Last night we had the big Vice Presidential debate, which pretty much everyone said that Pence won. He looked and acted like the adult in the room, while Tim Kaine looked over-caffeinated and was rude. And desperate. Even with the assist from moderator Elaine Quijano. Politico offers 12 of the most interesting moments, but, Ed Morrissey offers the best play by play of the debate. Which, no, I did not watch. Masterchef Canada returned! And you do not miss an episode, because they do not have in-demand. Unfortunately, I think I may have seen the name of the winner (it is played in Canada well before shown on Cooking in the States) while searching for the start time. Much like the GOP declared Pence the winner….before the debate. Good thing Tim Kaine wasn’t interrupting, eh?
Anyhow, there’s this
UN makes power play against Donald Trump
International governments have made a power play against Donald Trump by ratifying an international climate deal earlier than expected, effectively preventing him from “canceling†the deal as he has promised to do.
The European Union’s Tuesday decision to join the Paris climate deal will push the deal over the threshold for ratification; it will formally take effect in 30 days.
That means Trump, should he be elected president in November, could not “cancel†or renegotiate the terms of the agreement.
The Hill then contradicts itself
President Obama committed the United States to reduce its emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent by 2025 as part of the deal. The agreement is nonbinding, so Trump would be free to ignore it if he wins the White House.
A President Trump could do more than ignore it: he could cancel America’s involvement, since Congress did not ratify it. Obama used an Executive Order. Trump could cancel that EO with a second EO. It really is that simple.
Once the deal takes effect, the United States cannot back out of the plan — or force changes to it — for at least four years.
Yes, it can, because, without Senate ratification, it has no force of law for the United States, so the US can opt out. Forcing changes? That won’t happen anyhow, because I doubt Trump cares enough to even bother.
Before the U.S. joined the agreement in September, Obama’s top climate change adviser, Brian Deese, said the dynamics of a change in presidential administration is “certainly a discussion we have.â€
“The history of these agreements is: Once they’re in place and once the United States has not only supported and signed the agreement, but has formally joined the agreement, that we stay in the agreement that we commit to,†Deese told reporters in early September.
We didn’t agree. The United States did not sign the agreement. Obama agreed. Which is not the way our Republic works. Trump could, again, simply ignore the deal, or sign an EO rescinding Obama’s EO.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
President Bush did the wrong thing by ‘withdrawing’ our signature from the Kyoto Accords, when he should have just submitted it to the Senate for a ratification vote, knowing it would be rejected.
If elected, Mr Trump should declare the agreement to be a treaty requiring ratification, and submit it to the Senate for a ratification vote, knowing that it would be rejected. Or, he could hold it to be an executive/congressional agreement, submitting it to both Houses of Congress, for approval or rejection. Personally, I prefer the treaty route, because it puts amusing pressure on the Democrats. If the GOP retains the Senate, the Democrats would be put in the position of filibustering a treaty signed by President Obama.
That means Trump, should he be elected president in November, could not “cancel†or renegotiate the terms of the agreement.
Someone is unclear on what it means to be a sovereign nation. Treaties are agreements that have no enforcement possible. They are only in effect as long as both parties willingly submit to them. History is full of examples of nations withdrawing from treaties.
You make a good point, Dana, but, something that should be noted is that the US Senate voted 97-0 that the US should not join any agreement, as it would be bad for our nation and economy. This included John Kerry and many other Dems who currently whine about AGW. Gore and Clinton symbolically signed it, but, since it was a treaty, it had zero force of law. So, technically, the US was never in the treaty for Bush to pull us out.
But, yes, it would be great if Trump put the Paris accord up for a vote. Provided the GOP holds the Senate.
Our esteemed host wrote:
Doesn’t even matter: it requires a 2/3 supermajority to ratify a treaty, so even if the Democrats reclaim the Senate, they’d never have enough votes to ratify the treaty.
Instead, they simply wouldn’t bring it up for a vote. Not quite as much fun as them filibustering a vote on a treaty signed by a Democrat, but close.
Never underestimate the stupidity of the GOP and their ability to mess things up, though.