1. As predicted in this space, it’s hard to keep up with the cavalcade of nonsense emanating from der Sturmtrumper’s White House these days. I hope President Bannon is getting a handle on things and learns how to control his puppet sometime soon, because otherwise it’s going to be a very bumpy ride.
2. Nevertheless, we persist.
3. If you want to know what fear is, don’t get into a conflict with an opponent who strikes quickly. Get tangled up with an opponent who persists. Who patiently grinds you down, hour by hour, day by day, unremittingly, unrelentingly, incrementally, everywhere you go, everyplace you hide, leaving you no respite, no sanctuary, no relief, and no possibility of avoiding what you know very well is going to be the final outcome. I know that der Sturmtrumper has the power now, and that he has a willing base to overlook his crimes, his grotesque incompetence, and his disregard for law and morals and Constitution. Nevertheless, we persist.
4. By my count we’re up to at least two and possibly four impeachable offenses already, which you have to admit is pretty impressive twenty days into an administration.
5. The fact that Betsy DeVos is now the Secretary of Education is one of the most criminal things I have ever heard. This is a women who is even more blisteringly incompetent than the guy who nominated her, whose stated goal is to destroy public education in this country, and who openly brags that she regards this position as the quid pro quo for her donations to the same senators who voted in her favor – a criminal act and one that, if the GOP had any shred of morality or backbone whatsoever, would have her in jail rather than in office. I’m not holding my breath.
6. Der Sturmtrumper’s own Supreme Court nominee has publicly called the president’s war on the judiciary “demoralizing,” “disheartening,” and “abhorrent.” What are the odds that he remains the nominee at this point? Der Sturmtrumper is not known for tolerating dissent very well.
7. I have no doubt that the nominee is qualified for the Supreme Court, even if his record is one of right wing extremism. Under ordinary conditions, I would be resigned to his confirmation. But let’s be honest – Merrick Garland was qualified too, more so than this guy. And until Garland gets a fair hearing and a vote, I don’t see why any judicial nominee of this administration should be considered at all.
8. The fact that so many advertisements centered on tolerance, diversity, and the accessibility of the American dream are seen by der Sturmtrumper and his supporters as being anti-Trump is a pretty damning indictment of him and his supporters, really. Don’t you just love when they make your case for you?
9. All those right-wing extremists shouting about how the protesters against the current regime are just triggered snowflakes are the same people losing their shit over a beer commercial and a Broadway play. Think about that.
10. I wish I could credit the source for #9, but the internet slides by too quickly and things get lost. [EDIT: Credit goes to Rob Daviau.]
11. Apparently they’ve confirmed the new Attorney General – the guy who was so racist that the GOP turned him down for a judgeship in 1986. My how times change.
12. It’s kind of adorable how executive orders are okay now that the white guy is issuing them. I wonder what the change was.
13. The fact that this White House leaks like a sieve at this point in the administration is unprecedented. This is supposed to be the honeymoon stage, where an administration still has effective control over its people and broad support not only from its party but also from the nation as a whole. These people are incompetent, and their staffers are frightened.
14. I saw somewhere that der Sturmtrumper now has a majority of Americans actively disapproving of his conduct – a mark that took Obama over 900 days to achieve, George W. Bush over 1200, Reagan more than 700, and Bill Clinton more than 500. Eisenhower never got to this point. This guy took 8 days. And all I can say is where the hell were you people in November, when anyone with more than six working brain cells was frantically shouting at you that exactly this would happen?
15. Nevertheless, we persist.
Which are the two if not four impeachable acts? I'm not getting all the news over here.
ReplyDeleteHe has been in violation of both the domestic and foreign emoluments clauses of the Constitution since the moment he took the oath of office. His refusal to properly divest himself from his business empire means that he is receiving money from foreign governments and money from state and federal government subsidies, both of which are explicitly banned by the Constitution. A proper Congress - one run by a party that actually cared about laws, morals, or the Constitution itself - would have impeached him by sundown that day. That he is still in office three weeks later I will leave as an exercise for the reader.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the possible offenses, well. He appears to have colluded in his campaign with Russian agents. He may have ordered the DHS to defy judicial orders. He has called for violence against a sitting federal judge. He has used the power of his office for private gain, most recently for his daughter's clothing line. And so on. If any of those can be definitively proven instead of just being circumstantially likely, we can just add them to the pile.
There's more, but I get tired of listening.