Try To Reconcile These Two Positions

Exclusive: Mike Johnson blasts “MIA” Biden on college protests: "He has to be able or at least open to the idea of deploying the National Guard where it's needed."https://t.co/ZIRkvJMHOd

— Axios (@axios) May 2, 2024

Thank you to Florida’s MAGA AG for absolutely destroying Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/nX8CV3s0bw

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 3, 2024

Should Joe Biden be allowed to use our courts to punish political adversaries? 🤔

— Fair Courts America (@FairCourtsAm) April 26, 2024

So, Joe Biden is responsible for enforcing misdemeanor laws (I wonder if occupying a school building in NYC is a crime of moral turpitude?) in the states? I can understand bringing charges for vandalism, but charging crimes for public speeches? Isn’t that using the courts to punish political adversaries? Or at least near enough for dammit?

I get the moral outrage and “FAFO” sentiment widely seen on Twitter. But handling these matters as school administration issues (suspension/expulsion) is one thing. Insisting they are criminal matters that challenge the very foundations of government (should Biden have enacted the Insurrection Act?) while questioning the authority to charge Donald Trump for his many crimes is just MTG level…stupid.

Yes, removing student “camps” or quelling protests that are threatening to other students is a good thing, but even that has consequences for court systems that, frankly, have more serious crimes to bring to trial. Everybody needs to take a deep breath and calm down, and consider better ways than criminal trials to respond to this. “Lock’em up!” is a stupid cry no matter which political side you’re on.

But if you’re gonna be really stupid, let’s abandon our entire federal structure and say it’s a problem only the POTUS can handle. Greg Abbott played Chief Law Enforcement Officer in Austin, and all Travis County got for it is extra work it didn’t otherwise need to do. Greg Abbott is not a model for governance.