It goes without saying that Article Two of the Constitution of the United States says nothing about video games! For those that may have forgotten their high school class in American History, this document is significant enough to merit its own Wikipedia page. That article is systematically divided into four sections:
- President and vice president
- Presidential powers
- Presidential responsibilities
- Impeachment and removal from office of federal officials
In other words, there is a basic plan for what the President (and, in his absence, the Vice President) can and cannot do, what his responsibilities are, and grounds for removal from office.
These days, whenever I read news articles or watch their delivery on television, I find myself wondering to what extent (if any) President Donald Trump has been informed about what the Constitution has to say about how he is supposed to do his job. It’s not as if reading the document is an onerous task. One of the things I remember from high school is just how efficient the document is and how easy it is for anyone to grasp the “nuts and bolts” of governance.
The Senate honoring the Constitution for the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson (illustration by Theodore Russel Davis for the April 11, 1868 issue of Harper’s Weekly)
The good news is that, over the course of our history, there has been little need to consult the last of those four sections. Unfortunately, there are times when I worry about whether or not Trump knows (or cares) about what the limits of his powers are, not to mention what he does (or does not) know about responsibilities! For example, this morning I discovered that Al Jazeera had posted a video with the title, “‘Build The Wall’: White House arcade games face backlash.” There is only one other sentence on the page: “The White House has unveiled five arcade-style games to promote Trump’s ‘MAGA’ agenda, sparking backlash over the misuse of taxpayer money and the dehumanising portrayal of migrants and deportees.” The good news is that, when it comes to that kind of Presidential “behavior,” the Congress has a fair amount of “leverage” in making sure that the Constitution is honored.
All this matters because this is a year in which Election Day will have an effect on the presence of members in both Houses of Congress. Rather than wring our hands in despair, many of us will be able to use Election Day to determine who those members of Congress will be. This will be a time that will “try the souls” of many voters.
I know the choices I shall be making, but I have always refrained from asking anyone about their choices. If they tell me anything, I listen. If I disagree, I let them know. However, I never try to persuade anyone to make the same choices in the voting booth that I do! I just hope that all individuals that are registered to vote will take the time to express the opinions they have cultivated.
The next morning we shall see what “the voice of the people” will have to say and how our President will react to that voice!
