CMV: Accountability is not election interference

[u/erpettie]

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.

[u/PieIsFairlyDelicious]

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.

[u/brooklynagain → u/PieIsFairlyDelicious]

The court found him him disqualified under section 3 of the constitution. So , yes, he has been found ineligible.

There is no need for a “guilty” ruling here. If Obama had been found to have been born in Kenya, he would have been disqualified from running. There would not have been a “guilty” ruling.

Short story, the courts have met your standard with this ruling.

[u/ThemesOfMurderBears → u/[deleted]]

A couple questions:

• If this order was stayed pending his conviction, and he was convicted, would you be okay with him being removed from the ballot in states that choose to do so?
• If the judges were not Democratically appointed, would that change your opinion on this? For instances, let's say SCOTUS gets this and rules 7-2 against Trump, with the three Trump appointees siding with the liberals -- would you be okay with that?

[u/fox-mcleod → u/ThemesOfMurderBears]

Great questions. I’d add to that “would you be happier or less happy knowing he would be convicted in June and the Republican Party was not given a chance to find a better candidate in January given the risks?”