We can have vigorous, even fierce, disagreements on policy without sacrificing our shared respect for the office and for each other. Decorum is the guardrail of a functional democracy.

5/5

🔹 It Sets a Toxic Example: Our leaders are role models, whether they want to be or not. Their conduct filters down, normalizing incivility in our own communities and online spaces.

4/5

🔹 It Erodes Public Trust: When officials resort to schoolyard taunts and personal attacks, it degrades the very institutions they represent. How can we trust them to handle a crisis if they can't manage basic civility?

3/5

🔹 It's a National Security Issue: Petty insults and undignified behavior on the world stage undermine alliances and embolden adversaries. It projects instability, not strength.

2/5

Shocking.

The catch: Enforcement is complex. Presidents have broad powers, and checks/balances can be slow. The legal standard is whether actions serve legitimate government purposes vs pure political retaliation.

Even presidents must follow the Constitution.

3/3

Examples of illegal actions:
- Using FBI/IRS to target people for political views
- Ordering prosecutions without probable cause
- Interfering with courts for political reasons
- Denying government services based on politics

2/3

In a democracy, the military doesn't get to dictate what civilian journalists can report. This sets a dangerous precedent that could expand to other agencies and fundamentally undermine press freedom.

3/3

The threat to revoke credentials creates a chilling effect where reporters must choose between access and doing their job. This isn't about security, it's about controlling information flow like an authoritarian regime.

2/3

• Broad funding freezes that violate statutory requirements and separation of powers

The courts are doing their job as a check on executive power. As the ACLU noted: "no president can simply erase [constitutional rights] from our Constitution."

3/3

#Constitution #RuleOfLaw #Democracy

• Freezing federal funding to universities in ways courts found "violative of the First Amendment" and "unconstitutional coercion"

• Using the 1789 Alien Enemies Act to remove alleged gang members without due process - legal experts call this "both illegal and unconstitutional"

2/3