We have learned that the Constitution is only a piece of parchment

[edhopper]

And is only as real as those who would uphold it.
In this case, nobody in power is.
There are no inalienable rights in the United States. The Bill off Rights are really a Bill of suggestions when they feel like it.

America was not as strong an idea as was surmised, it's fabric was easy torn away.

[Irish_Dem]

1. The US was a house of cards, held together by spit and a prayer.

Taken down in a few months with no problem whatsoever.

We learned the hard way.

The US is just a bunch of ideas.
And if people reject those ideas, it is totally over.

No guard rails whatsoever.

[MadameButterfly]

10. Democracy was not taken down in a few months; the ground has been laid for decades,

without which, this would not be possible.
Since Reagan there has been a steady erosion, dismantling protections as the conservatives/oligarchs/white men chose dictatorship over losing. It was so unthinkable, we didn't see it coming.

The failure is possible is due to our constitution's weakest links, it's worst compromises, the 1st 3 staring with the founders:
1. Non-proportional representation in the Senate: With proportional representation, the Senate would be consistently Democratic.
2. The Electoral College: Without the Electoral College, Gore and Hillary would have changed the makeup of SCOTUS. That's without getting into Florida for Gore, and Ohio for Kerry (and electronic voting machine issues before safeguards were put in, vote totals diverging from exit polls....). Dems would have a 7-2 or an 8-1 majority.
3. Rules for appointing Supreme Court Justices that allow the above to abuse the system. For example, if every president got to appoint 2 justices and their terms were for 20 years, McConnell and Trump would not have been able to pack the court for 2 generations, and we'd have SCOTUS to protects us.
4. The fillibuster: creating gridlock and making people discouraged about democracy
5. Gerrymandering: Without Gerrymandering the House would be consistently Democratic.

4 is a racist construction, & 5 is cheating, currently allowed by a corrupt SCOTUS.

When Trump is taken down, his sycophants are politically ruined or in jail for their crimes, and corrupt justices impeached, we'll have a chance to learn from all this and make democracy even better than before. Just as the aftermath of the Civil War brought improvements like the 14th ammendment which would not have been possible in Antebellum America or after the former rebels were returned to Congress.

[Cosmocat]

13. Spot on in relation to how we got here

You lay out out the systemic "weak links" very well, and note how since Reagan the GOP/Republican Party/Conservatives have steadily worked to erode the normative systems that by and large were the glue that held things together for over 200 years.

I would say, however, I saw all of this coming (not DT exactly, but I always knew they were full of shit babbling about the constitution and founding fathers in the 90s) and knew this was where was headed. It was very obvious to me, how they so steadily were deteriorating faith in our government AND effectively brainwashing the country into believing in the evil liberal boogyman, that it was not going to end well.

And, unfortunately, I do not see any path to turn this around, because those elements continue.

Two days ago they stormed a residential building in a military manner in Chicago with no warrants, not due process, and in mass gathered up everyone, US citizens and otherwise. And, the media topics for the day was a coin flip between Bad Bunny and whether the Ds are responsible for the shutdown or just will take the political hit for it.

I mean ... hundreds of people who were kept at "alligator alcatraz" and we have absolutely no idea what happened to them.

As a country, no one GAF.

[Irish_Dem]

16. Yes it happened gradually, then suddenly.

I was surprised that the final stage was so quick.

[cachukis]

2. It was an offering to the best of humanity that has

now exposed the worst of humanity.

[Martin Eden]

6. The worst of humanity controls all three branches of our federal government

To the everlasting shame of the American people.

[BlueKota]

3. The Social Contract has been torn to shreds.

[Gimpyknee]

5. In no small part aided by the SC.

[Jack Valentino]

4. The Constitution is only valid when it can be used as a weapon and talking point

against Democrats.... according to officeholders of the criminal terrorist organization
formerly known as 'The Republican party'---

--- the party that abolished slavery, but upon second thoughts
now is working very hard toward re-establishing slavery

[RobertDevereaux]

7. While alas I am in tune with this...

Federal judges, regardless of who appointed them, have quite massively ruled against Flumpian flunkies.

Glenn Kirschner carefully tracks these many cases in his Justice Matters channel on YouTube.

Yes, I know, “but the six traitors on the used-to-be-Supreme Court.”

[OldBaldy1701E]

8. Which means nothing when they flout and ignore said rulings. (n/t)

[MadameButterfly]

11. It means a lot

If judges were rubber stamping Trump's lawlessness there would be no hope of the people rising up and the military choosing not to obey illegal orders. We would have no standing if the courts said we were wrong, it would just be our opinion (and there are a lot of opinions out there).

If it is clear Trump is violating court orders we can publicly declare him to be a dictator acting against the constitution.
And we have grounds for civil disobedience, if not a revolution.

These judges are doing their jobs at considerable personal risk. We need to make it worth their sacrifice.

[OldBaldy1701E]

14. Interesting.

I find myself more upset about their violating human dignity, as well as any ethics or morals that may exist in our society far more worrisome than their violating court orders.

But, that is just me, I guess. I tend to worry about people, not paper.

Yes, they are doing their jobs at a risk. So are any of us who are vocal and open about it. You think any local MAGAts would not do the same thing to any of us if they felt that we were gaining attention from our position, or if we offended them, or just the fact that we are not 'of the body'. Of course, attacking some unknown plebe would not get them any attention themselves, nor would offer them the out of claiming 'political differences', so we who are not 'in the public eye' usually don't have to put up with it. But, any of us are in the crosshairs.

[MadameButterfly]

15. It's all about people in the end

That's what the papers are protecting

[Farmer-Rick]

9. Yeah, capitalism never wanted a constitution

And the capitalists have now taken it away.

All hail the kings of capitalism. They are your real leaders.

[Efilroft Sul]

12. We need a new Constitution.

I've been saying this for a while, but the one the United States has been operating on since 1787 has been rendered ineffective by built-in system exploits. And when this regime is driven from power — because it will be, and not without violence — the next one of its ilk to come along will use those same exploits. To be clear, there will not be enough time to undo all the damage Trump and MAGA have done to the Constitution, and strengthen the government, before the next fascist regime wins back the White House using the Trump roadmap. So we can't just hope everything post-47 will be copacetic and go back to the old rule of law to proclaim, "America's back!" No, America as we knew it is gone, and it's not going to come back. And perhaps it shouldn't, either.

Still, the old Constitution has many good ideas and can be used as source material, but there needs to be a better way forward that not only puts in the necessary firewalls to stop a Trump, but also makes for a more perfect union that protects the rights of those whom white Christian nationalists would see submissive (women), silenced (political opposition), or six feet under (minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, and everyone else who doesn't look like them).

In the wake of us defeating Trumpism, we also need to realize that not every state will jump and ratify the new Constitution. We might have proper United States of America-type nations in the northeast, upper midwest, and Pacific coast. We might see states become Canadian provinces. We might see states lose their current territorial integrity and break up — it's all on the table now, thanks to MAGA. But we won't have a better nation or nations without the writing of a new Constitution.

One last thing: These new nations had better make defense a top priority, because the white Christian nationalist leaders of the red states will believe God told them to reunite the entire former United States. They will not hesitate to launch an American Crusade against the secular successor nations, a Reconquista, if you will. And in those wars, the fanatics and fascists must be put down like the rabid dogs that they are once and for all.