Future of GOP looks bleak with Trump in White House

What is the ultimate future of the GOP? That is a question that’s definitely worth considering, especially with Trump continuing to squat in the White House. Can the Republican Party, which has been a major force in American politics since the days of Abraham Lincoln, ultimately survive the Age of Trump? Sadly, I think the answer is “No.”

   Why take such a pessimistic view? After all, we’ve had “bad” Republicans before. Both Richard Nixon and George W. Bush spring immediately to mind. We’ve survived them. Heck, we even survived Nixon, who was shown to be complicit in a criminal coverup and one of the worst scandals in American history — Watergate. So why shouldn’t we, and by extension, the Republican Party, survive Trump?

   To begin with, Trump is different from any president we’ve ever had — and not in a good way. Never have we had a president who lies so egregiously and so frequently. There’s an old joke that goes, “How do you know when a politician is lying?” Answer: His mouth is moving. But with Trump, it’s no joke. It is literal truth. It seems that every time he opens his mouth, Trump lies. He simply can’t help himself. And Trump doesn’t just lie about big things. He lies about small things, too. Worse, he engages in total flights of fantasy, wild-eyed conspiracy theories that have no basis in fact, much less truth. This is the man, after all, who spent eight years questioning Barack Obama’s American citizenship and demanding to see his birth certificate. 

   Trump is also the most amoral president we’ve ever had. It’s not just that he is immoral. Heck, Bill Clinton was immoral. Trump simply has NO morals. Zero. Trump is the first person to occupy the White House in my memory who simply has no core beliefs at all. He simply spouts whatever moral platitudes that will make him popular, or that will further whatever twisted agenda he is trying to advance. He is, simply put, a con man.

   Trump is a racist and a misogynist. He is a malignant narcissist who is totally incapable of empathy. This is bad enough, and it makes him a vile, disgusting human being. But what makes it worse is that he has normalized these vile traits and galvanized the scum in our society who hold these beliefs, also.

   So why is the Republican Party ultimately doomed? Because they have, thus far, refused to do anything about the cancer who is Trump. In fact, they have done everything in their power to prop him up. They have, as a party, supported his vile views and his dangerous agenda. They have sold the soul of their party in the name of absolute power and laid bare the hypocrisy inherent in decades of moral pronouncements. How can Republicans come back from that? How can they reclaim their moral integrity and move the party back from the political fringes toward the middle, where the majority of Americans reside? Simply put, they can’t.
   The best hope the GOP has at this point is that the more moderate and thoughtful among their membership will be able to wrest control from the radicals who are now controlling the party. Firebrands like Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, former Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina and yes, even Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close friend of the great John McCain, need to be drummed from the party, or at the very least marginalized so they don’t exercise quite so much influence. Until the adults in the room manage to reassert control and guide the party back toward the political mainstream, I don’t see the Republican Party being much more than a fringe party in future years, if it doesn’t just die altogether. That would truly be a tragedy.

As tempting as it might be, now not the time to impeac

Almost since the day he took office, there have been rumblings about impeaching Donald Trump. Of the 45 people who have occupied the White House since our nation’s founding, there is no one I can think of who deserves such a fate more. But now is not the time for such a drastic action, no matter how tempting it might be, or how satisfying.

   Let’s look at the case for impeachment: Donald Trump colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election. Now, to be fair, there are plenty of people who would argue that conclusion. And after a two year investigation, Robert Mueller, despite his best efforts, was unable to prove it conclusively. What we know, however, is that there were at least 10 questionable contacts between Trump’s surrogates and the Kremlin. We know that Russia offered dirt on Hillary Clinton to the Trump campaign, which his own son accepted gleefully. And we know that people around Trump lied about their contacts with Russia. Those people include his former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Paul Manfort, the chairman of Trump’s campaign. So question: If there was no collusion, why lie about those contacts? Food for thought.

   Apart from the collusion, we also have Trump’s illegal payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to cover up his affair with her. We have audio taped evidence that Trump not only knew about those payments, but that he authorized his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to make them. It could be argued that this was a personal matter, and that such things aren’t grounds for impeachment. But consider the fact that when former President Bill Clinton’s affair with intern Monica Lewinsky was uncovered in 1998, Republicans pushed ahead with impeachment. If an affair was grounds for impeachment then, what makes this any different? To see Republicans justifying this today when they  screamed about public morality then is simply hypocrisy at its worst.

   Another reason for impeachment? How about obstruction of justice? To be fair, in his report, Mueller said he could neither prove nor disprove obstruction. But again, consider the evidence. We know that Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey over the Mueller investigation. He has admitted this himself. We know that he asked Justice Department officials to drop the investigation into Michael Flynn’s lies to Congress. And my goodness, we know, through hundreds, if not thousands of Trump’s own tweets, that he did everything in his power to derail and discredit the Mueller investigation. If that’s not obstruction, what is?

   Finally, perhaps the best, and most urgent reason for impeachment, is Trump’s own blazing incompetence. It’s one thing to be inexperienced. Let’s be honest. Very few people are totally prepared to become the single most powerful person in the world, with all its awesome responsibilities. Most people compensate by surrounding themselves with “Washington insiders,” people with decades of experience in federal government. As bad as he was, even George W. Bush did this, and the nation survived. But not Trump. Not only will he not admit what he doesn’t know, but he has actively surrounded himself with people who not only want to dismantle the very departments they are supposed to lead (hello, Betsy DeVos), but who are as incompetent as he is. And the result, as expected, has been catastrophic.

   Clearly, impeachment is warranted in this case, but now is not the time for it. Why? Well, to begin with, because it has zero chance of succeeding. As long as Republicans control the Senate, there is no way they would vote to convict Trump. Not only would it embarrass their party, but let’s be honest. They are too morally compromised to ever do the right thing They have willfully ignored Trump’s crimes for the past two years. They have justified  and excused his complete lack of morals, despite spending decades casting themselves as the party of “traditional values.” And the refuse to admit that he is incompetent and a danger to the republic, despite a mountain of evidence. To convict Trump, they would have to admit that they were wrong all along, and there’s simply no way that would happen.

   Another reason for waiting on impeachment is that it would only further divide an already hopelessly divided nation. Consider what happened in 1998, during the Clinton impeachment debacle. Our country was humiliated as the leader of the free world was dragged through the mud, and our country with him. Our reputation on the world stage was tarnished, and it still hasn’t fully recovered, two decades later. 

   Now, consider the current political climate. We are hopelessly divided in the death spiral of an “us” vs. “them” mentality. Trump’s supporters are allergic to facts. No matter what you show them about Trump, they simply refuse to admit that he’s anything other than the savior of a nation. What do you think would happen if Trump were impeached, or worse, convicted and removed from office? There have been threats  of a civil war if Trump were to be removed from office. As far-fetched as that might sound, it’s not as far-fetched as we might think. Trump supporters are NOT reasonable people.
   Finally, perhaps the best reason for waiting is the very real possibility that it might backfire. Again, consider the Clinton impeachment. Republicans were so sure of themselves. Then, when they failed to convict Clinton, it actually had the opposite effect. Clinton actually became even MORE popular. Americans sided with him, and Republicans actually damaged their party and ended up losing the upcoming midterms. As incredible as it might sound, there’s a real possibility that the same thing could happen here. Trump’s supporters are already rabid. This would only serve to galvanize that support, and Trump might very well end up winning in 2020. That would serve no one’s best interest, especially not this country’s.
   I know Democrats are desperate to get rid of Trump. And who can blame them? It would be an indescribable pleasure to see him handcuffed and frog-marched out of the White House. But now is a time when discretion is the better part of valor. If we are willing to sit back and be patient, it is inevitable that Trump will trip himself up. And when he does, he will finally get the justice that is long overdue, the cancer will be excised from our government, and the country as a whole will be better off.

Catching up on the sorry state of things in America

It’s been almost two years since I last updated this blog. Have I somehow lost my passion for all things political? No. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Why has it been so long since I last posted here? Simple. Because I have found other avenues for expressing myself. Since Trump seized power two years ago, I have found countless “hidden” groups through social media filled with literally thousands of like-minded people. It’s these groups to which I have gravitated, and it has been  immensely satisfying.
   Still, I started this blog over a decade ago as an outlet for my thoughts and ideas. It has been a source of unspeakable joy, even if no one — or at least very few — people have read it. With that in mind, let me attempt to play “catch up” and give some thoughts on our current mess in Washington.
   To begin with, I hate to say it, but “I told y’all so.” I’ve been saying since Trump first came down the escalator in 2015 that he would be a disaster if he won. Now, over two years in, I’m sad to say that I’ve been proven correct. This gives me no joy.
   On Thursday, Attorney General Bill Barr finally released a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s long-awaited report on Trump-Russian collusion during the 2016 presidential election. As expected, Trump and his syncophants are claiming total vindication, since Mueller found no cause to charge Trump (I will never refer to him as president) with a crime. The report also left the question of whether Trump obstructed justice unanswered, though he did specifically say that he couldn’t vindicate Trump on this question. Of course, Trump’s claims of vindication are completely untrue.
   Let’s take a look at what’s actually in the report. We know that Russia made a concerted effort to unduly influence the 2016 election. This has been proven conclusively. We also know that even if Mueller couldn’t find “smoking gun” evidenc of a conspiracy to collude, that there were at least 10 suspicious contacts between Trump’s inner circle — including Michael Flynn and his campaign chairman Paul Manafort — and the Kremlin. We also know that the Russians offered the campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton, which Donald Trump’s son enthusiastically accepted. This, of course, was the reason for the infamous Trump Tower meeting. Finally, we know through Trump’s own words and actions that he did everything in his power to discredit and derail the investigation. Now, maybe none of this rises to the legal standard of collusion. Maybe there’s no way that Trump’s actions meet the legal definition of obstruction. But there’s an old saying that “where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” and it seems to me that there’s plenty of evidence that the institution of the presidency is not only smoking, it’s downright ablaze.
   Apart from the whole collusion mess, Trump has been a downright embarrassment. For the first time in our history, we have a someone squatting in the White House  who doesn’t read. We have an interloper who prefers to get his news from one source, and one source only — Fox News. This is a network which is less about honest reporting and more about being a propaganda machine for Trump and his minions within the Republican Party. And we have someone who would rather spend his days  watching the flattering coveratge of himself than actually governing.
   And what happens when he actually does attempt to govern? Well in the past two years, he has managed to insult and alienate every single one of our traditional allies. He has created a false “crisis” on our southern border and convinced a significant portion of the population that we are being overrun by criminal aliens — gang members, rapists and murderers. The truth? The vast majority of people attempting to come here are from impoverished Central American countries and are attempting to create a better life for themselves and their families. Earlier this year, he shut down the government in a fight over funding for a border wall that has zero chance of stemming the tide of people crossing our border illegally. Why? Because the vast majority of people coming to this country do so through legal ports of entry. The vast majority also come here legally initially and simply overstay their welcome. I don’t know a wall in existence that can stop that.
   Finally, and most damning, Trump has completely divided this nation. Where we once had honest policy disagreements, today, we are divided among “us” and “them.” Those who support Trump, and those who don’t. Instead of being able to have civilized policy discussions about what’s best for our country, we have descended into the gutter of “scorched earth” politics. Today, it’s all about victory at any cost and gaining and keeping power, country be damned. And who loses with all this infighting? Average Americans, that’s who.
   Let me be frank. Trump is a cancer that slowly killing the Republican Party. He has moved the party so far to the right that it’s going to be downright impossible for them ever to reclaim the middle ground. He has corrupted the party and made a mockery of  its long-held ideals. And he has forever exposed the hypocrisy inherent in its moral pronouncements and in its decades-long alliance with the Religious Right.
   It’s been said that Trump’s rise was the result of people being tired of “politics as usual.” It’s been theorized that his supporters WANTED him to go to Washington to blow things up. Well he has certainly done that, and we are all the poorer for it. The truth is, the sooner Trump is removed, the sooner the adults in the room reassert control, the better, and safer we, and the world will be.

We need world's help to fight N. Korea

    Sometimes, I really hate it when I'm right. Six months ago, when Donald Trump was inaugurated, I predicted that he would get us in a nuclear confrontation within six months. It took slightly longer, but it gives me no pleasure to report that this confrontation appears to be imminent.
   On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that North Korea has now developed a nuclear device small enough to be placed in a missile. Combine this alarming news with recent reports that North Korea has now developed a missile capable of striking the mainland of the United Sates, and everyone should be very, very nervous. True to form, Trump reacted like the school-yard bully he is and threatened to rain "fire and fury" down on North Korea. For its part, North Korea has threatened to strike Guam with a missile. A couple thoughts:
   This is a time when we need a thoughtful, measured response. Instead, we're stuck with a school-yard bully, a man-child with access to this nation's nuclear codes and no idea what he's doing. This is no time for the "cowboy diplomacy" made famous by George "Dubya" Bush. This is a time when we need to be leaning on our allies. The question is, how many allies do we really have left?
   One of the worst things Trump has done since taking power is to alienate many of our traditional allies. He's insulted them. He's failed to affirm that we stand with them (this one is specific to NATO). He's shown himself to be utterly ignorant of world affairs and our role in them. He has withdrawn us from some key treaties and wants to renegotiate some key trade agreements. He has, in effect, moved to isolate us from the rest of the world. So how can we now expect those allies to come to our defense when Trump has basically provoked this confrontation with North Korea with his thoughtless schoolyard taunts?
   Remember the fist Gulf War? That war was successful largely because we had the world on our side when confronting Saddam Hussein. After 9/11, we had the goodwill and support of the entire world. And while the younger Bush was reckless with his talk of being "with us or against us," even he knew how far he could push things. Even he managed to build a coalition, even if it wasn't as solid or as big as the one built by his father.
   Unfortunately, Trump knows no such boundaries. He honestly believes that we can win this battle through our military might alone. In his mind, we don't need the rest of the world. That is a very dangerous mindset. While it is true that we are the world's sole remaining superpower, it's also true that we can't win this battle alone. Our confrontation with North Korea will ultimately affect the rest of the world. And we need the world's help if we are to have any hope of containing this growing threat. We can only hope that Trump's ignorance and ham-handed foreign policy haven't made that impossible.

GOP has lost moral high ground on Trump

Recently, it's become apparent that many Republicans are beginning to have "buyer's remorse" when it comes to Donald Trump. They are beginning to realize too late that Trump is racist and incompetent, and that he really doesn't know what he's doing. Many now are beginning to seek safe political cover. To those people, I say, tough. You made your bed. Now, you have to lie in it and accept the consequaences of your inaction.
   Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona is the latest in a growing number of Republicans who are beginning to speak out against Trump. Recently,  Flake penned an op-ed piece in Politico, in which he argued that the GOP is in denial about Trump. Add to that some recent actions in the Senate, including passing tough new sanctions against Russia (opposed by Trump), acting to make sure Trump doesn't fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the failure of Senate Republicans to repeal Obamacare, and it's clear that Republicans are starting to realize what a grave mistake they made in nominating Trump last summer. Good. Better late than never, I suppose. But the question remains: Where were these people six months ago? Where were they on Jan. 20, when we swore in the most incompetent president in American history?
   It's encouraging to see that Republicans are finally coming to their senses. Maybe they will finally give up their love affair with the extreme right and move back toward the political middle, where the majority of Americans reside. But let's be clear. Republicans have no right to claim any kind of moral high ground in all this. After all, you can't embrace a loudmouth, xenophobic racist like Trump and claim any kind of moral high ground. You can't knowingly embrace his blazing incompetence -- something that was blindingly obvious to anyone who was paying attention during the campaign -- then claim that you were duped or otherwise misled. Republicans knew exactly what they were getting in Trump. They simply didn't care. They were so determined to beat Hillary Clinton, so blinded by their hatred of her and her husband, that they were willing to make a deal with the devil (in a manner of speaking). And now, they are reaping what they have sown, and they're trying to protect themselves.
    Voters shouldn't let them get away with it. In 2018, they should sweep the Republicans out of power and return Congress to Democrratic control. Then, we should get serious about impeaching Trump for colluding with Russia and general incompetence and put our government back in the hands of competent adults. It's not too late to right the ship of state. We have a chance to put an end to this nightmare. The question is, do we have the will?
 

Trump's lack of accomplishments actually a good thing

Donald Trump has now been in the White House for a little more than six months, so it seems like a good time to look back and ask, what has he accomplished so far? If we're honest (and despite what his most ardent supporters claim), the answer is not very much.
   Trump claimed recently that he's signed more bills so far than any president in history. That's simply not true. Sure, he's signed a gaggle of executive orders repealing a bunch of Obama era regulations and restarting the XL pipeline, among other things. But let's take a look at the major promises he made on the campaign trail:
Health care: This is perhaps his biggest failing. Trump promised Americans that he would repeal President Obama's signature legislative achievement on his very first day in office. So far, that hasn't happened. In fact, not only have Republicans been unable to repeal Obamacare, it's become very clear that they have no real plan to replace it with, and that they never had a plan. It's become clear that they only used the issue to win votes and gain power. The problem is, once they achieved that goal, they had no idea what to do next. In the meantime, thank goodness, Obamacare survives.
The Wall: So far, this has failed to materialize. And despite the fact that the number of deportations has increased and DREAMers are now being deported, it's not even on the radar. There's been no discussion about funding. And there certainly has been no more discussion about Mexco paying for the wall. For right now, at least, it's a dead issue.
Muslim ban: This has met with only limited success. His first attempt was roundly rejected when it failed to take into account people who were here legally. He tried again, and this time, met with a very narrow definition of success. The ban was allowed to go into effect, but it is far from what he wanted, since it allows almost all manner of relatives to come into the country instead of the very narrow definition that he tried to implement originally. The overall impact is that very few people are actually kept out, and that's a good thing. And the existing ban still faces legal challenges.
Jobs: This was perhaps the one thing that put him over the top. And yet, it also has been proven to be all smoke and mirrors. Right before the election, it was announced that Trump had cut a deal with Carrier to keep jobs in Indianapolis. This was touted as evidence of Trump "going to bat" for the working class. Now, we know that very few jobs, if any, were actually saved. In fact, Carrier just announced that 600 people would soon be laid off in two waves. So how many jobs did he actually save? Consider also his answer for putting Americans back to work. Trump wants to put steep punitive tariffs on goods coming into this country. The idea is two-fold: keep foreign-made goods from flooding the market and encourage people to buy American. Sounds good, right? Except that our trading partners have already said that they would respond by placing steep punitive tariffs on American goods coming into their countries. Which would, of course, wreak havoc on our economy. Keep in mind also that China, who buys more American-made goods than anyone in the world, holds trillions of dollars in U.S. debt, and the folly of this move becomes apparent. If China is angered and decides to call in those markers, the U.S. economy would crater and would likely never recover. So how is this a good idea again?
   The truth is, Trump has accomplished very little in his first six months. And while that would normally be cause for concern, in this case, I say good. I hope it continues. Because the less he accomplishes, the safer we, and the world, are.

Trump supporters deserve our scorn, not sympathy

One almost has to feel sorry for Trunp supporters, and the GOP in general. Every day, it seems a new scanadal  surfaces that they have to defend, or there's fresh new evidence of  Trump's breathtaking incompetence. The latest evidence of this is seen   in recent reports that Trump's son, Don Jr., took a meeting with a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin because he thought she had information damaging to Hillary Clinton. This is just the latest in a growing mountain of evidence that Trump and his campaign did, in fact, collude with the Russians in trying to throw the election to Trump. Of course, even when faced with incontrovertible proof of collusion, the GOP continues  to deny that there's anything amiss. "There's nothing to see here,"  they continue to say. "This is all just made up poppycock in an attempt to damage the greatest president since Reagan. This is FAKE NEWS."
   In the first place, let's be clear. There's no such thing as "fake news," at least not in the sense that Trump is using it, Just because you don't like a story doesn't make it fake. Just because you don't agree with something you read doesn't make it fake, Facts are facts, And denying their existence just because you don't like them doesn't make them any less true. Now, granted. It must be hard to be a Trump supporter. Just the sheer number of scandals and missteps that need defending must be exhausting. It's almost enough to make you feel sorry for them, until you begin to take a closer look at Trump's (and the GOP's) agenda.
   Take the GOP's doomed effort to repeal and replace Obamacare. This may be the single meanest piece of legislation I"ve ever seen. Among other things, it would undo the gains of the last eight years in the number of people with access to health care. More than 20 million people would be knocked off the rolls, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. It would once again allow insurance companies to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. And perhaps, worst of all, it would allow insurance providers to charge older Americans (read, those who can least afford it) up to five times more than younger Americans. This shouldn't be called "repeal and replace." It should be
called what it is: "Repeal and restore" (as in restore the old, broken system we had before). Or better yet, "the Ebenezer Scrooge Act of 2017" (You know, as in, 'If there be poor people, then let them be about the business of dying and reduce the excess population.'"
   Or take the administration's controversial Muslim ban. Trump and his supporters are playing this off as a way to ensure national security. That's disingenuous, at best. Consider that one of the biggest sponsors of international terrorism -- Saudi Arabia -- isn't on the list. Or that Trump himself has called this a Muslim ban. Let's call this what this is: This is racist fear-mongering at its worst. And the worst part is, it does nothing to make us any safer. For those who defend it, it calls into question whether you are, in fact, racist, or whether you are just willfully ignorant.
   I think CNN commentator Van Jones hit the nail on the head Electikon Night when he observed that Trump's victory was a case of "whitelash," that it's a reaction against eight years of Obama -- the nation's first black president. This nation is changing, It's becoming more diverse. And there's a segment of the population that feels threatened by that. Trump's victory (if you can call it that, since he actually lost the popular vote by almost 3 million votes) is the last stand of a dying social order. Maybe it's understandable that people would be freaked out by this. After all, change is never easy, especially such a seismic shift. But no matter which way you slice it, there's no excuse for supporting such a hateful, ignorant man as Donald Trump, or for willfully spreading and maintaining that ignorance.