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My friend Cheryl Pelicano is a blue sparkler in the circus of red that is South Carolina. And like all Democrats, she is aghast at everything related to President Trump. But all this Russia stuff, especially the latest involving Michael Flynn and his request for immunity, compelled Pelicano to ask me a series of how can we get rid of this guy? questions. So, I asked Laurence Tribe, legendary constitutional law professor at Harvard University, for the answers.

Democrats crossing their fingers in hopes of a miracle removal of Trump from the Oval Office should let the blood back in their digits. The prospects are slim to none. And if said miracle were to happen, Hillary Clinton would not be swooping in to save the day. This is one of those careful what you wish for situations.

[PODCAST: Why Larry Tribe thinks Democrats should battle the Gorsuch nomination in a blaze of fire.]

Were in totally uncharted waters here, Tribe told me via email. To say that he thinks Trump is illegitimately in the White House would be an understatement. The more we learn about the apparent existence of evidence pointing to collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to install Trump in the Oval Office, he said, the harder it becomes to view Donald Trump as a legitimate occupant of the office he has claimed.

That said, I believe deeply in Americas Constitution and in the rule of law, he continued. But the same commitment to the Constitution as our highest law requires me to abide by the Constitutions sole procedures for removing someone who has been sworn in as the president, however wrongfully.

Tribe said there are only two paths for presidential removal before completion of a four-year term. Removal upon impeachment and conviction is one, he told me. The other is the elaborate mechanisms of the 25th Amendment for displacing a president deemed by two-thirds of both Houses to be unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.

Now that Ive laid that groundwork, here are the questions from Pelicano and the answers provided by Tribe.

Pelicano: If it turns out that the election was heavily impacted, and Trump colluded with Russia, is the presidency illegitimate? If so, what happens?

Tribe: There is no mechanism in the Constitution and laws as they stand today for redoing a presidential election, however many people believe it was rendered illegitimate by treasonous or otherwise unlawful manipulation; and no institutional mechanism exists even for reaching an authoritative determination that a presidential election was illegitimate. Those who have imagined the Supreme Court might entertain a claim of that sort and order a new election are deluding themselves.

In contrast, the question whether Congress might conceivably have authority, under the Constitution as written, to enact a special law for making such a determination and holding a new national election is one that some people have been contemplating, but the odds that any such law could be passed over Trumps inevitable veto seem much too remote to warrant taking that option seriously.

Pelicano: Would that apply to Pences ability to ascend to office in the case that Trump were removed?

Tribe: Setting aside the virtually impossible scenarios Ive described, what lies ahead of us, if Trump fails to serve out his term, is clear: Vice President Pence, however tainted, will become the nations chief executive unless Pence, too, resigns or is removed from office after ascending to the presidency upon Trumps resignation, removal or displacement in which case the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 specifies that the Speaker of the House (Paul Ryan) would succeed to the presidency. Following Ryan in that line of succession would be the Senates president pro tempore (Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah), then the secretary of state (Rex Tillerson), and so on down the line of Cabinet members.

Pelicano concluded her email queries by asking, Am I just dreaming? Given what Tribe said, the short answer is yes. Sadly.

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Original post:
Sorry, Democrats. Trump's not going anywhere. You wouldn't like who would follow anyway. - Washington Post (blog)

Published: Sun, April 2, 2017 @ 4:52 p.m.

Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C.

Gay rights groups that fiercely supported Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers winning campaign last fall because of his pledge to repeal North Carolinas bathroom bill now say he betrayed them by accepting the recent compromise, calling it a dirty deal with Republicans.

Many fellow Democrats also were upset with the compromise, which got rid of the provision requiring transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding to their birth certificate but kept state lawmakers in charge of future bathroom policies. That provision in particular angered businesses, the NCAA, the NBA and others who withdrew events and expansions from North Carolina at a steep cost.

I am torn apart because I want to support my governor, and I want to support the efforts that we are trying to make, to make things at least a little bit better, Democratic Rep. Yvonne Holley of Raleigh said during debate on the legislation, adding that it reminded her of past disputes in North Carolina history over racial equity. Although she voted for the compromise, she said: there is more to this than about using the bathroom.

Indeed there is: The law known as House Bill 2 also had prevented local and state governments from passing nondiscrimination ordinances protecting on the basis of categories such as sexual orientation and gender identity. It was replaced by a moratorium on local governments passing them in most cases for nearly another four years.

For months, opponents of the law insisted they would accept only a full repeal. Some joined hard-line conservatives in opposing the bill, though their reasons differed: Many Republicans saw no need for any repeal.

It kicks HB2 down the road until 2020, keeping most of the awful law on the books for someone else to deal with, said Chris Sgro, executive director of Equality North Carolina. Thats not leadership, Gov. Cooper.

More here:
Only partial repeal of 'bathroom bill' angers some NC Democrats - Youngstown Vindicator

Over the last two decades, there has never been a bigger divide between white Republicans and Democrats when it comes to views of the intelligence and work ethic of African Americans, according to the new General Social Survey.

The GSS is a wide-ranging study of cultural and political attitudes done annually by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. The bevy of data is all available here.

Because the survey is so extensive, it can drill down on issues that don't feature in regular national polls. Among them are racial attitudes and views ofhow the races are different from one another.

And something happened in the newly released 2016 data: The partisan gaps among whites were as wide or wider than we've seen since the survey first started asking most of these questions in the 1990s.It's not that white Republicans' views of African Americans have dimmed so much as that they haven'tkept pace with those of white Democrats. But in some cases, the GOP has moved in the other direction.

The biggest yawning gap between Democrats and Republicans is on the issue of motivation and will power. The GSS asks whether African Americans are worse off economically because most just don't have the motivation or will power to pull themselves up out of poverty?

A majority 55 percent of white Republicans agreed with this statement, compared to 26 percent of white Democrats. That's the biggest gap since the question was first asked in 1977 though the gap was similar (60-32) in 2010.

The survey also askspeople to rate the races on how hard-working or lazy they are, which allows us to compare whether people rate some higher than others.

In this case, 42 percent of white Republicans rated African Americans as being lazier than whites, versus 24 percent of white Democrats. That 18-point gap is the second-biggest on record, behind 2010 (19 points).

The gap is again unprecedented when it comes to intelligence.

As with the previous question, the survey didn't ask people to compare blacks and whites directly, but rather to rate each race separately. In this case, 26 percent of white Republicans rated African Americans as less intelligent, compared to 18 percent of white Democrats. That eight-point gap is slightly bigger than in 2010 (seven points) and 2004 (six points).

It's a similar story on interracial marriage;26 percent of white Republicans say they'd be opposed to a family member or close relative marrying a black person, versus 12 percent of white Democrats. That 14-point gap is tied for the largest with 2010.

The pattern doesn't hold, though, for affirmative action. The survey asked whether people thought a white person wouldn't get a job or promotion that an equally or less-qualified black person would. While 16 percent of white Republicans that was very likely, 7 percent of white Democrats said the same a nine-point gap that is on-par with previous surveys.

Scott Clement contributed to this post.

Continue reading here:
Republicans' views of blacks' intelligence, work ethic lag behind ... - Washington Post

The 12 Democrats who represent House districts won by Donald Trump were supposed to be easy marks for the deal-making new president.

Instead, theyre giving him the stiff-arm.

Story Continued Below

I do come from a district that did flip to Trump this time, but I dont think they should be reading that as a slam dunk, said Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.). Im not going to support crazy up here.

After last weeks collapse of the GOP effort to scrap Obamacare fueled partly by resistance from conservative House hard-liners Trump and his allies have hinted that outreach to Democrats may soon be on the way.

But Trumps polarizing agenda and early stumbles have stiffened the resolve of moderate Democrats once spooked by his success in their districts. Though most say theyre willing to work with Trump if hes sincere about seeking common ground, theyre also not rushing to his side. And his recent overtures toward bipartisanship, they say, are falling flat.

I mean, will they attract one or two Democrats on whatever piece of garbage they want to offer? Maybe, said Rep. Jim Himes, chairman of the centrist New Democrat Coalition.

But early talk from the White House about corralling a few Democratic votes has to stop, the Connecticut Democrat added. If they really want to get something done they better leave the picking off language behind and start talking about what we would need.

Democrats have pointed to investing in infrastructure and reducing prescription drug prices as two areas of potential cooperation with Trump.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday that theres a whole host of issues where the parties can find common ground, including health care, infrastructure and tax reform. Wed love to have as much support as possible, he said.

But Trump is operating from a position of weakness. His first legislative effort to repeal Democrats top legislative achievement of the past decade lies in tatters. His approval rating is in the gutter, and an active FBI investigation into his associates contacts with Russian officials has left a dark cloud over his administration.

And despite talk of working with Democrats, Trumps actions suggest otherwise.

In another confrontational tweet Thursday morning, he vowed to go hard against his critics: "We must fight [the Freedom Caucus], & Dems, in 2018!"

Trump has spent the early months of his administration pursuing a conservative and controversial agenda, which has provoked intense backlash from the Democratic base and pressure to oppose the White House.

The president is also picking fights with Democratic leaders, who have happily returned fire. Democrats say theres been little serious outreach from the president to begin forging relationships across the aisle.

Aides to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California and her top deputy, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, say theres been no contact from the White House since the GOP health care bills collapse.

A senior administration official suggested this week that posture may be about to change. The official suggested the White House would start with outreach to Hoyer and try to leverage its limited relationship with the Congressional Black Caucus, which Trump hosted at the White House last week.

The White House also has started reaching out to rank-and-file Democrats, with limited success. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) turned down the chance to meet with White House staff, an opportunity facilitated by Maine GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin.

"My feeling is that the Trump White House has taken a scorched earth approach so far, Lynch said in a statement. "I felt like they were trying to divide our party, so I declined the invitation."

Himes has had similar conversations with Poliquin and said hes open to the White House face time but that nothing formal has been set up.

Rep. Scott Peters of California, a moderate Democrat, said: If Donald Trump wanted to come to me with policies that are sensible, Im not going to withhold my support because its Donald Trump. I just dont see it right yet.

Pelosi said Thursday she's "not concerned" about direct contact between the White House and rank-and-file Democrats.

Theres also little reason to think Hoyer will go rogue on his own Democratic leadership team.

Trump squeaked out his election victory with a surprising show of strength across the Midwest and among blue-collar voters that have often supported Democrats. But his voters also showed a penchant for splitting their tickets to support down-ballot Democrats.

Trump crushed Clinton by 30 points in Minnesotas 7th District, where Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson still eked out a win. Trump won by 4 points in the district of Iowa Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack and by a point in the districts of New Hampshire Democrat Carol Shea-Porter and Illinois Democrat Cheri Bustos.

Bustos, though, said the failed drive to repeal Obamacare has energized opposition to Trump in her district.

I have a swing district. You wouldve thought that I had a 95 percent Democratic district if you went to my town hall this weekend, she said. We have Democrats going home to standing ovations.

Democrats also are leery of helping Trump bounce back from his challenging first months in office, especially with his long history of stoking partisan fury and his routine jabs at Democratic leaders, like calling Pelosi incompetent and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York a clown.

Some Republicans have encouraged more across-the-aisle cooperation.

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), head of the centrist Tuesday Group caucus, told reporters this week that he has had "many conversations" with Democrats about opportunities to work together on health care. Standing alongside him at a Capitol Hill news conference, Ohio Gov. John Kasich himself a former House veteran berated lawmakers for failing to engage in a bipartisan way.

"Somebodys got to start breaking the logjam in this country," the former GOP presidential contender said.

In some respects, forging a coalition with Democrats could be an easier lift for the White House than dealing with a fractious and deeply divided Republican House conference.

The conservative Freedom Caucus has bedeviled House leaders for years, effectively ousting Speaker John Boehner and now making serious trouble for Speaker Paul Ryan.

Even as House Democrats are motivated to frustrate Republicans agenda, theyre still loath to foreclose the possibility of negotiations with Trump.

Unlike the Freedom Caucus, where you give them half a loaf and they burn down the bakery, give us half a loaf and well be at the table, Himes said.

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Though Trump has done little direct outreach to Democrats, one notable exception has been his nod to the Congressional Black Caucus, which he recently hosted in the Oval Office. White House aides pointed to that meeting, which came after Trump awkwardly asked a black journalist to schedule the gathering, as a sign Trump is willing to reach outside the Republican tent.

One CBC member, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), also visited Trump separately to pitch legislation on competition in the pharmaceutical industry, part of a shared goal to reduce rising drug prices.

But Trump would be mistaken if he views the largely liberal group as a renegade caucus to help Republicans clinch wins on their legislative agenda, said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.).

"We're not going to try to hold the [Democratic] caucus hostage for our own narrow interests, he said.

Tara Palmeri contributed to this report.

Here is the original post:
Democrats in Trump territory in no mood to deal - Politico

Two Democrats are vying to have their name on the November ballot to replace a long-serving Henrico County supervisor who died earlier this year, raising the total number of candidates to five.

Courtney Lynch, the founder of leadership development firm Lead Star, and Danny Plaugher, executive director of advocacy group Virginians for High Speed Rail, both filed paperwork with the Henrico County Democratic Committee to be considered for the Brookland seat nomination.

The committee will hold a caucus on April 29 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, where it will also determine the nominees for two House of Delegates races.

In November, the Democratic nominee will face a Republican who will be nominated during a June 13 primary.

Lynch, a former Marine Corps captain, said she would prioritize school improvements and revitalizing aging retail corridors in the district such as parts of the Staples Mills area.

We have a wonderful community here yet I know we can do better, she said.

Plaugher said many community members remember him from his unsuccessful run against former supervisor Dick Glover in 2015. He said he would look to maintain the districts great quality of life but also work to modernize the county with 21st century amenities such as sidewalks and street lights.

I have a good vision for the Brookland District, he said. I have a desire to serve my neighbors and our residents.

In addition to the two Democrats, three Republicans are also seeking the office. They are Ben Dessart, a researcher at Altria; Gilbert Wilkerson Sr., a judges assistant in Richmond Circuit Court; and Bob Witte, a county planning commissioner and retired fire captain.

The special election is being held in November after Glover, who served on the board since 1988, died in early February.

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Two Democrats vie for Brookland District seat - Richmond.com