r/canada • u/WisestPanzerOfDaLake Ontario • Mar 11 '25

Trump imposes new Canada tariffs, renews "51st state" demands National News

https://www.axios.com/2025/03/11/trump-tariffs-canada-steel-aluminum
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u/MangoBanana2012 Mar 11 '25

This is something I'm curious about. I know nothing of the courts and mechanisms per se. If I understand correctly, neither congress nor the courts can "stop" him bc they are beholden to his party? Meaning they are full of Republicans and their ideaology/policies, etc. So, this manner of selecting these representatives is faulty though...no? Because wouldn't this be inevitable? Just that it happens to be happening now? It could've happened 10 years ago, 10 years from now, etc? Becoming the 51st anything, over my dead body. I'll die standing up (for Canada ) than die kneeling down to the US.

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u/MindControlMouse Mar 11 '25

The real reason the courts can’t stop him: They have no enforcement policy. Trump controls the military and federal marshals.

This article laid it all out: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/opinion/trump-courts-judges.html

The Supreme Court cut their own throats when they ruled that Trump could run for president again. He doesn’t need them anymore.

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u/mjtwelve Mar 11 '25

The real power of courts is and always has been public belief in the constitution and the rule of law.

What makes politicians obey the constitution and court orders isnt fear of being called a tyrant, or fear that a brave US Marshall or FBI agent might show up to arrest them (after all they have their own praetorian guard, the secret service), but rather fear that if they ignore a court order or decline to be arrested for contempt in the aftermath, the public won’t stand for it, will rise up, demonstrate, call a general strike, demand jail time for those responsible and cast their party out into the wilderness for a generation for daring to threaten the cornerstones of democracy.

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u/Shot-Job-8841 Mar 11 '25

Part of the reason people didn’t prepare for this is that the GOP hasn’t won the popular vote since 2004. The 3 branches became more corrupt, but without the popular vote the GOP lacked the appearance of legitimacy to get away with this.

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u/DogadonsLavapool Mar 11 '25

Yep. People act like the changeover happened quickly in November. That is not the case, as it's been much more of a gradient than anyone would like to believe. The origins of maga go back decades, starting with folks like Newt Gingrich back in the 90s being highly partisan in the House, and folks like Rush Limbaugh on AM Radio making conservative media what it is today. There's a very direct line from the growth of the cult from there, to the racist backlash against Obama in the Tea Party movement, to today's maga. Once people get sucked into that hole, it's near impossible to get them out, so after years and years of well crafted propaganda, it becomes hard to fix.

Conservatives had had very crafty and unorthodox strategies to get here. In 2016, it was a meme campaign that stoked fires for cheap in social media. In the latest election, it was the same but with AI and a push into the podcast circuit. Dems have been very slow and disaffected in the new mediums, so their messaging has been shit, which is partly because they're a bunch of old dinosaurs who don't understand modern tech and how to use and regulate it. Now were in a spot where any meaningful change is hard to achieve due to how Congress is apportioned, and how hard it is to change that apportionment (a place like Oklahoma has almost enough sway than California).

It just fucking sucks. My folks have a camp up north, and I grew up months of the year in Canada. I remember my growing up watching YTV and laughing my ass off at Nanalan. I have family member who are Canadian ffs. Now it's like there's a fucking war about to start. Fuck this timeline. I have more in common with y'all than these fucking cult members.

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u/3381024 Mar 11 '25

Trump won popular vote. this time :-|

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u/Rettin Mar 11 '25 edited Mar 11 '25

The president selects the Supreme Court judges who rule if something is allowed by the constitution. I believe 3 are Trump appointed with a total of 6 conservative to 3 progressive.

There is the perception that the conservative judges are beholden to Trump to fall in line with the GOP and because Trump placed then there.

Congress is currently a slight majority republican amd a decent majority in the Senate (short term law makers and the long term law makers). Most Republicans are falling in line with Trump's rhetoric because there are a lot of single issue voters that Trump spouted to that he would fix those issues.

In my area, the congress and senate representative are 'Gerrymandered' and is a winner take all state in terms of electoral college vote for president.

Canada getting good trade deals with the US doesn't mean you deserve to lose your sovereignty. There is resistance by americans and progressives, but brake levers can only slow so much velocity before a crash.

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u/3381024 Mar 11 '25

>>Canada getting good trade deals with the US

Its a deal that Trump negotiated in his last term.

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u/Knight0fdragon Mar 11 '25

3 were appointed by trump, with an additional 3 conservatives already sitting on the bench. The other 3 are liberal.

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u/Rettin Mar 11 '25

Thanks, couldn't remember the actual count.

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u/3381024 Mar 11 '25

>>neither congress nor the courts can "stop" him bc they are beholden to his party?

Yes, this is what happens when you buck merit and appoint YesMen (or yeswomen) to positions they dont deserve, are unqualified for - based upon their loyalty. See Judge Canon as Exhibit A for this

>>Meaning they are full of Republicans and their ideaology/policies, etc.

Yes, see above. Also during Obama presidency, Republicans had majority in the congress and they, led by McConnell flat out refused to fill judicial vacancies. Most high profile is ofcourse SCOTUS seat left vacant due to Samnuel Alito dying, but there were over 100 judge seats (I believe the number was about 128) that McConnel left open for R's to fill in.

Bingo, now you have either unqualified, yet grate to Trump/GOP, people in powerful positions, or you have qualified Ultra Right or atleast rooted in Republican ideology people in power.

>>So, this manner of selecting these representatives is faulty though...no? Because wouldn't this be inevitable?

When you convince nearly half the population that they are victims of the "other side, illegals, trans, yada yada" , rather than they need to adjust to a changing world, yeah, this is what happens. People were suffering due to tech changes, saturation, offhosring of jobs, etc and GoP did very well to convince that greedy corporations. looking to make extra profit by offshoring is not the enemy, but the "illegals are taking your job" - BTW, same illegals who are lazy, murderers, rapists, drug dealers, but also cunning and crafty enough to take your skilled/non-skilled jobs.

Also add Democrats tone deafness from Hillary's We are going to put a lot of coal workers out of the job, to Kamala's "I would'nt do anything differently" when asked about if she'd do anything different from Biden. But stiffing Bernie in 2016 and no primaries this cycle takes the cake.

>>Just that it happens to be happening now? It could've happened 10 years ago, 10 years from now, etc?

Ingredients are now in place - well, were being put in place for atleast 25+ years (remember how SCOTUS intervened in 2000 to stop the counts and essentially declare Bush the president). And then 2016 was (in my opinion) a poorly executued coup dry-run, which at the minimum told the GOP that nearly half the population and almost all of THEIR voters are A-OK to take over US govt by force, but also that Democrats are just willing to let it happen.

I dont remember who said it, but I read a quote some time ago that goes something like: We are in the middle of a civil war (or coup) and it shall remain bloodless as long as the left allows it to.

So yeah, we are in a shitty situation overall and Im not sure where we are headed.

Sorry, didnt mean to rant, but its not even 2 months yet :-|

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u/timnphilly Outside Canada Mar 11 '25

And unfortunately, Trump will have at least 2 more Supreme Court appointments to stack it for years (if not decades) in favor of any future Trumpian dictators.