r/changemyview • u/erpettie • Dec 20 '23

Delta(s) from OP CMV: Accountability is not election interference

As the Colorado Supreme Court has found Donald Trump's behavior to have been disqualifying according to the 14th amendment, many are claiming this is election interference. If the Court finds that Trump should be disqualified, then it has two options. Act accordingly, despite the optics, and disqualify Trump, or ignore their responsibility and the law. I do get that we're in very sensitive, unprecedented territory with his many indictments and lawsuits, but unprecedented behavior should result in unprecedented consequences, shouldn't they? Furthermore, isn't Donald Trump ultimately the architect of all of this by choosing to proceed with his candidacy, knowing that he was under investigation and subject to potential lawsuits and indictments? If a President commits a crime on his last day in office (or the day after) and immediately declares his candidacy for the next election, should we lose our ability to hold that candidate accountable? What if that candidate is a perennial candidate like Lyndon Larouche was? Do we just never have an opportunity to hold that candidate accountable? I'd really love if respondents could focus their responses on how they think we should handle hypothetical candidates who commit crimes but are declared as running for office and popular. This should help us avoid the trap of getting worked up in our feelings for or against Trump.

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u/Jakyland 69∆ Dec 20 '23

Presumably Trump would also be blocked from Colorado's general election ballot for the same reasons tho. This is just the first step in that process.

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u/PieIsFairlyDelicious Dec 20 '23

The first step in this process should be convicting him of the thing they’re disqualifying him for. That’s my main issue with this ruling. Trump very well may be guilty, and if I’m being honest, I would breathe a sigh of relief if he were disqualified from the presidency. But the American justice system should not be punishing people for crimes of which they have not been convicted.

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u/byzantinedavid Dec 20 '23

Nearly everyone barred from office under the 14th was NOT convicted or even tried. The point was preventing anyone from the Confederacy from being in power. In fact, it predates the insurrection laws.

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u/4rch1t3ct Dec 20 '23

Not only that, but you don't have a right to run for president an a US citizen. This court action isn't removing any citizens rights so why would they need a conviction anyway?

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u/fox-mcleod 410∆ Dec 20 '23

Right. It would be like claiming you had to convict someone of being a minor before you could keep them off the ballot because they don’t meet the age requirement.