The degenerate brat leading the nation - right into perdition along with his deranged followers.
"The Donald" after yesterday's exhibition, in which he tossed four White House personae under the bus in an interview with Lester Holt, shows we're in the hands of a 70- year old lunatic with serious arrested development. According to my psychologist niece: "I estimate he's at the five year old development stage for emotional IQ but it might well be three. I don't know if he has to wear adult diapers or not."
For those who missed it, this asshole- in -chief (the only handle by which I can rightfully and properly refer to him), stated how he had planned to fire Comey all along, never mind the pseudo cover "memo" from deputy AG Rod Rosenstein. Thus totally contradicting his original claim that it was Rosenstein's recommendation that led him to fire Comey. All this came out in the Holt interview along with Trump getting in an ad hominem or two ("He was a showboat, a grandstander"). Actually he was a serious threat to Trump's already warped and disgusting political life. As The Washington Post's Michael Gerson summed it up in a recent column:
"In fact, according to media accounts, Trump has been in a spittle-flinging rage since Comey’s March 20 testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, in which he confirmed the existence of an investigation of Russian influence on Trump’s inner circle. On May 2, Trump tweeted that the “Trump/Russia story” is “phony.” On May 9, Trump fired Comey. The president removed a perceived threat, threw an active FBI investigation into chaos and raised the prospect of a Trump stooge being appointed in Comey’s place. "
A "spittle -flinging rage" ? Really? Isn't this the typical antic of a five year old, or better a two- year old who just wet his diapers and is pitching a tantrum? Well, in any case it's Trump's modus operandi whenever his petulant will is thwarted - whether by a principled judiciary (Ninth Circuit) putting him in his place, or a courageous deputy AG (Sally Yates) warning him about his appointment of Michael Flynn, or a serious, no nonsense FBI Director (James Comey) not willing to be bought off by loyalty oaths. As Trump - channeling Don Corleone from the 'Godfather' - attempted at one dinner meeting with Comey. Harvard law professor Lawrence Tribe put it thusly last night ('Last Word', MSNBC):
"He's essentially saying 'if you will assure me I'm not going to be under any investigation then maybe I'll keep you on.' It's the language of bribery. It's the language of the underworld, of racketeering, not the language of a President who is supposed to be enforcing the rule of law. This is like the thirteenth chime of a clock, it makes the whole thing come apart."
But Comey wasn't having any of it. No way in hell was he going to pledge fealty to this lunatic scumbag who he even - in private conversations - referred to as "crazy" after his Obama wiretapping claim. No way would Mr. Comey be the willing stooge of a rabid screwball with the moral development of a mutant Tarantula. Comey was too principled and honest for that, but he paid for his moral stance because one thing 'the Donald' can't handle is anyone who stands up to him - coward that he is. (On the positive note side, Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe gave solid assurances to inquiring Senators' yesterday that the Bureau's investigation will continue. Now we just need to hear why he broached to Reince Priebus on Feb. 15 that the NY Times story about Trump -Russia associations was "BS".)
Gerson went on to write:
"All of this is consistent with — even mandated by — Trump’s contempt for institutions. He has called the FBI investigation process “rigged.” If the system is dirty, only a fool would not play by the same rules. This is the logic of conspiratorial disdain for government. An independent, nonpolitical FBI? What a joke. It is all political. And politics is power. "
Ah yes, right out of Machiavelli. And even channeling Nixon this morning by making tweeted threats that Comey "better hope there are no hidden tapes of our conversations before he goes leaking to the press". Wow. I'm sure Mr. Comey must be quaking in his boots about now. But personally, I don't buy that Trump Turd made any secret tapes. He simply ain't a Richard Nixon- lacks the smarts or foresight - so imho it's all empty threats. At least when the fictional Don Corleone made a threat you knew he'd carry it out if he had to, but Trump is no Don Corleone though he fancies he is
The problem at its core is that this nation is not designed to be governed by a latter day Niccolo Machiavelli or a wannabe Don Corleone. Recall that in his masterwork, 'The Prince', Machiavelli described immoral behavior (dishonesty, killing innocents etc.), as being normal and effective in politics. No surprise that many critics, including my former Loyola Ethics prof (Fr. Holloway) insisted the author was "teaching evil, and providing evil recommendations to tyrants to help them maintain their power." This has led a number of latter day observers and pundits to speculate that Trump may well be using Niccolo's playbook, but my take is that it's more a case of Trump doing what he wants to stir consternation and discord - or acting the part of the high conflict personality he is. (But one also can't discount an innate aspiration toward American-style fascism. See Henry Wallace's article, “The Danger of American Fascism,” describing a breed of super-nationalist who pursues political power by deceiving Americans and playing to their fears, but is really interested only in protecting his own wealth and privilege.)
Anyway, whether it's a high conflict template or Machiavellianism, the reason that our form of government can't accept either is because it's based on trust. That is, trust that our leaders tell us the truth, and they they will respect and adhere to the Constitution. That means accepting the checks and balances on executive power inherent in that document. It doesn't mean undermining and trashing them at every point. If the Constitution means nothing - just a "piece of paper" - we could as well have an autocracy or dictatorship. In that case, only the autocrat's word is true - all others are false. THIS is exactly the model Trump is displaying with every move he makes and every misbegotten utterance and foul lie that escapes his degenerate mouth, and reptilian brain.
And the Trumpies? What do they believe? According to a NY Times piece yesterday they believe their poor little standard bearer is being hard set upon and "held to standards of no other President". Please tell me these people can't be this historically retarded. Please convince me they know something about the history of Nixon and Watergate, his firing of Archibald Cox in the "Saturday Night Massacre" and his threat to the Constitution. Please tell me they at least half way see we're in similar territory now. Well, of course, they can't see that because of their brainwashed myopia and acceptance of the "fake news" meme. Hence, anything coming out regarding Trump and the Russians or Comey's firing is instantly bagged into "fake news". Further, their favorite bogeyman "the Left" - is simply "hysterically hyping everything to bring Trump down". Errr no, nincompoops, Trump is bringing himself down with his ham-handed, derelict handling of even simple matters - like whether his Comey actions were motivated by a DOJ memo or his own instincts to get rid of Comey as a "showboater".
This is precisely why the Electoral College fell down on its job back in December by rubber stamping Trump's electoral college win as opposed to challenging it on the basis of mischief of faction. Recall the founders established the Electoral College as the final fail safe barrier to an unwise electorate committing the crime of "mischief of faction". As noted by James Madison in The Federalist #10:
"Mischief of faction is when citizens - whether amounting to a minority or majority of the whole - are united and actuated by a common impulse of passion to cast their votes adverse to the rights of other citizens or the permanent and aggregate interests of the community".
This is exactly what the Trump voters did, motivated by inflamed passions and moral recklessness via Trump's often violent rallies to give a middle finger to the rest of the country - thereby militating against the majority's interests. This is also what they continue to do by standing in opposition to the rest of us in demanding a no-holds barred, independent investigation, via a select committee, or with a special prosecutor. Some Trump supporters, as blind to history as they are to ethics, were even quoted in the Times' piece as mocking Dems for insisting Comey's firing (described by Charles Krauthammer as a "political ax murder") entered the Constitutional crisis phase. That they could treat the failure to recognize the latter in such a cavalier way discloses how historically ignorant this lot is.
And make no mistake there will be hell to pay both for these myopic, poorly educated Trumpies and the Republicans who refuse to put country ahead of party. As WaPo columnist Jennifer Rubin put it in her recent article ('Pro- Trump Republicans Will Get Nothing Even Retention Of A House Majority') :
"Republican members of Congress deluded themselves that President Trump’s narcissistic personality, dishonesty and abject ignorance didn’t matter. Turns out, he’s so clueless that he essentially confessed to obstruction of justice in firing FBI Director James B. Comey, who was intensifying the Russia investigation"
Lawrence Tribe spelled it out: "Trump is guilty of attempting to suborn obstruction of justice. As with the first article of impeachment with Richard Nixon, this is a series of high crimes and misdemeanors all by itself, irrespective of whether Trump was or was not a part of a collusive plot with Russia to steal an American election."
Or to use the words of a reporter after Watergate, "it's always the cover up that does 'em in."
In Rubin's words (ibid.):
"If Trump is still around by November 2018, a thrashing at the polls may be the only thing to persuade Republicans to walk away from Trump. The irony is that by pushing furiously now for an independent investigation, they might actually chase Trump and his clown show from office, get a President Pence, pass some of their agenda and save their skins. Are they smart enough to figure that out? Stay tuned."
Stay tuned indeed!
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/bill-moyers/72733/donald-trump-is-attempting-a-coup-we-must-have-a-special-prosecutor
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