A Poll:
Should President Trump resign due to his mishandling of the SARS-CoV-2 Crisis?
[edit /clarification: The creation of this poll was prompted in part in response to this op-ed. One of the points made smartly (I thought) in the op-ed by the author is this:
"....I’m under no illusions that Trump is going to resign. But as I wrote in September when I argued that politicians should call for Trump to step down over the Ukraine whistleblower allegations, “A call for resignation is a statement of principle that Trump’s actions so clearly violate the public trust that his position in office has become untenable."
"Demanding accountability would serve as a reminder that even in the wreckage of the Trump era some basic political norms still matter and we, as a nation, cannot become inured to having such a dangerous and unqualified leader in the nation’s highest office. It would also force Trump’s defenders to explain why his continued service is in the interest of the American people...."
Say it loud, say it clear: Donald Trump needs to resign over his handling of the coronavirus
By Michael A. Cohen Globe Columnist,Updated April 25, 2020, 5:00 a.m.
[bostonglobe.com]
1
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19 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.What good would that do?
It'd install Mike Pence, who is 100 times worse than Trump ever thought of being.
Pence would have the full-throated support of the evangelicals and other far-right types, and would probably stand a better chance of winning.
Trump is a figurehead (and not a very good one) and has no real power except that given him by his staff, cabinet, behind-the-scenes power brokers, Congressmen, etc. He's given them free reign to pursue their agenda of dismantling the New Deal and devolving power to the states, where policy is much more easily controlled by these "special interests."
Storm1752
Level 8
Apr 26, 2020
0
kmaz:
Mr. Trump is fiddling while Rome burns, not acting out the directions of competent people in the background. He is a would-be dictator who has done quite a bit of damage to the constitution he is sworn to protect, to the economy, and to lives. You've pandered here to our fear of a theist would-be dictator waiting in the wings, but you've done nothing to reflect a proper understanding of the present situation for what it is. With each day that passes, more damage is done to the US Economy, and more lives are lost, because of the President and his incompetence.
@kmaz That's funny...I've PANDERED? What, you think I'm a politician?!?
I'm merely saying the Republican party is more than happy to let him flail incompetently away and incite the ire of people like you, while they are busy at work behind the scenes implementing their far-right, Libertarian, Objectivist, 'Prosperity' agenda.
Who knows WHAT Trump is, ideologically? A secular pragmatist egomaniac? Has he ever articulated an overreaching 'vision' of any kind, ala Reagan? If so, I don't remember it.
To me, he seems oddly self-contained and insular, not connected to any particular 'movenent' or 'cause.'
But the people behind him are VERY dedicated to Republican causes, you may be sure!
To say he's a "would-be dictator" is humorous because he seems even farther away from realizing any such ambitions than any other recent president. Closest: maybe W....but we all know it could only happen for real with gargantuan majorities in both houses of Congress and their fervent, rabid support. Not happening.
True, more damage is being done to the US economy every day, but that's the case with EVERY Republican president (remember 2008?) pursuing soak-the-middle class policies.
So I would STOP bashing Trump as much as the entire rotten Republican machine. If ANYTHING has ALREADY damaged us almost beyond recognition, it is that reactionary force which would presumably drag us back to pre-Enlightenment days when aristocrats ruled fiefdoms and human rights hadn't been invented yet.
It's as if the elite are trying to get the rabble to THINK like rich people without actually having any money or any of it's attendant perks...and doing a fine job of it.
kmaz:
You wrote:
"...What good would that do?
It'd install Mike Pence, who is 100 times worse than Trump ever thought of being.
Pence would have the full-throated support of the evangelicals and other far-right types, and would probably stand a better chance of winning...."
In my view this is pandering to the folks around here in agnostic.com who would be concerned to stay away from a theistic dictator.
I think we Americans are in a cesspool of argument and possibly unrecoverable discussion, but if one is to carry on discussion even if it's hopeless or appears so, the difficulty here is to unpack if in theory it would be better to have and retain the Sith Lord that we have or the probable Sith Lord waiting in the wings. You don't seem to believe that the present President is much of a Sith Lord, are downplaying the horrors he has brough, and are mis-portraying his critics and claiming that they are not doing enough to denounce the Republicans even as you portray congress (including the Republicans) as solid enough to counter an attempted undermining of our government.
One of the things I have liked about agnostic.com is running into other atheists of Jewish background and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one of us who gets that Mr. Trump checks off enough of the boxes of would-be dictator that he gets the prize among recent Presidents and possibly the all-time prize, though I don't know enough about the history of all Presidents. Other than that, I'm not going to spend more of my Saturday trying to unpack your dismissive ratiocinations.
Trump should kill himself on live tv. Imagine the ratings!
BitFlipper
Level 8
Apr 25, 2020
2
Some have attempted to claim that this poll is about whether one "likes" or "dislikes" the President. However, as stated in the poll, this is about a President badly mishandling a crisis. The head of state of the US... the "Commander In Chief".... has been, and continues to be, grotesquely negligent in his handling of matters, and dozens of thousands (and counting) of Americans are dead in large part as a result of that negligence. Additionally, the economy has suffered significant extra damage attributable to that negligence. Whether one "likes" or "dislikes" the President is not relevant. If someone in the position of being President has been (and continues to be) totally incompetent and actively impedes competent experts during what has been one of the worst (if not the worst) life-and-death crisis that has come up during our lifetimes, then it is fair to demand the President's resignation (or reconstitute discussions of firing them), even if the President does not listen.
Folks who seek to portray this as a matter of whether one "likes" or "dislikes" the President will go down as having engaged in facile sophistry at a life-and-death moment and thus as having shown real disrespect for themselves and others at that moment.
kmaz
Level 7
Apr 25, 2020
0
As a matter of principle, yes he should resign.
As a matter of strategy, I am less certain. Is there enough time still for the cons to push a strongman (of whom we may know little) to the front to win an election? Will the second wave of this virus hit before or after November? Will a second wave hit his base harder than it hits his competition? If he goes down, who will he take down with him?
AmyTheBruce
Level 7
Apr 25, 2020
1
Varn:
Poodle Pence would, and could step in. Off his leash, he’d actually be the R’s best hope of taking the upcoming election.. We will vote, if it kills us 
This is like a passive aggressive way of asking whether we like him or not. I don't like him. But he only "should" if there's a good replacement plan in place. Without knowing what that is I can't vote.
KevinMR
Level 7
Apr 25, 2020
0
Yes I'm aware almost anything would be better. I just didn't like the word should. Let's just hang on tight and vote him out in the fall. Resigning is not an option.
He is insane!!!
Why are we letting a insane criminal sociopath psychopath run our country???
Everything trump has ever owned or run has gone out of business or bankrupted!!!
Yes he is such a natural born loser!!!
of-the-mountain
Level 9
Apr 25, 2020
1
No, he should not resign or be removed unless he is defeated democratically in the presidential election. Not liking a leader is not grounds for a resignation.
St-Sinner
Level 9
Apr 25, 2020
0
Are you going to tell Trump that he isn't allowed to resign until he is defeated electorally?
I think he should be able to step down if he chooses.
I disagree. Elections are not the only means a President or other government official can be removed from office, and these other remedies are extreme. These means are not a matter of liking or disliking a leader or even his performance but about his conduct as leader. Trump's performance has been dismal, imo, but he has also violated provisions of our Constitution enriching himself through his office as president. His misconduct in the Ukrainian fiasco also rose to the level of impeachment, imo.
@RoboGraham
He is not going step down after our desperate failed attempts of Mueller, whistleblower, impeachment fiascos and constant whining. Every single time, Trump has come on top. So now dreaming of Trump stepping down? Lol Like meek and sissy Congress Democratic leadership, you are day dreaming too.
I know damn well he will never step down.
You said he shouldn't resign unless beat in an election, I'm just saying he ought to step down if he somehow decides to.
@RoboGraham
I am saying we are silly expecting him to step down. And I wish he does not and we all know he will not. Instead of bashing Trump day in day out from our homes, we should start holding out sissy and selfish Democratic leaders accountable. The Paragon of Virtues Bernie should consider stepping down after 45 years in political office... 3 years of that in Congress alone.
He should've resigned during the impeachment hearings
Cutiebeauty
Level 9
Apr 25, 2020
5
But of course, he won't.
He needs to be committed!
davknight
Level 8
Apr 25, 2020
3
kmaz:
The poll idea was prompted by this op-ed, which I thought was excellent and which did a nice job I thought of addressing your point about whether Trump would resign:
"....I’m under no illusions that Trump is going to resign. But as I wrote in September when I argued that politicians should call for Trump to step down over the Ukraine whistleblower allegations, “A call for resignation is a statement of principle that Trump’s actions so clearly violate the public trust that his position in office has become untenable."
"Demanding accountability would serve as a reminder that even in the wreckage of the Trump era some basic political norms still matter and we, as a nation, cannot become inured to having such a dangerous and unqualified leader in the nation’s highest office. It would also force Trump’s defenders to explain why his continued service is in the interest of the American people...."
Say it loud, say it clear: Donald Trump needs to resign over his handling of the coronavirus
By Michael A. Cohen Globe Columnist,Updated April 25, 2020, 5:00 a.m.
[bostonglobe.com]
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