19 December 2023

Trump can't run for president in Colorado - the Triumph of Democracy and the 14th Amendment

Trump can't run for president in Colorado.

Once upon a time, you could change national rulers by violently rising up against the king. At that point in history, there was a clear bargain: you could attempt to overthrow the king and if you won, you were now king and if you lost, you were executed.

One of the many beautiful things about democracy is that one no longer had to threaten to kill the king or risk death himself when deciding that the country needed a new ruler. You simply ran against the president. (Well, and dozens of other candidates.) There is no need for violence in a democracy because we have a system designed for the peaceful transfer of power.

Trump tried to ignore our system and opt instead for a violent overthrow. Sadly for him, we no longer let someone violently overthrow the system. Luckily for him, we no longer execute the guy who attempts to violently overthrow the legitimate ruler and rule of law.

Colorado's Supreme Court disqualified Trump from being on their ballot after engaging in insurrection, ruling that the 14th amendment applies to him. 

Specifically, this third clause applies to Trump in their opinion.
"No person shall be ... President ... who, having previously taken an oath ... as an officer of the United States ... to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. ..."

This is a little triumph for those of us who think that the decision to opt for democracy 200+ years ago was a fabulous decision and one which it would be disastrous to reverse.

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