The warning
signs have been there for some time. I
cautioned readers before Trump was even nominated for president by the
somnambulant GOP (see my blog postings of 11/21/2015; 11/30/2015; 1/22/2016; 3/22/2016)
that he was an unprincipled man (10/22/2016), a Darwinian strong man (11/17/2015)
who knows nothing other than winning and losing – during which battles it is
always important to him to denigrate and belittle opponents. More importantly, I drew your attention to the
kind of authoritarian activities we could expect from this man who has himself
said that he “loves” certain dictators.
In my two-part
Blog of 11/23/2016, I drew upon a study to show a direct connection between the actions of dictatorial and tyrannical leaders and the actions that Trump has taken; to
values and behaviors that define him and many others who have walked on the
fascist side of the political spectrum.And now, here we are at a milestone in Trump’s journey toward complete control of government. He is doing what he has always done: he is using legally constituted authority and structures of government in order to tear down those same structures and to build an imperial presidency. In the meantime, we the People are being completely bamboozled by the manufactured debate that is taking place over fanciful made-up issues and problems that are being foisted upon us. For instance, he has manufactured a non-existent national crisis in order to shut-down the government. That is the action of a third-world dictator and does not bode well for our form of government.
CAUTIONARY NOTE: is there any chance that Trump is taking aim at laying aside the presidential election of 2020 by claiming a national security emergency?
Whatever do I mean? Unfortunately, we seem to have forgotten the context of this whole debacle, and others he has created.
This is NOT primarily about a WALL or a NATIONAL EMERGENCY or a GOVERNMENT
SHUTDOWN. This is about what Trump has
promoted all along: the
de-construction (actually, the destruction) of the administrative state replaced by the authoritarian power of his office. This is why
Trump has paid attention to people like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh for counsel, and praised and accommodated Putin, Kim Jong-un, the Saudi royal family, and President Xi Jinping of China for their friendship and possible collusion.
(NOTE: Vice-President Pence just gave public thanks to Rush Limbaugh for his guidance and his continuing fight for just
such de-construction).
To make
de-construction work, Trump brought Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon into the
Oval office as special advisors on this very policy. Miller is still there and still leading the
charge on how to make de-construction work.
Guess what? It’s happening (see
my Blog of 11/23/2016).
We must stop fooling ourselves. This ‘shut-down’ of government is not related primarily to a “national crisis” or a budgetary issue, or even to use as a budgetary tactic to force funding of the wall. The wall is a diversionary tactic to convince his base that there is something critical to fear at our southern border because he so desperately needs their support now and in 2020 when he could call another national security crisis and lay aside the presidential election so he can "protect us" by continuing in office beyond his term.
The mainstream media keeps focusing on the effects of the shut down on federal workers, federal contractors and peripheral vendors. In my opinion, the focus should be on the effects this shut-down may have on the nature of our form of government. The aim of this shutdown is very narrow, and Trump doesn’t care that around 800,000 federal workers plus contractors will suffer inconvenience and financial difficulties as one of the outcomes of it. “Tough Luck” might serve to characterize his response since he seems to have no recognition of the short-term consequences, or the “doomsday scenario” he may have created by a possible prolonged shut-down of certain government functions and services (read more about the doomsday scenario at NBC News on msn.com).
We must stop fooling ourselves. This ‘shut-down’ of government is not related primarily to a “national crisis” or a budgetary issue, or even to use as a budgetary tactic to force funding of the wall. The wall is a diversionary tactic to convince his base that there is something critical to fear at our southern border because he so desperately needs their support now and in 2020 when he could call another national security crisis and lay aside the presidential election so he can "protect us" by continuing in office beyond his term.
The mainstream media keeps focusing on the effects of the shut down on federal workers, federal contractors and peripheral vendors. In my opinion, the focus should be on the effects this shut-down may have on the nature of our form of government. The aim of this shutdown is very narrow, and Trump doesn’t care that around 800,000 federal workers plus contractors will suffer inconvenience and financial difficulties as one of the outcomes of it. “Tough Luck” might serve to characterize his response since he seems to have no recognition of the short-term consequences, or the “doomsday scenario” he may have created by a possible prolonged shut-down of certain government functions and services (read more about the doomsday scenario at NBC News on msn.com).
Former
Republican congressman David Jolly from
Florida has perhaps put his finger on one of the short-term reasons for this particular shut-down: if the Democrats in House and Senate continue to oppose money for
the Wall and money for re-opening the government, Trump can act to re-open
the government himself and become a heroic deliverer of paychecks to the 800,000+
government workers, contractors, grantees even though he was the devil who closed
it down in the first place.
Thus, Trump will
be able to claim another win because he can tell his base he fought for the
Wall (and will continue to do so). Then
he will load the blame for it all on the Dems, taking credit for a
resolution of the shut-down because the Dems would not. Trump is in control of this manipulation
because that is how he has always done business. He has manipulated the immigration laws, the courts,
the tax system and anything else that he can use to his advantage.
So, let’s
take stock of some Trump wins on his journey toward heading a fascist,
totalitarian government using the structures and institutions that currently
exist:
· converted the Republican Party to an
instrument of his will and his platform (begun in earnest when the Party
platform was changed to replace condemnation of Russia regarding Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine)
· captured the Congress and intimidated
and denigrated any member who opposed him
· captured the majority on the SCOTUS by
manipulating the process of approval of Cavanaugh as a Justice; has also packed
the lower courts with his conservative right-wing appointees
· established national scapegoats by
directing certain groups of immigrants as inadmissible and unworthy: “Islamist
terrorists” and Mexican “illegals” and criminals for example
· attacked the credibility of the FBI
and the CIA thus denuding the agencies that are supposedly in place to assure
that the law is followed, and that security is in place
· appointed fellow travelers to lead
de-construction of federal agencies who had previously opposed, criticized or suggested
budgets be cut drastically; such appointees have done considerable damage to
the EPA, FDA, DoE, DOJ, Homeland Security, and consumer protection boards, to
name a few
· attacked government programs and
governmental insurances like Social Security, Medicare, Food Stamps, Housing
assistance, and help for populations with special needs and many others;
· sought to end affordable health care
program; succeeded in removing or reducing certain provisions that went to its
essence of consumer ability to afford adequate health care; such action also
went to the heart of de-construction of federal government as the guardian of
the People’s welfare
· separated children from their parents
and families at the southern border as a threat to illegal immigrants that zero
tolerance is our nation’s policy, and if they come across the border illegally,
or even seeking the right of asylum, there will be a horrific price to pay in
having children kidnapped by authorities and sent to detention centers where
conditions are not good.
And that’s
not all: Trump has had success in:
§ maintaining support of his base no
matter what he does;
§ diverting attention from every issue
that might hurt him; including the Mueller investigation
§ cutting taxes (at least for a five-year
period) for some middle-class wage-earners while giving the wealthy >1%
enormous permanent tax breaks and subsidies
§ cutting the ground out from under
career professionals in government; instituting a hiring freeze, and now a
government shut-down that will further cause the ‘de-construction’ of federal employee
unions whose power he had previously curtailed by Executive orders;
§ asserting that a sitting President
cannot be indicted although explicit constitutional language is nowhere found
that would support such a claim
§ acquiring added power to rule by Executive
Order and private ‘tweets’
§ refusing to reveal his business
interests and his tax returns
§ maintaining connection with his
business organization even though a blind trust should have been established;
§ escaping laws that govern
receiving of emoluments from foreign governments
§ not being held to federal campaign
finance laws, even though he paid prostitutes to keep quiet in order not to
affect his election
§ allowing his children to work for
him in the oval office, although such behavior is against rules governing nepotism in certain circumstances
§ allowing his children to campaign for
him in violation of the federal Hatch Act.
§ closing down the government in order
to force the Congress to appropriate around $6 million to build the wall on the
southern border
§ And now embarking upon a campaign
to convince his base that building a wall on our southern border will be the
one thing that will control illegal immigration, drug traffic and the trafficking
of children as well as the rising crime wave of supposed undocumented immigrants
who are rapists, murderers, terrorists and thieves in our communities.
In relation
to the problem-solving method we introduced in the last Blog posting: The Trump administration has constructed this
problem of a national crisis at our southern borders without ever studying,
researching, delineating or defining the real problem(s) that exist. The simplest explanation is that Trumpets do
not have a clue as to how to define or solve problems; or, perhaps, they are
simply not able to recognize anything except lies, fabrications,
hallucinations, or ideology built on those false assumptions. To wit:
The Trump minions, including Limbaugh, Hannity, Ingraham, and all the other twits on conservative talk radio or TV, are captives of an ideology based on hyperbole that they cannot prove, but can make sound good enough to bamboozle and control their followers by twisting general statistics, limited anecdotes, and studies skewed by biases and prejudices.
So, instead of gathering real statistics and stories from immigrants, border patrols, residences of areas near the border; as well as input from governments, businesses and officials, they take their “facts” from partisan institutes and organizations committed to a conservative cause or principle, and make that their “truth”
For instance, what hard data (statistics, experiments, studies, electronic surveillance, etc.) and soft data (interviews, surveys, questionnaires, polls, etc.) exist to inform a problem statement that makes sense? As far as I know, not a lot because these forms of evidence are eschewed by this administration and the so-called conservative commentators. They prefer personal opinion, vitriol, invective, uncorroborated stories, along with speculation and hyperbole in forming problems and crises that correspond with their already made-up problems and issues.
So, let us conclude with two questions:
The Trump minions, including Limbaugh, Hannity, Ingraham, and all the other twits on conservative talk radio or TV, are captives of an ideology based on hyperbole that they cannot prove, but can make sound good enough to bamboozle and control their followers by twisting general statistics, limited anecdotes, and studies skewed by biases and prejudices.
So, instead of gathering real statistics and stories from immigrants, border patrols, residences of areas near the border; as well as input from governments, businesses and officials, they take their “facts” from partisan institutes and organizations committed to a conservative cause or principle, and make that their “truth”
For instance, what hard data (statistics, experiments, studies, electronic surveillance, etc.) and soft data (interviews, surveys, questionnaires, polls, etc.) exist to inform a problem statement that makes sense? As far as I know, not a lot because these forms of evidence are eschewed by this administration and the so-called conservative commentators. They prefer personal opinion, vitriol, invective, uncorroborated stories, along with speculation and hyperbole in forming problems and crises that correspond with their already made-up problems and issues.
So, let us conclude with two questions:
v What are the authentic problems confronting us on
our southern border?
v Is ‘border security’ the problem or
is border security simply an issue with many contributory problems that need to
be defined and resolved?
An ‘issue’ related to law or politics is
defined as: “a point in question or dispute between contending parties; also: “something
proceeding from any source as a product, effect, result or consequence.” A “problem”
is simply “a question proposed for solution or discussion”, or “any question or
matter involving doubt, uncertainty or difficulty.”
If I
interpret this correctly, an issue may be controversial and contentious,
perhaps requiring discussion and debate between contending parties, but the
important kernel of the definition is that the
issue proceeds from a source. It
does not stand alone without a source or cause.
In other words, an issue such as border security has something behind it
that should be discovered and investigated in order to be properly and fully
contended and debated. Perhaps in another context – such as medicine – the issue
might equate to a symptom or symptoms and the source problem might be cancer or gall
stones or some other cause. Thus, an aching back might be a major health issue
for someone. Finding the source or cause
would be done in order to diagnose the true problem such as cancer. The chosen solution to the problem of cancer –
surgery, chemo, and/or radiation-- would more than likely these days resolve
the problem as well as address the symptom or the ‘issue.’
I realize
this explanation may be over-simplified but let us attempt to apply it to the ‘issue’
of “border security.”
We must realize that border security is the issue, not the problem. There is something behind this issue at its source, and it may be a multiple problems (I dare say, like most social and political issues!). Allow me to advance a few possible core problems:
We must realize that border security is the issue, not the problem. There is something behind this issue at its source, and it may be a multiple problems (I dare say, like most social and political issues!). Allow me to advance a few possible core problems:
1. Some countries in which people live
are dangerous and harmful to their health and their lives; they want a better environment for
themselves and their children
2. Some people live under threats from
gangs, regimes, police, and drug cartels; they fear for their lives unless they
can find another home country
3. Lack of jobs, health care and food
drive some people to find opportunities for a better life in another country
4. Some people are looking for new
opportunities because their talents or skills are not valued as they should be
in their home country
5. Some people just need a job in order
to survive
6. Some countries encourage their people
to immigrate elsewhere in order to save money and services
7. Some are seeking the superior advantages
in our country like higher education, life-saving medical procedures, or athletic
achievement
8. U.S. immigration infrastructure,
procedures and personnel are not adequate for legal processing of all those who
wish to enter this country; we need more effective procedures and trained personnel
to handle the exigencies that arise at the border crossings: more medical
personnel, border guards, inspectors, nurses, etc.
9. Our immigration policy is not
up-to-date, not flexible, not well-reasoned and not comprehensive; we don’t
even have well-defined goals for our immigration policies and strategies
10.We have failed to do our part to make
immigration and naturalization a positive humanitarian experience in order to attract
people with needed skills and resources, because we see it as a burden instead of
an opportunity, overlooking the positive results for our country: new inventions, new ideas, new revenues, new
businesses, new patriots, etc.
Of course, we have not defined all the problems that lead to the issue of illegal crossings and which cause ignorant people like Donald Trump to say that building a border wall will resolve the issue of border security. It is sad that his oval office ‘speech’ revealed that he has not even analyzed the issue of illegal crossings (border security) or the problems that cause that issue, preferring instead to fault the immigrants by calling them by epithets they do not deserve, and quoting huge untruths about the situation.
Now, we have a manufactured “national emergency” being touted by the man and his minions who cannot properly define nor address an issue, a crisis, an emergency or a problem. We will have to depend upon a divided Congress to straighten this out, and they are not known for their acumen for defining issues and solving the core problems that lie at the heart of issues. We can only hope that the new Democrats in the House will continue to object to the inadequate and irrelevant processes and debates that divide this country and the Congress itself.
The simple ability to question and protest the current narratives and process is a step in the right direction. To make use of an effective and relevant process of legislating and overseeing the results and consequences of that legislation will be a most welcome change. Simply defining issues more accurately by researching the problems behind the issues, will start a new narrative and a new process of legislating that will be a major step toward sanity and honest problem-solving. The new Dems have just TWO YEARS to prove they can make changes that matter, keeping on the path of Revolution instead of faltering and becoming ordinary “politicians.”
Of course, we have not defined all the problems that lead to the issue of illegal crossings and which cause ignorant people like Donald Trump to say that building a border wall will resolve the issue of border security. It is sad that his oval office ‘speech’ revealed that he has not even analyzed the issue of illegal crossings (border security) or the problems that cause that issue, preferring instead to fault the immigrants by calling them by epithets they do not deserve, and quoting huge untruths about the situation.
Now, we have a manufactured “national emergency” being touted by the man and his minions who cannot properly define nor address an issue, a crisis, an emergency or a problem. We will have to depend upon a divided Congress to straighten this out, and they are not known for their acumen for defining issues and solving the core problems that lie at the heart of issues. We can only hope that the new Democrats in the House will continue to object to the inadequate and irrelevant processes and debates that divide this country and the Congress itself.
The simple ability to question and protest the current narratives and process is a step in the right direction. To make use of an effective and relevant process of legislating and overseeing the results and consequences of that legislation will be a most welcome change. Simply defining issues more accurately by researching the problems behind the issues, will start a new narrative and a new process of legislating that will be a major step toward sanity and honest problem-solving. The new Dems have just TWO YEARS to prove they can make changes that matter, keeping on the path of Revolution instead of faltering and becoming ordinary “politicians.”
