vs. Trump without mentioning Biden vs. the other Republican candidates, you are doing a disservice to the country. You know very well that perception often becomes reality. You would be giving America a false perception in order to push your narrative.
By the primary in South Carolina and after the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, the Republican party should be able to unite behind the strongest candidate not named Trump and move forward. This is not the time to prolong the inevitable. Three of the four candidates must relinquish their quest to become president.
Have we ever seen this type of troubled politician like Trump? No, never.
But Trump holds the dubious distinction of having a lot in common with former Vice President Aaron Burr. Remember Trump once said that he could shoot someone on NYC’s Fifth Avenue and get away with it and Burr actually did shoot someone (Alexander Hamilton) and he did get away with it.
On a serious note, both were leaders in the executive branch of government. Both were New York politicians; both were not happy with losing; both were indicted several times after their one-term in office; both were wealthy prior to politics; both were businessmen (Trump in real estate and Burr was a co-founder of the Bank of New York – the other co-founder was, you guessed it, Alexander Hamilton); both went to top schools (Penn and Princeton); both were accused of being disloyal to America and its democracy (Burr for treason and Trump for an alleged insurrection); both believed in conspiracies (called Burr Conspiracy and Trump’s election conspiracy); both had extreme dislike toward their adversary (Hamilton for Burr and Biden for Trump).
The differences between them? Burr was never convicted and was on the brink of running out of money partially due to his failures in real estate and legal battles. Time will tell with Trump.
Gary Franks served three terms as U.S. representative for Connecticut’s 5th District. He was the first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years and New England’s first Black member of the House. Host: podcast “We Speak Frankly.” @GaryFranks/Tribune News Service