On Dec. 19, 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump cannot be eligible to appear on election ballots in Colorado. The ruling cited a provision of the United States Constitution barring any prospective candidate who, after swearing an oath of service to the United States, engages in insurrection or rebellion. Even as Donald Trump’s team appeals the ruling, other state courts around the country appear positioned to make similar rulings. The case will now head to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan breaks down the history of the insurrection provision in the U.S. Constitution and analyzes how he thinks the Supreme Court might deal with the case. Zeihan also adds his own observations on how the country got into this mess in the first place.

The following is an excerpt from Peter’s Jan. 8 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

As I recorded this video on January 6th – it was inevitable that we’d be talking about Trump’s involvement in the insurrection. Specifically, we’re breaking down the Colorado Supreme Court ruling disqualifying him from running for office. I’ll try to keep my opinions on this situation to myself, but Trump’s challenging of the state-level prerogatives is too ironic not to mention.

The root of the noise and chaos in our political system (Trump included) is a direct outcome of our efforts to reform the campaign finance system to reduce corruption. Instead of having solutions come out of backroom deals brokered over cigars, we now have a system full of loud, independent congresspeople who report to no one except folks they’re trying to raise funds from.

So when you hear an American politician say something incredibly stupid – whether it is Florida’s Matt Gaetz doing his Hateful Florida Man impression, Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib spouting something wildly racist, Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren making up math, or Colorado’s Lauren Boebert saying…pretty much anything – keep in mind that you are not their audience, even if one of them is your representative in Congress. Each is pandering to a very specific NATIONAL demographic – what they’re looking for in return is not so much votes but instead money.

We’ll likely be left with a scramble from both political parties if Trump is disqualified, which means a more competitive and unpredictable election cycle. But we’re only getting started on this series.