In what is largely remembered as Malcolm McDowell’s film debut, Lindsay Anderson’s 1968 cult classic if… tells the story of a dystopian English private school in which the students forcefully take on the administration.  No, I’m not suggesting the resistance take up lethal weapons.  But as you’ll see at the end of the post, it may be time for 66 million Americans to take up legal arms in a class action suit against Comrade Trump, his campaign and the Republican Party.

Up until Thursday morning, I believed priority number one was the removal of an “unstable and incompetent” individual (according to Bob Corker) from behind the Resolute Desk in the oval office.  I had reconciled myself to the fact Mike Pence would step in, but felt comfortable he would be a caretaker incapable of much harm following the 2018 midterms when the Democrats would capture a majority in one or both houses of Congress.

That all changed with news of (1) evidence one of the Trump campaign contractors (Cambridge Analytica) offered to coordinate with WikiLeaks and (2) reports of the first indictments out of Robert Mueller’s office.  It no longer matters if Russian intervention affected the vote outcome directly or indirectly.  It is increasingly clear the Trump campaign engaged in illegal if not treasonous behavior.  That alone should nullify any veil of legitimacy for the Trump administration.

Which brings me back to Lindsay Anderson’s film.  if… Trump occupies the oval office as a result of criminal behavior, then everything that has happened since noon on January 20th should be declared null and void.  This includes:

• the swearing in of Mike Pence as vice-president.
• every cabinet and sub-cabinet appointment.
• every ambassadorial appointment.
• the nomination and confirmaiton of Neil Gorsuch as a Supreme Court justice.
• withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords.
• executive orders dismantling Obama era accomplishment.
• creation of Chris Kobach’s voter fraud commission.
• passage of the FY2018 budget with its $1.5 trillion cuts in Medicare and Medicaid.
• expiration of CHIP.
• expansion of off-shore drilling.
• eliminating or cutting back some public land designations.
• approval of the Keystone pipeline.
• reduction of automobile mileage standards.
• pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

It is not a stretch to assume that everyone of the 66 million Americans who voted for Hillary Clinton is impacted by one or more of these actions which would not have taken place if… the Trump campaign had not chosen to employ illegal methods to affect the ballot outcome.  Therefore, we all have standing and should demand the case be brought with all deliberate speed before the Supreme Court.  The logical remedy would require reversing all of the above actions which were taken by a pretender-in-chief.

The bigger question is, “Who becomes president?”  Some would argue Hillary Clinton is the most sensible choice.  But for the Trump campaign’s illicit activity, she might have won.  However, the operative word is “might.”  Absent a re-vote, a case cannot be made Clinton is the rightful president.  There is another option.  The Supreme Court could acknowledge the constitutional line of succession with three conditions.  The speaker of the house be referred to as “acting or interim president.”  To ensure bi-partisan support for this solution, the minority leader would be appointed “acting or interim vice-president.”  And both must resign following the 2018 elections at which time the leader of the House majority party–Republican or Democratic–becomes the 46th president.  Under this proposal, the voters would still have a say who the next president should be.

Just one snag.  Justice Gorsuch would have to recuse himself from the decision which leaves the possibility of a four-four split.  Thus, as has been the situation with so many close cases, the swing vote would probably be Anthony Kennedy.

When the resistance gathers in front of the Supreme Court during the justices’ deliberation, we should take a cue from Simon and Garfunkel and start singing…

Here’s to you Justice Kennedy;
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP