Colorado Is But a Stepping Stone: Trump Must Be Stopped

Recently, the Colorado State Supreme Court removed Donald Trump as a presidential candidate from their state’s ballot. Though the Colorado Secretary of State did reinstate Trump unless the Supreme Court puts him back on the ballot or affirms the Colorado State Supreme Court

From a strictly political and campaign perspective, this ruling does not change anything in isolation. Anyone paying attention would know that President Biden is winning Colorado with ease.

What matters most about this ruling are the implications.

The Implications

The plaintiffs in Colorado just made it easier for others to use the 14th Amendment to keep Trump off of the ballot in other states, even if doing so is a long shot.

If the Supreme Court overturns this decision, it will have done even more damage to the fabric of the United States than even the Dobbs decision did. But at the same time, this Supreme Court is compromised, possibly beyond repair. So I can’t say one way or another what will happen.

Think about the precedent that was just set. We have a chance, albeit a small one, to stop Trump even before he gets on the ballot if he is disqualified from running in states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Take enough of these states off the table, and Trump is finished before the election even starts.

Again, disqualifying Trump from enough states is unlikely to eliminate the grave threat that he represents, but it is a shot worth taking.

Should Trump win in 2024, I doubt America as we know it will survive. Ergo, I will support tactics I would not normally endorse if it means guaranteeing he stays off the ballot.

Addressing Concerns

I am not thinking about long-term implications with this decision primarily because when Trump attempted a coup after he lost the 2020 election on January 6, 2021, he forfeited any considerations I would reserve for other candidates.

True, I don’t like the idea of using the courts to disqualify people from running. But Trump and what he represents is an extreme enough case that I will put aside any reservations I have about that tactic.

The coup attempt supersedes any concerns that would normally be present.

If the United States is going to function as a constitutional republic, attempts to disrupt peaceful transfers of power and attempted coups must be treated as treason.

As to concerns about how half the country will perceive this, look to a vital reason reconstruction failed after the American Civil War—too much emphasis on forgiveness and reconciliation by Northern Whites toward traitors. By contrast, even a small amount of accountability after World War II helped transform Germany and Japan into some of America’s most reliable allies, with the stipulation that it was nowhere near enough.

Red America has been coddled abundantly. It needs to learn the consequences of breaking the social contract.

Law and order must be enforced.

Trying to appease Americans who would kill many of my friends and family members without thinking twice is not a wise decision. It has only led to failure and disgrace.

Reminders about 2020

There was a group that simulated multiple election results for the 2020 election.

The scenario that occurred, then Vice President Biden winning by a solid but not overwhelming margin both in the electoral college and the popular vote, happened almost exactly as the group predicted. Trump tried every possible legal maneuver to overturn the 2020 election while sabotaging the transition process, creating an unprecedented constitutional crisis. This effort culminated in the January 6 terrorist attack.

Considering the group got this almost exactly right, it is not far-fetched to think just how close we were to the abyss in 2020; one of the scenarios, one where Biden won the popular vote but lost the electoral college, had Oregon and possibly other states seriously considering secession and attempting it.

Keep in mind that in 2020, the economy was crashing and burning, several types of goods were next to impossible to come by, civil unrest provoked by George Floyd’s murder was setting cities ablaze (made worse by Trump), and the number of people relying on food banks was skyrocketing.

Oh, and COVID-19 was killing thousands of Americans a day, with a federal government under Trump so useless (on a good day) that states had to coordinate a pandemic response on their own. I remember how fun it was to name the compacts.

On top of all that was an election that nearly tore the country apart at the seams.

The point is that Trump is that much of a threat that I would consider measures for him I would not for other candidates.

Stay frosty, my friends.