Political Pistachio

By Douglas V. Gibbs

As usual, their hatred for President Trump has the liberal progressive commie Left freaking out over a move he’s taken, even if it means operating in a manner that seeks to restore order and stop violence in our cities.  The media and their leftist political allies are hyperventilating, doing what they can to clutches their pearls, because President Trump is daring to do something that the Constitution empowers him to do: restore order in a city that’s spiraling into chaos. Washington D.C. — a federal city, our country’s capital — is not a sovereign state. It is not a playground for progressive experiments in lawlessness. It is, constitutionally and legally, under the authority of Congress and, by extension, the President of the United States whose job is to execute the laws established by Congress.

The Founding Fathers weren’t naïve. They foresaw the dangers of domestic violence and insurrection.  One wonders if the ruffians of Boston back then were a part of that understanding.  That’s why Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution guarantees that the federal government shall protect states against domestic violence — when requested by the legislature, or governor when the legislature cannot convene. And Article I, Section 8 gives Congress the power to call forth the militia to “execute the laws of the Union.” George Washington himself used this authority to crush the Whiskey Rebellion. This isn’t new. It’s foundational.

But D.C. isn’t a state. It’s a federal district, with the seat of government created by the Constitution, and the surrounding federal city of Washington created by the Organic Act of 1871 and governed by Congress. The District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 gave D.C. limited self-governance, but Congress retained ultimate authority. Section 740 of that Act allows the President to take emergency control of the Metropolitan Police Department for 30 days if he feels it is necessary. That’s exactly what Trump is doing. Legally. Constitutionally. Decisively.

Enter U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who gave the Justice Department a deadline to rewrite its order granting authority to an emergency commissioner — threatening to issue her own order if necessary. Let’s be clear: judges apply the law, they don’t write it. They don’t have the constitutional authority to micromanage executive authority, either. This is judicial activism masquerading as oversight.

And the Democrats? They’re not opposing Trump because of the policy. They’re opposing him because of the man. If a Democrat president took the same action, they’d be cheering from the rooftops. But because it’s Trump, they’d rather see crime fester than admit he’s right.

This isn’t just about D.C. It’s about the rule of law. It’s about whether we still believe in the Constitution or whether we’ve surrendered to mob rule and media manipulation. The Democrats have even launched H.R.214, the District of Columbia Legislative Home Rule Act, seeking to eliminate Congress’s authority to nullify D.C. laws — a move that’s not only ridiculous, but constitutionally dubious.  Congress has authority over Washington D.C. for a reason.  What the Democrats are doing is not about anything other than political theater and hatred for anyone who opposes them, especially if that person is Donald J. Trump.

Now, they are screaming his ”authoritarianism” is coming to a city near you.  Trump understands the Constitution.  That’s why during his first term he only sent personnel to protect federal buildings in Portland and Seattle.  He was never given permission by those lefty legislatures to come in to generally quell the violence.  The condition of getting permission does not apply, but the way, if it is for the purpose of ensuring that federal law is being executed as provided in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution – which is why President Trump has been legally able to use the National Guard to assist ICE and the Border Patrol in their duties of carrying out federal law as it pertains to immigration and the deportation of those who have broken immigration law.

That said, America’s cities under Democratic Party control have become festering pools of crime and violence and the Democrats like it that way.  It creates chaos and a need for dependency on government programs.  When crime and violence is rampant, people have more difficulty taking care of themselves, and are more dependent upon government intervention.  In short, they promote the problems in order to maintain their power.

Should Trump’s techniques for getting the crime and violence in cities be used around the country as he’s doing in Washington D.C. very successfully?  Absolutely.  But, constitutionally the federal government, via executive action, may only do so in cities that are not under federal authority if the state legislature invites federal intervention. In deep-blue states, don’t hold your breath. Their leaders would rather virtue-signal than protect their citizens.

President Trump is not overreaching. He’s fulfilling his constitutional duty. The Left’s hysteria isn’t about legality — it’s about ideology. They hate Trump more than they are willing to defend or promote law and order. But the Constitution doesn’t bend to political whims. It stands firm. And so should we.  President Trump should tell the D.C. federal judges to take a flying leap – they have no authority to stop him, and Congress has every authority to pass law stripping local leadership of their positions in D.C. if necessary.  It, like I said, is a federal city, and constitutionally falls under federal authority.

— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary