Anymore, it’s really hard for me to focus my thoughts in a way to fully express my frustration with the FACT that Donald Trump remains in the “White House,” and the republican party continues allowing him to do MEGA damage to this nation I love. Yes, I’ve come to terms that “we the people” have been subjected to BRAINWASHING from the earliest days I can remember – I’m part of the “baby boom” following WW II. However, the level and sophistication of the BRAINWASHING has gotten to the point where the future of our nation, as I see it, is at MAJOR risk. The reality is that in the face of overwhelming evidence that our sitting president is, at best, completely incompetent or, at worst, a TRAITOR I continue to sit in amazement waiting for republicans to come to their senses. Obviously, I’m not real confident it will happen any time soon.
I’ve been writing for years – since GW Bush/Dick Cheney LIED America into the Iraq FIASCO that essentially destabilized the world leading to MILLIONS of people DYING (including thousands of Americans) and America’s leaders committing unquestionable WAR CRIMES – about my frustration with the republican enablers and, less often, about the democrats who have seemed to lack the spine to actually do what many Americans are doing today – RESIST – and now things have gotten to the point where it appears to me REALLY serious. Again, not understanding whether Trump’s issue is total incompetence or he actually believes he can turn this nation into an authoritarian state isn’t totally clear to me. I continue to hope for the former and fear the latter.
After the latest “drip” in the “drip, drip, drip” of information being uncovered regarding the Trump campaign’s COLLUSION with the Russians during the 2016 election the question of did they or didn’t they no longer exists. THEY DID! The UNDENIABLE meeting that took place on June 9, 2016 between Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, and Jarrod Kushner for the purpose of getting “dirt” on Hillary Clinton directly from the Kremlin leaves no questions as to what took place during the election. The only unanswered questions at this point is to what degree? Just the thought of what these people were willing to do sickens me. And, yet, just yesterday while at a press briefing in France I heard Donald Trump praise his son (who’s likely in legal jeopardy along with his son in law) and say something like, “just about anyone would have done this.”
All I can say about that last statement is, let’s just hope he’s completely wrong. Clearly, Trump Jr., Manafort, and Kushner were in violation of Federal Election laws simply by attending a meeting under the circumstances made apparent in the email exchange that was made public. To me, that act of working with the Russians to impact the election goes WAY beyond the Election laws. To me, that’s “aiding and abetting the enemy.” I get that Trump doesn’t feel as if Vladimir Putin’s Russia is the “enemy,” but his lack of concern for what happened suggests at least two really bad things. First – and this is really bad – he’s not concerned that Russia essentially ATTACKED America at the most basic part of our republic. Second – and, to me, this is MUCH WORSE – he and his campaign were complicit in the attack. Over the long haul – especially if this is not STOPPED – this attack will be worse for our nation than 9/11.
Just think of some things coming from Trump since he was elected in reference to the reality of the Russians attacking the fundamental difference between our two nations – the right to vote. The first thing that comes to my mind was something Trump, apparently, in his meeting with Putin at the G-20 Summit put in “motion.” He agreed to some kind of “Cyber security unit” agreement with the Russians to prevent election hacking. My first thought when I heard that was another “are you kidding me?” As sayings like “The fox guarding the hen-house” were going through my head I was right back to “incompetent or treasonous?” thoughts. I’m pretty sure most of his republican enablers were able to see past that one.
Trump’s been constantly attacking the press as “fake news” since the day he took office – which is a clear trait of an authoritarian personality. He’s convinced his “base” that all these “stories” coming out showing that he and his family AND his campaign officials were intertwined with the Russian government (which, by most accounts is akin to the mafia) are “fake news.” The “real news,” according to Trump, comes from places like Fox “news” (what I call GOP “news” – the propaganda arm of the right wing of the republican party), Breitbart.com – which gave us Steve Bannon and Steven Miller and is the home of the “white nationalist” movement in America, and super market tabloids like the Enquirer – not to mention all the right wing “talkers” on the radio airwaves. I’ve said many times here that Trump laid claim to the “uneducated voters” after the Iowa primary and they are sticking with him. (Of course, the real issue of “fake news,” like just about everything else Trump “claims” is 180 degrees from his words. It was the Russian’s who instigated “fake news” into the 2016 campaign in ways “we the people” will probably never fully understand.)
It’s hard to talk to someone who gets their information from places like Fox, Breitbart, and the other right wing websites. I’ve read several studies that show the most ill-informed Americans are the audience of Fox “news” and the right wing talkers on the radio airwaves such as Rush Limbaugh. (they refer to his audience as “ditto heads” for a reason) The LYING is so commonplace coming from those outlets that I’m guessing Trump’s base actually believes he’s a “truth teller.” And, it really doesn’t take much effort in “fact checking” to realize our president is likely a pathological LIAR – not, just someone who LIES. He LIES all the time. As the saying goes, if his lips are moving he’s LYING.
This is all bad, but it gets worse. In addition to the COLLUSION (which outlets like Fox are now attempting to rationalize as OK) and the suggestion of doing “Cyber security” with Vladimir Putin (Putin’s got to be laughing at the stupidity and the naivete of Trump), Trump is also pushing some kind of voter intimidation plan (evidently in his attempt to prove 3 – 5 MILLION illegals voted for Hillary thus robbing him of his “popular vote” victory) designed to do what traditional right wing republicans have been doing since the days of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – and that is prevent as many persons of color, students, old people, or others who might vote for democrats from being able to vote. Trump, along with Kris Kobach of Kansas is attempting to get enough voter ID information – from EVERY state in the Union – to scare people away from the polls. And, evidently it’s working – because reports are out that many people are rescinding their voter registrations because they don’t want the “government” to have all this information.
The republicans have long called their plan the “permanent republican ‘majority.'” Of course, they’ll never have a true majority – but, even Trump claims that 40% is enough for him to remain in power. By intimidating MILLIONS to refrain from voting, by turning MILLIONS more off via the dysfunction that now permeates Washington DC, and by working with the Russians to publish “fake news” in strategic places they may succeed. This has been a long term plan (arguably led by and pushed for years by Charles and David Koch) and they have control of all three branches of government – plus, the FAKE news. “We the people” are relying on what republicans call the “liberal media” to give us actual information as to what happened in the election so that one by one we might have a chance to educate some of Trump’s “uneducated voters” as to this attack on our nations foundation.
As I stated above – it’s hard to even talk about this stuff with someone who watches Fox, or is into the right wing internet sights like Breitbart because they’re convinced Sean Hannity, or Rush Limbaugh, or the others are giving them facts. They don’t believe Trump is LYING all the time. And, apparently, the republicans in Congress are not going to act to save this nation from any further damage until more of the Trump “base” understands their “leader” is potentially a TRAITOR. Trump, himself, said “anyone would have taken that meeting” referring to an offer of “dirt” on Ms. Clinton from the Russian government. I’d like to think he’s COMPLETELY wrong about that – but, regardless, it was illegal and we still have a constitution and a set of LAWS. (When I see statistics that suggest a significant portion of the republican “base” is OK with the Russian intrusion into our election it’s disappointing to say the least. In my heart I think, this would be one area where we would be “bipartisan.”)
Over the past 30+ years we’ve all become numb to the reality that those at the top are able to violate the laws that “we the people” would be held accountable to with impunity. Reagan and George HW Bush were able to skirt serious legal jeopardy regarding the Iran/Contra affair – despite clear evidence they participated. (HW Bush has a long history of skirting the law – read “Family of Secrets” by Russ Baker) George W Bush and Dick Cheney BOTH admitted to authorizing WAR CRIMES in national TV interviews (both said, “I’d do it again) regarding TORTURE in Iraq and Afghanistan and President Obama chose to “look forward instead of back.” (I still maintain a blunder of MAJOR proportions by Obama) And, those in Wall Street responsible for the “Great Recession” and the subsequent tax payer BAILOUT of almost a TRILLION (and, probably more) got bonuses instead of accountability for their reckless use of working people’s money. (many Americans lost HUGE chunks of their retirement accounts or lost their homes or their jobs – but, the “culprits” got bonuses – go figure)
However, to me, what happened in 2016 is more dangerous than anything else I’ve seen in my lifetime. Are “we the people” going to allow Vladimir Putin (or any other foreign person or nation) to define our leadership? We were granted privileges no other people ever had about 240 (or so) years ago by our “founding fathers.” Are we going to blindly give these privileges away because we’ve become so complacent that we’re unwilling to give our obligation to participate in the process of free elections the time and energy it deserves? I “get” that many people voted for Trump due to their dissatisfaction with Washington DC and their dissatisfaction with the alternative choice. I’ve got NO problem with that. But, the information that continues to FLOW out – “drip by drip” and the UNDENIABLE reality that our president is a LIAR requires, to me, that people pay attention and reevaluate the TRUTH. And, it’s time for Fox viewers to start FACT checking the LIES coming from that place – I believe Fox is going to have a very negative place in American history.