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  • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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    11 months ago

    I don’t understand how the US constitution allows a convicted felon to be president.

    What’s it even for if it allows that?

    • Countess425@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      There are certain crimes at certain levels that bar one from running for office; attempted coup and dissemination of national secrets to our enemies being some of the reasons to exclude one from seeking/holding office, and such charges account for 3 of his 4 current cases. The hush money to Stormy Daniels/campaign finance violations are likely not enough to keep him from office.

      Edit: Also our judicial system is based on the premise that one is innocent until proven guilty, so just being charged with a crime is typically not enough to level punishments as if one had been convicted yet. It’s supposed to make him an undesirable candidate, but decorum doesn’t matter anymore all of a sudden. 🤷‍♀️

    • Bread@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      The same way game developers miss game breaking bugs when you do bizarre things to achieve them. It happens because who the fuck would ever think of that until some crazy person goes and does it?

      Like jumping between parallel universes in super Mario 64. It is so unexpected you don’t plan for it. If even if they did, why would any prison bound candidate have any chance of winning under any normal circumstances?

    • Boddhisatva@kbin.social
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      11 months ago

      The vast majority of felonies should not be a bar to holding public office. What if you had a felony conviction for possession of weed? Should that bar you from holding office or should you be allowed to run for office to try and change an unjust law?

      The only crimes that should bar one from office are the ones that already do under the 14th Amendment, under which Trump should already be ineligible. He swore an oath to defend the Constitution and then participated in a conspiracy to violently overthrow it.

    • argv_minus_one@beehaw.org
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      11 months ago

      What if some tyrants take over and make it a federal felony to run against them? That’s how Putin stays in power. But if being a convicted felon doesn’t stop you from taking office, then the tyrants can’t use that to keep themselves in power.