SO WHAT?

How many people watched the first impeachment hearing Wednesday, Nov. 13th? 

According to MSN News and the Nielson ratings:

·      FOX had 2.9 million between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.;

·      MSNBC – 2.7 million;

·      NBC – 1.7 million;

·      ABC and CBS – 2 million each. 

·      CNN – averaged 1.8 million. 

·      PBS and C-span also broadcast parts of the hearing and online streaming received about average viewership, but there is no way Nielson is able to measure the latter. 

So, the final estimate is somewhere around 13 million viewers on the main channels; not unlike the number that watched the Mueller hearing in July.

These numbers seem to have been maintained into this week, and what’s more, 8.3 million watched the Democrats debate on Wednesday evening Nov. 20^th after the hearings on the same day.

 However, the vast majority of Americans didn’t watch, although some more may have caught up later through social media or nightly newscasts.

SO WHAT…? 

That question is probably the premier question for it goes to the heart of current events. However, it gets little attention from the mass media or on social media which is why it deserves this Blogger’s attention.  

As I pointed out in my last Post on this Blog, a White House letter to Chairman Schiff of the House Intelligence Committee spelled out the talking points that the Trump puppets (Republicans) on the Committee could use to befuddle and confuse the main issue.  And, that’s just what they did, never once addressing the issue of whether Trump tried to extort an investigation of the Bidens for his personal benefit by withholding appropriated funds for military purposes (needed by Ukraine for defense against the invading Russians) along with delaying a meeting of the new Ukrainian president with Mr. Trump. 

Like viewership of the hearings, the general approach of most of the voting public will apparently be-- SO WHAT?  Interest in political matters and untrustworthy politicians is simply not on everyone’s radar and exists somewhere beyond the limited confines within which many live.  So, let us put that question into a slightly different context and try to find what it could mean for all of us.

This last April 20th marked the 130th anniversary of the birth of Adolf Hitler, “the unremarkable artist who would rise to become the dictator of Germany and the instigator of the Holocaust.  Given the devastation left in Hitler's wake, a major question for historians of the 20th century has been how Hitler captured the German imagination and came to power. He was not, as a person, a charismatic character; biographer Ian Kershaw described him as an "empty vessel outside his political life." He had few genuine friends, an overinflated view of his own intellect and no inborn connections to propel him to the top.” 

“Nor did Hitler have especially original ideas; the German Workers' Party he joined in 1919, which would become the Nazi Party under his leadership, was just one of approximately 70 right-wing groups in Germany after World War I, (Kershaw biography "Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris" (W.W. Norton & Company, 1998).

But in the chaos of post-World War I Germany, it was Hitler's group that would gain dominance — and that was not a matter of luck:

“the chaos and resentment of Germany at the time were the soil that made his growth possible. The German people were in shock after losing World War I. They faced food and coal shortages and ended the war with millions killed and wounded.”

“Hitler lost the 1932 election but gained the support of many influential industrial interests. When the parliamentary elections failed to establish a majority government, Germany's president Paul von Hindenburg caved to outside pressure and named Hitler chancellor (the role of chancellor in Germany is similar to that of Prime Minister in other parliamentary systems, and Germany had both a president elected by the people and a chancellor representing the majority party in the government).

“In 1933, the Reichstag building was set on fire, which Hitler used as a pretext to seize emergency powers and detain his political enemies. With communists and other leftists under arrest, he was able to push a law called the Enabling Act through parliament. The Enabling Act allowed Hitler's cabinet to institute legislation without parliamentary consent.”  (LiveScience.com 4/18/2016)

.

 So here you have "this sociopathic, violent regime,” but many minds were either deluded by constant propaganda or diverted from the danger by unrelated matters.    

And, therein lies the most vexing problem confronting us in our current situation.  Yes, democracy is at stake.  Yes, the presidency will never be the same.  Yes, Trump has violated his oath and abused the powers of his office.  Yes, he should be impeached, and he will be by the House Democratic majority, but he will not be found guilty in the trial which the Republican-controlled Senate will undertake.  While a substantial slice of our populace will follow this process through to its conclusion, the SO WHAT? attitude of the vast majority of the citizenry will prevent justice from being accomplished.  That segment of the American people,  including the fluctuating 40% listed often in support of Trump and Trumpian ideology, are diverted or deluded day in and day out from the reality of what can happen to this nation and to its people if a president gets away with flouting, ignoring or abrogating the laws of the land.

The National Socialist Party seized control of the German government under the leadership of an over-inflated egomaniacal dictator who believed he knew better than anyone else what his country needed to become “great” again; “greatness” built around power and intimidation; not around peace and good will.  He did that while the majority of the German people went about their business, ignoring what was happening, and being utterly confused by what it could mean for their daily lives.

In fact, according to Wikipedia: “ Both within Germany and abroad initially there were few fears that Hitler could use his position to establish his later dictatorial single-party regime. Rather, the conservatives that helped to make him chancellor were convinced that they could control Hitler and "tame" the Nazi Party while setting the relevant impulses in the government themselves; foreign ambassadors played down worries by emphasizing that Hitler was "mediocre" if not a bad copy of Mussolini.

“German newspapers wrote that, without doubt, the Hitler-led government would try to fight its political enemies (the left-wing parties), but that it would be impossible to establish a dictatorship in Germany because there was "a barrier, over which violence cannot proceed" and because of the German nation being proud of "the freedom of speech and thought".

“It is a hopeless misjudgment to think that one could force a dictatorial regime upon the German nation. [...] The diversity of the German people calls for democracy.”  (Theodor Wolff in Frankfurter Zeitung, Jan 1933)

“Even within the Jewish German community, in spite of Hitler not hiding his ardent antisemitism, the worries appear to have been limited.  “The Jewish community faces the new government "with the largest mistrust", but at the same time they were convinced that "nobody would dare to touch [their] constitutional rights". The Jewish German newspaper Jüdische Rundschau [de] wrote on Jan 31^st, 1933: “... that also within the German nation still the forces are active that would turn against a barbarian anti-Jewish policy.”

Let me simply list with brief explanation and examples, some of the consequences that American citizens and others will inevitably face if the SO WHAT? attitude prevails in our country, as it did in Germany (and other European nations) of the 1930s.  Let me be clear:  Much of this is already in progress; some has not begun, but all are possibilities under an authoritarian regime because history has shown that regimes of that type follow a similar pattern of behavior and outcomes. 

So here is what you can expect to happen to YOUR COUNTRY as this authoritarian JUGGERNAUT of deception and diversion rolls on and too many say SO WHAT?

The Republican Party has essentially yielded to Donald Trump as its cult leader, and therefore its principles are changing to a national socialist agenda-- a radical right-wing movement that believes in and works toward elements from “Nazism”(the word ‘Nazi’ comes from the German name for national socialism: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche), including:

§  ultra-nationalism (white supremacy),

§  racism (denigration and prejudice toward other races),

§  xenophobia (prejudice and dislike of persons from other countries),

§  homophobia  (prejudice and dislike toward all LBGTQ),

§  antisemitism (opposition and discrimination toward Jews),

§  anti-communist in theory (hatred of liberals, socialists, communists),

§  alliance with other autocratic nations;

§  rejuvenation of a supposed past time of glory (the Third Reich or “America the Great” when government seemingly embraced much of their ideology).

Examples already in play:  changes to Republican platform in favor of Russia; Charlottesville response; directive to ban immigrants from Muslim countries; voting restrictions and lack of attention to voter interference from Russia; racial ‘dog whistles’ and no action on police shootings of innocent black youth; school shootings that go unaddressed.  Tax deductions negatively affected for middle class workers while an “elite” is provided with outrageous “welfare subsidies” through the tax system.  A president who believes he is above the Law and able to demand anything he desires and get away with it because he owns the Senate and the Judiciary.  Invitation to foreign nations to interfere in our elections. 

Expect to happen: more walls built to keep out “criminal immigrants”; more voting restrictions; undermining of “mixed marriages”; more social programs cut from federal budgets. DACA decision to be decided in the administration’s favor and deportations to begin, affecting every level of society.  Roe vs. Wade overturned, abortion outlawed; reproduction control (including destruction of Planned Parenthood and outlawing of abortion).  Use of private information to propagandize the population and to control behaviors.  Restrictions on freedoms that interfere with or slow down the spread of state control and enrichment of loyal industries and manufacturers.

SO WHAT?  Will it affect you?  Yes; what affects one group will eventually affect you. 

1)     Take the vote, for instance – how long will it take for YOU to be caught in the web of false “updating” of registrations, or IDs that don’t count

2)     Taxes and fees of all kinds will eventually have to be levied against YOU to pay for the subsidies going to the wealthiest less than 1% (already increased the national debt by at least $2 trillion since 2017 -- now at a total of $22 trillion);  

3)     City schools are not occupied only by minorities, so all people are being discriminated against when schools lose funding because of racialism or any kind of discrimination.  More importantly, public money flowing to private schools will soon begin to affect what rural and suburban public schools are receiving. 

Then the crunch begins: on our society:

1.      Profound effects upon the Court system

2.      Loss of checks and balances

3.      One unstable man in charge

4.      Absolute power – no checks or oversight

5.      Use of ‘Smear campaigns’ against individuals, groups and businesses that do not adhere to party line

6.      Corruption – makes money on every governmental enterprise he chooses

7.      Citizen rights and freedoms at risk if they become obstacles to Fuhrer power

8.      War-like conflict is inevitable

9.      Isolation and separation are side effects

10. Use of government as a tool to enhance personal fortune and status inevitable

11. Citizens take on role of loyalists or losers – to be used, abused, and screwed

SO WHAT? Trump is about to escape guilt in the Senate for a charge of abusing the power of his office by bribing the Ukrainian president and extorting a personal favor in the form of announcing an investigation of the Biden relation to a national fossil fuel industry known as Burisma.  His exoneration by a Republican Senate will spell freedom for him to act as the unrestrained absolute ruler of this country for the next four years (longer, if he decides to extend that term by means of declaring a “national emergency” which I predict he will do if re-elected).

For those who just don’t understand what this means, let me be perfectly clear.  This is a turning point in our history.  We are about to allow a president to erase all the checks upon Executive power.  Once that happens, no one and I mean NO ONE is safe from being a target, and no one will have any recourse to overturn unfair actions, bad behavior, unjust decisions.  Everything that happens will happen at the pleasure and the whim of the leader (Fuhrer) who will have captured every branch of the government and directed those branches to act as he deems fit.  Every aspect of our lives will be affected, from wages to schools to recreational events.  Nothing will be the same.

SO WHAT?  A Despotic ruler is not restrained; nor are his henchmen; nor his local followers.  It means that;

ü  no one is safe from being targeted for “disloyalty” as defined by the henchmen

ü  no one will be free to undertake what our Constitution currently provides; instead, all actions will be determined by the wishes and decrees of the Leader or his Party

ü  Local followers are the most cruel and unjust – they advance according to how strongly they show their loyalty to the Leader in their behaviors toward the local populace

ü  There are no protections left to the populace – they have been destroyed so don’t try to get help or support from government because that is not what they will be dispensing

ü  All government officials will do is please the Leader and feather their own nests as best they can – bribery becomes a way of life

ü  Any perceived opposition will be stopped in its tracks – violence an accepted remedy

ü  Since regulations and other restrictions will be eschewed, there will be no protection against poisoned air, water, land, or food.

ü  Your life and that of your family will no longer be yours, but will belong to an authoritarian state

ü  If you are concerned about your privacy, your concern will not matter.  As with many aspects of government and the private sector, much will be weaponized to keep the people within the guidelines set by the Leader.  For example, the enormous amount of private information collected and stored by vendors and social media will become a weapon to ensure your loyalty and your obeisance. 

SO WHAT?  is a dangerous attitude.  It leads to a destructive apathy that ignores the consequences of anti-democratic attitudes, behaviors and unquestioning loyalty to persons instead of to just Laws. This is no time to be a SO WHAT-TER or a Trump-er.  It is the time to understand that:

SO WHAT? was the doorway to Nazi domination of the German people in the 1930s and 1940s.  It gave us the Nazi State, the holocaust, concentration camps for perceived outcasts, opponents and weaklings.  It gave us experimentation on human beings that destroyed lives.  It gave us attempted extermination of a religious minority.  It gave us Storm Troopers who acted to oppress and to eliminate opposition.  It gave us a Propaganda Ministry that made sure the people heard only their “truth.”   It gave us a people vulnerable to another authoritarian state- Communist East Germany.  It gave us a second world war because the Fuhrer desired unlimited world power. 

We need desperately to close that SO WHAT? doorway in this country.  That is why impeachment matters, and so does every vote for other than Trump Republicans in 2020!  Find new voters in every community and every grouping; educate new voters; register new voters; get new voters to the polls!  Concentrate on young people, ages 18-24, and on college students; on single women, men and women of color; on new citizens. (And, don't neglect to remind past voters to update their voter records).  The SO WHAT? attitude is widespread; let your recruitment of new voters be more widespread.  
Let's Get to Work!

TURN HIM OUT and LOCK HIM UP!

The Gravity of Depravity

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert a few nights ago.  I was greatly impressed with her ability to summarize what Democrats in Congress are attempting to do about the formalizing of the impeachment inquiry. 

What was most impressive was her ability to turn attention to the Constitution, and the Republic it initiated, as the focus of why an impeachment procedure is a solemn responsibility, not only of the House of Representatives and ultimately of the Senate, but of the citizenry as well.  Adhering to the Constitution, maintaining the checks and balances built into the Constitution, and guarding against negative effects of foreign interference with our ideals, values and institutions were clearly spoken of as our heritage and our obligation to maintain unbroken.  All of that was the focus of what was about to happen; not some political action as revenge for loss of an election but upholding the accountability of another branch of government by means of one of the unique checks and balances built into our Constitution. 

With several nods to the political and comedic effect Stephen Colbert achieves with his presentations, Speaker Pelosi made quite clear that the Congress was operating on a different level, and that politicizing or satirizing the impeachment procedure (or the Defendant) was not on their radar.  The House would be focused on how the President has violated his oath of office and abused his powers, and that was why the House took future procedures seriously enough to put them up for a vote in a Resolution of the House.  

It makes sense to me that Speaker Pelosi should make this type of presentation a regular exercise on her schedule so that the public can be continually informed and instructed about the impeachment inquiry and its progress.  In order to gain the involvement and support of a majority of the voting public, Democrats generally need to put forth this kind of educational effort on a more regular basis, utilizing the media in this creative way.  It needs to be part of their PLAN of helping the People understand the complicated process of impeachment.  Moreover, keeping the focus of such informational presentations on the Constitution and the importance of the primacy of Law and of the constitutional mechanism of checks and balances is of inestimable value.  It would hopefully serve a valuable purpose by undoing an atmosphere of attack on our Republic and its democratic values.   Keep the focus where it belongs – on the Constitution – not on the narcissistic Donald Trump.

The Resolution passed by the House on a partisan-divide vote is probably in itself a reasonable and prudent action.  It certainly provides everyone with a Plan for moving forward with the public part of this inquiry process.  The Resolution makes it plain that the Republicans will have their say and involvement in the process.  It also establishes that the White House will have a part through its Counsel’s Office, and does allow for due process rights being protected, and gives the chair of the Judiciary Committee authority  to conduct proceedings and to “allow for the participation of the President and his Counsel.”  That wording makes this a rather generous document and sets precedents that may benefit other presidents as well as this one. 

Unfortunately, it may also have unintended consequences that could weaken the sole obligation and duty of the House for conducting impeachment proceedings and presentation of final impeachment charges.  By inviting the White House and the sitting President to take part, the fox has been given access to the hen house and could create all manner of chaos and destruction in that location. 

As I recall, it is not customary for the Defense to attend Grand Jury hearings, or to take part in its proceedings.  The Grand Jury is the bailiwick of the Prosecution, who are the ones presenting their case in order to gain indictments from that Grand Jury against the accused, and to move to a trial based on those charges.  It is a similar process with impeachment: The Defense comes in, not in the inquiry stage (which is like the Grand Jury function) but before the Senate acting as the jury of peers with the Chief Justice of SCOTUS presiding.

 In my opinion, a president should have no part in the process devoted to the authoring of the impeachment charges.  That is solely the responsibility of the House and should remain as such. 

I therefore suggest that the Procedure Resolution contains a provision that is not provided for in the Constitution, and that may well undermine the conditions set by Amendments V and VI regarding indictment by Grand Jury and trial by jury.  Therefore, it is my recommendation that this precedent-setting flaw of allowing the president or his Counsel to be an active part of the grand-jury-like impeachment procedure be entirely reconsidered and abolished forthwith. 

We do not need to weaken the constitutional check on presidential misuse of powers by inviting the Executive branch and its Executive to have opportunity to scuttle, sabotage or delay this sole obligation laid upon the House of Representatives!

Finally, in my humble opinion, it is a mistake to proceed based on one charge only against this man.  He has managed to escape hundreds of court cases before assuming the presidency (and a plethora of charges and accusations against him), and here is his chance to do it once again.

Trump has already told us (and the Congress) exactly what he plans to do, and I for one believe he has enough support from a solid base in both the public sphere and in the Senate, not only to escape conviction, but to turn this one charge on its head so that he does not appear to be guilty of any wrong-doing.  It is his stock-in-trade, his raison d’etre, his modus operandi, and could turn out to be his coup de grace. 

We all know he’s going to avoid a guilty verdict by the Senate anyway, but what he always seeks is not just a victory, but vindication.  The single charge will provide him that opportunity. I don’t care how tight a case is presented, or how it is shown that there was a plan all along to extract dirt on Joe Biden by withholding appropriated money and weapons for Ukraine, Trump (a la Roy Cohn) will find a way to destroy this one charge in the minds of the public.

In an Oct. 8^th letter to Nancy Pelosi and the chairs of three Committees deeply involved in the “inquiry”, one of the WH Counsels on Trump’s behalf, laid out the very claims and lies that will be used as propaganda to undermine this one charge.  These “talking points” about process may in the end serve to diminish support for this one impeachable offense.  They are essentially already being used by Trump and his puppets in the Senate. Here they are as listed in that WH letter (with my under-linings pointing up some of the key words that you will hear emphasized from now on):

1)     “Your ‘Inquiry’ is constitutionally invalid and violates basic due process rights and the Separation of Powers;

You have designed and implemented your inquiry in a manner that violates fundamental fairness.”

2)     “The invalid ‘impeachment inquiry’ plainly seeks to reverse the election of 2016 and to influence the election of 2020.”

“You seek to deprive the American people of the President they have freely chosen” and to “transform impeachment from an extraordinary remedy that should rarely be contemplated into a political weapon to be deployed for political gain.”

3)     “there is no legitimate basis for your ‘impeachment inquiry’; instead, the Committee actions raise serious questions.” 

"Perhaps the best evidence that there was no wrongdoing on the call (to President Zelensky) is the fact that, after the actual record of the call was released, Chairman Schiff chose to concoct a false version of the call and to read his made-up transcript to the American people at a public hearing…which powerfully confirms that there is no issue with the actual call.”

4)     For the foregoing reasons, the President cannot allow your constitutionally illegitimate proceedings to distract him and those in the Executive Branch from their work on behalf of the American people.”

We hope that, in light of the many deficiencies we have identified in your proceedings, you will abandon the current invalid efforts to pursue an impeachment inquiry and join the President in focusing on the many important goals that matter to the American people.”

What I propose is that several charges of impeachment be brought indicating the pattern of criminality that this man has wrought.  Show the depth of his depravity, and the gravity of his lawlessness.  Help the public understand that this is someone who poses a threat to our national security and to our very uniqueness as a representative democracy.  He has committed high crimes and misdemeanors of all sorts and they should not be minimized.  Together they paint the picture of a criminal mind and a despotic character who is intent on destroying democratic values in order to promote the unlimited authority of a rogue president. Here is just a sample of what might be included (grateful to other sources for some of these elements, including soapboxie.com, Washington Post, NBC News).

1)     Violations of the Emoluments Clause

·      made millions of dollars by using his golf resort in Florida as a Southern White House

·      profited when he urged Vice President Pence to stay at his resort in Ireland (which was far from where Pence was meeting the Irish Prime Minister)

·      indeed, it appears that units of our own armed forces were convinced to bivouac at a Trump property as well

·      Trump and his family are making millions of dollars when foreign officials stay at Trump hotels and

·      when foreign governments approve Trump projects or grant trademarks for Trump products.

2)     Conflicts of interest

·      Unlike every other president before him, Donald Trump refused to divest from his business interests when he became president. As a result, Trump knows exactly how his actions as president have a direct impact on his personal wealth and his financial investments.

·      He profited from the tax cuts he enacted and likely made several million dollars. This could explain why he is the first president in over 50 years to refuse to release his tax returns. He has even gone to court to prevent the release of his tax returns.

·      the director of the US Office of Government Ethics tried to get Trump to divest from his business interests to avoid such conflicts, but Trump refused. Director Walter Shaub, Jr. saw so many ethics violations and conflicts of interest that he ultimately resigned in protest.

3)     Obstruction of Justice

·      trying to fire the people who are investigating him,

·      discouraging witnesses from cooperating with the investigation,

·      falsifying information about the Trump Tower meeting,

·      asking people to lie and dangling pardons for people who refused to cooperate with the investigation

·      see Mueller Report for more

·      cover-up of Ukrainian quid-pro-quo

4)     Abuse of Power

·      abuse of children (a felony)

o   at the southern border (including violation of the Peres Agreement)

o   by draconian cuts in federal programs

o   attempt to defund the ACA without adequate replacement for children on parent’s insurance

·      abuse of immigrants

o   discrimination against a religious group

o   delay and denial of amnesty (a universal agreed-upon human right)

o   attempt to deport those here for special medical treatment thus threatening their lives

o   separation of families by deportation

·      abuse of women, union workers, LBGTQ community, and anyone who criticizes or opposes him, including the media

5)     Violations of Campaign Finance Laws

·      During the 2016 campaign, Trump had his lawyer make illegal hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to cover up their sexual relationship, then Trump and his lawyer lied about it. This is a blatant violation of campaign finance laws.

6)     Financial Activities that may Include laundering, bribery, non-payment of taxes, acting as an agent for other governments, and on and on.  We do not have a lot of detail about this aspect, but we do know that the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York continues to  investigate Trump's financial dealings.  Let us hope that the House and the NY District can mesh their findings in order to include charges of financial chicanery.

7)     And all this does not even address a myriad of concerns that could result in charges, such as:

·      acts taken to minimize Russian aggression and Russian interference in our elections

·      betrayal of the Kurds

·      over-riding of the professional decision to deny national security clearance for Jared Kushner

·      abuse and re-assignment to lesser positions of career civil servants in federal departments

·      undermining or elimination of consumer protection boards and committees

Building a case for impeachment on just one charge is too easily minimized, and far too easily dismissed.  His supporters will say: 

“Hell, it’s just one slip-up and look at all he’s done for us!”

“It doesn’t rise to the level of an impeachable offense!”  or they might say: 

“It’s all a hoax; made-up by the fake news people.”  It’s always possible for them to say: 

“Are you kidding me?  This kind of ‘horse-trading’ goes on every day in business, in politics, in daily life and with other nations – he’s just trying to make a deal with the Ukraine!  There’s no way he should be impeached for that – damn Sore Losers -- those Democrats!”  

And, mark my words, those same ‘opinions’ will be voiced by Trump’s loyal base and by some Independents who might have gone along with impeachment if they thought this president was nothing but a crook, a shyster, a serial breaker of the Law.  One hurried charge will not play the right tune for them either.

So, once again, while Speaker Pelosi made a great presentation on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the Plan passed by the House is flawed enough to make me wonder if Democrats will miss this opportunity to show the nation who this fake president really is. Or, will they simply, once again, fritter away an opportunity that begs for attention, just like the election of 2016?  

We cannot afford, as a Party or a nation, to give away the sole responsibility for impeachment in the House.  We cannot afford to allow the Executive Branch to shape any of the impeachment inquiry process.  Until trial in the Senate, impeachment is solely the business of the House.  Let it be.

Likewiswe, we cannot afford to go easy on Donald Trump.  We cannot afford another missed opportunity to protect our nation and our Constitution.  We cannot afford to act as though this is business as usual.  One charge of high crime or misdeneanor is not enough because it does not address the gravity of his depravity!

Where are the new voices in the House?  Where is the rejuvenated Progressive Caucus?  Where is the boldness of a House Democratic majority?  Am I missing something?