Dems need to stop bringing up Amendment 25 as it just doesn’t apply to something like theorangething.
“It” has an extreme personality, with many negative qualities—as the Times op-ed writer notes, it is “impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective.”
For sure it’s a grandiose narcissist, a pathological liar, racist, etc
But having a personality disorder, undesirable character, or even certain forms of mental illness doesn’t necessarily render a president “unfit” to govern (btw Lincoln suffered from depression).
Theorangething is not “unable” to serve as president, as would be required to invoke the 25th Amendment. It is actually a high-achieving, high-functioning thing.
It hasn’t suffered from a crippling stroke, a psychotic break or dementia. It is, we could argue, temperamentally unsuited to be president—but that is a reason to vote against it, not to resort to a never-used clause in a constitutional amendment. If cabinet officers tried to use Section 4, it would surely be challenged in court and in the court of public opinion—setting up a constitutional crisis.
Even impeachment, according to the Constitution, is supposed to be used only for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”
And even if theorangething has committed such crimes, convicting him would require the votes of 17 Republican senators—which aren’t likely to be forthcoming soon.
Additionally I honestly shudder at the idea of having Pence as a president almost as much as disliking theorangething ...
For those who worry about theorangething’s governance, the only and best answer is to vote it out when it’s up for reelection, in 2020 and in the meantime get back the House ...