How about those elections? (USA 2016)

[Geodude 🌻]

Bookkeeping question:

Do we want to rename this thread now that this election is over? Like rename it to "US Politics - Mr. Trump's Presidency" or something? I mean not right away, but when he takes the oath and the transition of power is complete in January.

[Tiger]

Now that I'm not simultaneously trying to get ready for work, some things I wanted to share:

First, found this on Tumblr (the original post by notbecauseofvictories is here, obligatory warning that stepping off this page could lead to swears/NSFW/NSFNTWF things) and it's probably one of the things that's reassured me the most. I double-checked the stuff on this list and as far as I can tell, it is correct.

can you please talk about those protections to curtail executive power I'm really, really scared and could use the reassurance thank you

THINGS A PRESIDENT CANNOT DO:

• Reverse any Supreme Court decision
  
  • This includes Obergefell v. Hodges, which made same-sex marriage a constitutional right; Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, which reaffirmed a woman’s right to choose first articulated in Roe v. Wade, another Supreme Court case. Grutter v. Bollinger, which instituted affirmative action, the entire body of Civil Rights case law, plus anything related to due process, including the right of minors to due process, your right to an attorney, Miranda rights, inadmissible evidence, etc.
  • (Even if Trump appoints the worst possible SC nominee, they still can’t reverse any of these decisions without a really significant case coming before the Court with new facts, and then they have to write an opinion stating how this case is different than that other case…it’s unlikely to happen.)
• Write law or repeal any existing law
  
  • While traditionally, presidents have exerted influence on the legislative agenda (see, Obama’s role in advancing and promoting the Affordable Care Act) they cannot actually write or pass legislation. Bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, and simple resolutions must be introduced in the House by a Representative.
  • Presidents cannot strike down law. Only Congress can repeal laws, and only the Supreme Court can strike them down as unconstitutional.
  • Presidential influence is just that—influence.
  • (And if—for example—you are hated by 95% of the party you joined last week, and burned all your darn bridges by insulting them at various points in your campaign…..they’re unlikely to partner with you in crafting legislation.)
• Make any law or declaration that infringes in any way on the rights of the states
  
  • So in the US, most of the rights are reserved to the states. You name it, it’s a state-run power. Criminal procedure and law? States. Medicare and Medicaid? States. The definition of marriage? States. Insurance, health departments, housing, unemployment benefits, public education, all these are state programs. And the president cannot infringe on those powers given to the states.
  • (This is why down-ticket voting is so important, because Mike Pence as governor of Indiana had 800x the power he’s going to have as VP.)
• Declare war.
  
  • This one is the most complicated, because with the advent of our “conflicts” in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, etc. there has been a significant shift in the articulation of the war doctrine, and it is one of the least restricted of the president’s “restricted” powers. But, despite all that, a president still has no power to declare war.
• Unilaterally appoint heads of administrative departments
• Unilaterally make treaties with foreign nations

Essentially, while presidents have a lot of power, it’s mostly unofficial—they can’t make sweeping laws, they can’t overturn existing rights, the most they can do is refuse to enforce them (which is absolutely a threat! and a problem!) but we aren’t electing de facto royalty here.

And I was gonna copy-paste this over, too, but there are so many links it would take an eternity, so kudos to the person who put it together; this is called the Calming Masterpost and is basically a mile-long list of resources for help with anxiety, depression, and relaxation. Need cute games? Check. Need comfort food? Check. Need a crisis hotline? Check. Meditation? Calming craft projects? A site specifically for venting your frustrations? Check. (Again, it's on Tumblr, so be warned that if you wander from the link, there's a chance of strong language/NSFW/NSFNTWF content) (Though why is the font so small there, link to the post on my blog where the text isn't so minuscule if you need it. Same warning about venturing off that page as before.)

[Zoey]

I apologize on behalf of Florida. Seems like all of the congressional districts with major universities were the only ones who did their research. Everywhere else was typical Florida as all get out.

Now to finish this twenty-page report that I've been putting off and pack like half of my belongings up here because this election gave me too much stress.

[Geodude 🌻]

Pokemon Sun and Moon are coming soon. I think I'll use that game to relax and unwind from this. I also have NT entries that need lots of work. Once I get to those, I think it'll be easier to swallow this bitter pill. That tumblr post is indeed reassuring.

[Deleted]

Nov 9, 2016 9:12:02 GMT -5 Geodude 🌻 said:

Bookkeeping question:

Do we want to rename this thread now that this election is over? Like rename it to "US Politics - Mr. Trump's Presidency" or something? I mean not right away, but when he takes the oath and the transition of power is complete in January.

This thread really blew up in the past month, so I think that topic might be better suited to a new one.

[Tiger]

Nov 9, 2016 11:17:29 GMT -5 @natthewriter said:

Nov 9, 2016 9:12:02 GMT -5 Geodude 🌻 said:

Bookkeeping question:

Do we want to rename this thread now that this election is over? Like rename it to "US Politics - Mr. Trump's Presidency" or something? I mean not right away, but when he takes the oath and the transition of power is complete in January.

This thread really blew up in the past month, so I think that topic might be better suited to a new one.

Probably, yes - though let's hold off on doing so for now (I think Geo's implication was waiting until January anyway, but just for the record =P)

[Geodude 🌻]

Team morale at work seems pretty low today. Although discussing politics at work can be polarizing, lots of my coworkers can't help but lament these results. Some of them are on H-1B visas so they are pretty fearful of their jobs and livelihoods. Others cannot believe the results. I work in the software development sector where in general, people are against Trump.

I had at least one person tell me that they are worried about the planet because a Trump presidency might influence climate policy, as in rescinding any environmentally friendly regulations.

[doctortomoe]

Okay, I've calmed down slightly, but I'm still really upset.

And while I appreciate that list of what a President can and cannot do, I'd prefer to see a list of what a President can do and get away with when he has full control of all three branches of Government.

I will state here what I said on Facebook though.

I never want to see a job application or description say "Experience required," because yesterday showed that no, you don't need experience at anything.

[Tiger]

Nov 9, 2016 13:11:53 GMT -5 doctortomoe said:

Okay, I've calmed down slightly, but I'm still really upset.

And while I appreciate that list of what a President can and cannot do, I'd prefer to see a list of what a President can do and get away with when he has full control of all three branches of Government.

I will state here what I said on Facebook though.

I never want to see a job application or description say "Experience required," because yesterday showed that no, you don't need experience at anything.

Understandable, I think we all are still pretty upset about this.

I wouldn't be so quick to say Trump has control of Congress and the Senate, though - keep in mind a lot of Republican politicians don't like him, either, and his attitude is likely going to start biting him in the backside when he's trying to get things pushed through.

[doctortomoe]

That's the thing though. They may not like him, but they share many of the same views. The ACA is going to be repealed. We're likely going to have Medicare and Social Security privatized. I have LGBT friends of mine freaking out because the most powerful man in the world wants them electrocuted as part of the party platform.

And looking it up, all they really have to do to get those supreme court rulings changed is to bring up a new suit with what they claim are new facts. If they do that, then it's over.

[Crystal]

I apologize on behalf of Wisconsin as well. Frankly I was rather surprised we were a swing state at all.

I'm also going to throw it out there that Hillary's not a good example of the glass ceiling. Would I have been pumped for her to be the first female president? 100%. But she herself is also a flawed and cautious candidate who represented current system stagnancy in this election (as opposed to Trump, who represented change). She couldn't be more different than Trump for a lot of reasons, including being unpopular to begin with and a lifelong politician in a country where people distrust politicians, and only one of those reasons is her gender.

Basically: did sexism play a role in HRC not being elected? Maybe. But in my opinion it's hard to tell because it's not the only thing she is.

Also, I've sort of lost faith in the polls at this point >_>

[Geodude 🌻]

I think what's hard for me and a lot of people is keeping an open mind even after all he said and did during the campaign. And we are dealing with uncertainty here. Will he really repeal and replace the ACA (Obamacare)? Will he try to get Congress to execute his immigration plan including the wall and bans on Muslims and refugees? Will the Supreme Court approve such a plan? How will he treat America's allies?

[Tiger]

Nov 9, 2016 13:50:05 GMT -5 doctortomoe said:

That's the thing though. They may not like him, but they share many of the same views. The ACA is going to be repealed. We're likely going to have Medicare and Social Security privatized. I have LGBT friends of mine freaking out because the most powerful man in the world wants them electrocuted as part of the party platform.

And looking it up, all they really have to do to get those supreme court rulings changed is to bring up a new suit with what they claim are new facts. If they do that, then it's over.

They have to have an actual case, though - someone needs to have had their civil liberties thwarted in some way by allowing same-sex couples to marry. The way the original case got through was six same-sex couples being denied numerous civil rights as couples. The "but my religious beliefs say it's a sin!!!" argument is the only thing I can think of that I could even imagine possibly being twisted around into something remotely close, and I feel like that would've been tried already.

And even if it is repealed somehow - we fight back and get it ruled again. It's horrible that has to be a possible course of action in the first place, but any legal moves Trump manages to make, we can get unmade again. And yes, I know - not all the damage can be undone. But he won't get away with it forever. People are going to keep pushing for progress and change, maybe even harder now that they've realized how freakin' far the other side is willing to go against it.

[doctortomoe]

Nov 9, 2016 14:08:59 GMT -5 Tiger said:

Nov 9, 2016 13:50:05 GMT -5 doctortomoe said:

That's the thing though. They may not like him, but they share many of the same views. The ACA is going to be repealed. We're likely going to have Medicare and Social Security privatized. I have LGBT friends of mine freaking out because the most powerful man in the world wants them electrocuted as part of the party platform.

And looking it up, all they really have to do to get those supreme court rulings changed is to bring up a new suit with what they claim are new facts. If they do that, then it's over.

They have to have an actual case, though - someone needs to have had their civil liberties thwarted in some way by allowing same-sex couples to marry. The way the original case got through was six same-sex couples being denied numerous civil rights as couples. The "but my religious beliefs say it's a sin!!!" argument is the only thing I can think of that I could even imagine possibly being twisted around into something remotely close, and I feel like that would've been tried already.

And even if it is repealed somehow - we fight back and get it ruled again. It's horrible that has to be a possible course of action in the first place, but any legal moves Trump manages to make, we can get unmade again. And yes, I know - not all the damage can be undone. But he won't get away with it forever. People are going to keep pushing for progress and change, maybe even harder now that they've realized how freakin' far the other side is willing to go against it.

The "but my religious beliefs say it's a sin!!!" argument, is why some of the mandates of the ACA were repealed. It works, it works often, and all it takes is one R state to say that gay people having equal rights means that they have less, and with a R court, that passes, and it's all thrown out the window. All it takes is one R state to say that women having access to health care is against their religion.

All it takes is one.

And we go back 100 years.

[Geodude 🌻]

Good post about what "repealing the ACA" might look like: www.paulkeckley.com/report/2016/11/9/special-post-election-edition-health-reform-and-the-trump-white-house-implications-for-key-stakeholders

Key points:

After the vote, it’s likely a series of administrative orders and targeted legislation will follow that begin the process of undoing the ACA including…

· Dismantling Healthcare.gov and transitioning control of the marketplaces to the states.

· Negotiating with Congressional budget officers and HHS for the transfer of Medicaid responsibility to the states via block grants.

· Expanding tax credits and high risk pools for individuals and allowing purchases of insurance across state lines.

· And through legislative negotiations, transitioning oversight and subsidies for its 12 million newly insured to states over a period of several months.

It’s likely the Trump team will advance other proposals, like allowing for the importation of prescription drugs, but the mechanisms whereby these are enacted is problematic.

As I work in the healthcare IT industry, I'll get a chance to hear Paul Keckley speak in a few weeks. I think he'll probably reiterate these points and maybe add some additional info if any new development occurs such as the naming of potential cabinet appointees that will most certainly advise Mr. Trump.