Stephen Colbert exposed the flaws in the Supreme Court’s 14th Amendment logic with a single quip.
Colbert said:
The justices argue that because different states have different standards for what could be considered an insurrection, conflicting results between states would lead to chaos. Yes, the Supreme Court knows that you can’t just let states decide who goes to their polls. States are too busy deciding that life begins in the freezer section. Next to the spring onions. You know. Life. AS. Anyway,
Here is the SCOTUS logic. The majority holds that disqualification of a congressional candidate constitutes an act of legislation. Ok, quick question. If Congress decided to pass that legislation to disqualify a candidate for insurrection, what would happen if he sent his mob to storm Congress to stop it from passing that legislation? Does this count as an insurrection? Or do they need to pass more laws about it before the next mob shows up? I’m just asking, because clearly you guys haven’t thought about any of these things. Ok, you have to think about it carefully. There are steps.
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Video:
Colbert is right. The Supreme Court apparently lives in a fantasy where Congress is able to pass laws. What would happen if Congress tried to pass legislation but a president sent a mob to the Capitol to block it?
It’s almost as if January 6 never happened in the eyes of the Supreme Court.
The country must have the ability to disqualify insurrectionists before they come to power.
While the Court was right, a patchwork solution would lead to chaos, but expecting the current Congress to do anything is unrealistic.
When an insurrectionist manages to circumvent the SCOTUS remedy by staging an insurrection, it shows that the High Court’s plan has more than a few holes.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
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