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🇺🇸🔄👑😬 Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Trump flirting with the idea of the 3rd term

🤖 AI Summary

• 🃏 President Trump keeps flirting with the idea of a third term, claiming best numbers ever and not ruling it out when asked to guarantee leaving office on January 20, 2029 [00:30], [02:40].
• 🚫 His actions suggest he does not view the law, like the Constitution’s clear limit on two terms, as a meaningful constraint on his authority, believing a workaround exists [00:58], [01:37], [01:47].
• 💡 Discussing a third term is politically vital to avoid becoming a lame-duck in 2028, as his power relies on the belief that he is powerful [01:57].
• 🐘 The Republican Party is Donald Trump, and Donald Trump is the party [02:49].
• 🚪 This dynamic leaves no room for the next generation of leaders who are outside of this MAGA era amalgamation of the party [03:37], [03:56].
• 🛑 The government shutdown is dragging on with no movement [05:30].
• 🍽️ A major pressure point is that SNAP benefits (food stamps) are set to expire November 1, as the White House rejected using a reserve fund, meaning vulnerable citizens will feel real pain [04:10], [04:40], [06:09].
• 💲 The other significant pressure point coming November 1 is the start of health plan open enrollment, where people will likely get sticker shock [05:01].
• ✈️ The shutdown will not end unless President Trump is in the room sitting down with House and Senate leaders, and his travel this week speaks volumes about its continuation [05:43].
• 🗳️ Upcoming statewide elections in Virginia and New Jersey, and the New York mayoral race, are seeing energy prices become a key issue [06:40], [06:51].
• 🗺️ The California redistricting referendum is likely to pass, which could negate the gains Republicans achieved from the Texas map [07:17].

🤔 Evaluation

• ⚖️ The video notes President Trump’s willingness to flirt with a third term because the constitutional guardrails have theoretically failed to do their job [01:20].
• 🏛️ This perspective aligns with analyses that argue the system of checks and balances is currently undergoing a major test, with litigation replacing traditional checks, and executive power having grown significantly beyond what the Constitution prescribes, as reported by the Brennan Center for Justice and Bridgewater State University.
• 🤝 The video claims the party is Donald Trump [02:49], which is affirmed by reports that the Republican Party has become the Party of Trump, with candidates seeking his endorsement and moderates losing influence, according to the Miller Center.
• 🍎 The video predicts real pain will hit a broad swath of the vulnerable population due to the November 1 expiration of SNAP benefits [06:09].
• 📰 This prediction is corroborated by high-quality reporting from AARP and AP News, which confirm that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for millions are at risk, and states are scrambling to find ways to backfill or assist food banks, as the administration rejected using the reserve fund.
• 🔎 Topics to explore for a better understanding:
  • 📜 Further legal analysis of the Twenty-Second Amendment to fully understand the historical context and absolute finality of the presidential term limit.
  • 💰 The specific legal and logistical challenges that prevent state governments from simply loading state funds onto existing recipient debit cards to fully replace the federal SNAP benefits.
  • 🌐 The national political implications of the potential passing of the California redistricting referendum and the extent to which it may truly negate the effect of Republican-led redistricting in other states like Texas.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

🇺🇸 Q: What is the constitutional limit on the US Presidency, and why is a third term discussed?

🇺🇸 A: The Twenty-Second Amendment to the US Constitution explicitly limits a president to serving only two terms in office. Discussion of a third term, like by President Trump, is considered a challenge to this clear constitutional boundary, often viewed as a political tool to project permanence and avoid becoming a lame-duck leader by maintaining the belief that the president is powerful.

🛑 Q: What are the key pressure points facing the US government during the current shutdown?

🛑 A: The primary pressure points are the looming expiration of vital benefits and health care costs. First, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (food stamps) are set to expire on November 1, which will cause widespread financial pain for vulnerable populations. Second, open enrollment for health plans begins November 1, which is expected to bring significant sticker shock and renewed focus on health care as a political issue.

🐘 Q: What is the relationship between Donald Trump and the Republican Party?

🐘 A: The relationship is characterized by the idea that the Republican Party is essentially Donald Trump, and Donald Trump is the party. This dynamic has reduced the political space for the next generation of party leaders who fall outside of the political and ideological amalgamation created during the MAGA era.

📚 Book Recommendations

↔️ Similar

• 📖 Contested Ground: How to Understand the Limits of Presidential Power by Daniel Farber: The book examines the constitutional parameters of executive authority and how the limits of presidential power, from the Framers’ intent to modern practice, are a source of constant, heated dispute.
• 📅 The Twenty-Second Amendment and the Limits of Presidential Tenure: A Tradition Restored by Martin B. Gold: This work explores the history of presidential term limits, from the customs of early presidents to the passage of the Twenty-Second Amendment, and its role in maintaining checks and balances.

🆚 Contrasting

• 📜 The Soul of the Constitution: An Introduction to Constitutional Law and Politics by Joseph Postell: This book presents an institutionalist view of the Constitution, emphasizing the strength of its structural safeguards and the separation of powers, contrasting with the video’s theme of “failed” guardrails.
• 💡 The Populist’s Guide to 2020: A New Right and New Left Are Shaping America’s Future by Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti: This book offers an analysis of modern populist movements from both the left and right, providing an alternative perspective to viewing the “Trump Party” as a singular, monolithic entity.

🎨 Creatively Related

• 📺💀 Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman: This classic work explores how the form of media—specifically television—changes the nature of public communication, which tangentially relates to the idea of a politician’s power resting on their “shine” and ability to project an image of power.
• 🤔🐇🐢 Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: The book examines the two systems that drive the way people think, relating to the psychological underpinnings of why a politician’s power can be based on whether people believe he is powerful and the resulting political maneuvering.