The Constitution Dies One Exception at a Time https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/postal-service-trump-attack-mail-voting-proposed-rule/ The Question Isn't Trump. It's You. Follow along with me. For years I have heard some version of this argument: > "I don't like everything he does, but the other side is worse." Then: > "I don't like how he talks, but he gets results." Then: > "The system is corrupt, so extraordinary measures are justified." Now we're here. A president issues an order attempting to place federal control between states and mail voting. Lawsuits are filed. A judge initially says: > "You haven't been harmed yet because the agencies haven't implemented it." Then the agencies begin implementing it. Not because Congress passed a law. Not because voters voted for a constitutional amendment. Because the executive branch said so. And the reaction from many supporters isn't: > "Wait. Can he legally do that?" The reaction is: > "Good." That is the signal. The signal isn't Trump. The signal is what people are willing to tolerate when the person they support is the one exercising power. Because every constitutional principle sounds important until it stands in the way of your preferred outcome. Due process. Federalism. Separation of powers. Checks and balances. Independent courts. Free elections. All of them become negotiable the moment vengeance enters the room. And that's the part that should concern everyone. Not because Republicans are uniquely guilty. Not because Democrats are uniquely virtuous. Because history repeatedly shows that people will surrender principles they claim to believe in if they are convinced doing so hurts the "right" enemies. That is how republics weaken. Not from one leader. From millions of people deciding: > "Just this once." The Constitution was never designed to protect us from leaders alone. It was designed to protect us from ourselves. And the real test isn't whether you defend liberty when it helps your side. The real test is whether you defend it when it doesn't. https://stacker.news/items/1500183
