A very thought provoking article. However, what’s distinctive about the present crisis is a figure like Trump in conjunction with the excessive presidential powers which Justice Robert Jackson said in his dissent regarding the internment of Japanese Americans "[lie] about like a loaded weapon" ready for misuse (to “crack the caldera open”).

There is a need to pressure Congress to curb the powers it has ceded to the executive branch in a targeted, coherent way so that a clearer line is drawn regarding presidential limits. The Pledge to Safeguard the Constitution [https://alcris2.medium.com/following-is-a-summary-of-6be4d81a3ddc?sk=bf21c2a6b26ea78cf6761ede5d12a96c] petitions Congress to enact very targeted legislation in critical areas which pose a threat to our democratic institutions so that if there is a return of Donald Trump or somebody like him, he or she will not have access to the kinds of powers Trump used to threaten those institutions.

If Trump can’t be convicted in the impeachment trial, the Democrats and the few Republicans they can peel away should switch gears and do a censure of Trump with some real teeth in it: they should attach very targeted legislation to the censure that would severely curb presidential power; as well as leave section 3 of the 14th Amendment to prevent him from running for office again as an open option if Trump starts to stir up trouble. As Trump gets bogged down with his legal and financial problems over the next months, he may no longer continue to look as attractive or powerful to his base or to the craven politicians who cling to it. Impeachment may not be necessary, as this strategy would solve the problem.

I explain all of this more fully in The War After the Election [https://medium.com/illumination-curated/the-war-after-the-election-545de96aa4ca?source=friends_link&sk=627c55d616d9296af3e398f1686493a4] and in a link at the end of it that explains the legislation.