Who Needs Elections Anyway?
The 14th Amendment Kerfuffle
After the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former US President Donald Trump – the heavy favorite to win the Republican nomination, should be removed from the ballot under the 14th Amendment, Republicans in red states started threatening to reciprocate by removing current US President Joe Biden from the ballot.The 14th Amendment, ratified after the Civil War, disbars anyone who has taken an oath of Office and then engaged in “insurrection or rebellion against [the US], or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof,” from holding office, though officials and generals who worked for the Confederate States were given amnesty four years after its ratification.
AmericasColorado Court’s Decision to Bar Trump From Primary is ‘Politically Motivated’ and ‘Very Dangerous’20 December 2023, 18:25 GMTTrump has not been charged or found guilty of insurrection or rebellion. In the case related to his actions during and before the January 6, 2021 riots on the Capitol building, Trump was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights, but not insurrection or rebellion.The Colorado Supreme Court stayed the ruling, expecting an appeal to the US Supreme Court. On Tuesday, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick suggested Biden could be removed from the ballot in Texas because of his handling of immigration at the southern US Border.“Seeing what happened in Colorado tonight … makes me think — except we believe in democracy in Texas — maybe we should take Joe Biden off the ballot in Texas for allowing 8 million people to cross the border since he’s been president, disrupting our state far more than anything anyone else has done in recent history,” Patrick said during an interview with US media.At this rate, the 2024 election could prove to be the world’s first without any major candidates on the ballot.
