We are just eight months away
from what could spell the end of our unique experiment in democracy. Some, (like one of my adult daughters) are frightened
enough by this possibility to contemplate a move out-of-country. Sharing her fearfulness,
my wife and I have entertained similar thoughts (as have others known to us),
but we demur, enjoying the nearness of our children and grandchildren, and still
believing in the resilience and integrity of our great nation. However,
if Donald J. Trump and his sycophants win re-election, the duress and
oppression that is sure to come could impact the life decisions of a good many
of us.
Others feel quite
differently. Trump’s approval ratings
have risen as high as 54%, according to one or two outlier polls, but
an average of major polls seems to indicate approval at around 42-45%. However, we know from 2016 just how inaccurate
that form of measurement can be! Indeed,
the polls fail to capture variables that are at the core of Trump’s win in the
Electoral College. He only needs 270 votes there to win re-election and just
about 30 key battleground districts in 6 states offered enough votes for him to
gain over 300 electoral votes in 2016.
If Wisconsin is any indicator, he could possibly do that again, but with
a smaller margin.
On the other hand, something
else may be happening according to a recent Quinnipiac poll indicating that
democratic candidates are leading Trump by 2-6% points. That could make the electoral vote very close,
perhaps favoring the democratic candidate.
What we can’t forget (nor
overcome, apparently) is the probability that the Russians will interfere in
our presidential election once again (see past Blogs for 6/17/2019; 11/9/2018; 11/14/2016). In fact, it has been reported just recently
that they are already attempting to influence the democratic primaries in order
to gain an advantage for Bernie Sanders.
Some commentators make it seem that Bernie is therefore a favorite of
the Russians -- missing the point entirely.
The Russians don’t favor Bernie for President, just for the Democratic nomination
for president, precisely because they believe Trump will be able to defeat him if
enough voters run away from the ‘socialist democrat’ label (and poll results
from Pennsylvania and Michigan seem to back-up that hypothesis). Russia is working for a Trump re-election;
Sanders's nomination is just one tactic within that plan.
Since his acquittal before
the Senate, Trump has been on a rampage of revenge --getting even with those he
claims to be “never Trumpers” and who supposedly make up the “Deep State” that he says oppose him at every opportunity within the federal bureaucracy (see my Blog
for 10/2/2019). To refresh our memories a bit, here are some examples of what
he has done just recently to denigrate or to get rid of those who disappoint,
criticize and/or indicate any disloyalty toward him.
1.
In a bold attempt
to intimidate any government officials who speak out against him, Trump had Lt.
Colonel Vindman (and his twin brother) escorted from their DSA assignments at
the White House. He also recalled U.S.
Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland; both moves were widely condemned
as vindictive.
2.
Sent detailed
memos about disloyal government officials he wanted fired, according to more
than a dozen sources who spoke with Axios.com. Trump’s distrust of people inside the White
House and the federal bureaucracy has intensified since his impeachment and
acquittal, and he thinks his government is filled with “snakes” he wants fired
and replaced.”
3.
He verbally attacked
Senator Mitt Romney who, he said, “could undergo some things.” Sounds much like
his approach to former Ukrainian ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, who testified
before Congress that she was getting a similar message from Trump’s people when
they believed she was an obstacle to their agenda. Trump Jr. suggested Romney
be evicted from the Republican Party, and several allies of Trump have shunned
Romney. One Utah state legislator even
spoke of introducing recall vote legislation.
4.
In his attempts
to de-construct the federal bureaucracy, Trump has put the health and welfare
of the American people on the chopping block. In certain parts of the federal
bureaucracy, especially those departments that express or demonstrate some
opposition to or difficulty with his ideology and/or his behaviors, he has cut
staff, fired directors, kept positions unfilled, put acting leaders in place
(who are fiercely loyal to President Trump -- most often their top claim to the
job!
5.
Recently, Trump named Richard Grenell, a vocal
and controversial U.S. ambassador to Germany since May 2018, as the new acting
director of national intelligence, replacing the current acting head of the
nation's 17 spy agencies. Grenell is known to be fiercely loyal to Trump, but
critics have noted that he has no background in intelligence and no top-level
management experience in operations.
6.
AND NOW WE LEARN
that in relation to the Department of HHS, particularly to the unit
responsible for preparing for global emergencies, we are faced with an
understaffed, disorganized, under-funded hollowed-out agency that is not prepared
for what may be coming soon in the form of
the CORONAVIRUS
In addition, the Task Force formed under
President Obama to deal with global crises was essentially destroyed by this
President who has dedicated himself to throwing much of the Obama legacy on the
scrap heap. Sometimes this attitude of
vengeance comes back to bite, as it has when this potential pandemic looms
large.
7.
In spite of Trump’s
claim that “all is well”, scientists and doctors associated with our health
agencies had started getting the word
out that we are not prepared (or preparing) adequately for this pandemic, until
Trump muzzled them all in order to protect and solidify the lies that
everything is under control and that the virus will probably end quickly.
“Messages
from the White House diverged throughout Tuesday, with White House economic
adviser Larry Kudlow raising eyebrows with remarks in an CNBC interview stating
that the virus was "contained" and that it was pretty close to
"air-tight." His remarks came
the same day the CDC warned of an inevitable outbreak in the United States.”
(MSN.com)
“Two Cabinet members at separate hearings were
grilled over what lawmakers described as an insufficient response so far, while
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said the White
House's budget request to handle the disease was ‘lackluster’.” (CNN.com)
“Democrats
were unsparing in their criticism, with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer
(N.Y.) saying the administration was showing "towering and dangerous
incompetence" in its response to the virus. He called for at least $3.1 billion in
funding and for the administration to appoint a "czar" to oversee the
response.”
Instead, Trump
appointed Vice President Pence as the one to oversee the government’s
response. Regrettably, Pence has no expertise in fighting global pandemics or in applied science, so the
mistakes already made by this administration, along with those yet to come,
will inevitably play a causative role in the deaths of a large number of people
who will have no hope or help from this incompetent administration.
The
politicization of every event, the lack of competence, experience and expertise
of its leaders, lack of attention to important information and intelligence,
the indifference to scientific fact and method, the de-construction of the
federal government, plus the location of information-gathering and
decision-making in one person – all of it is finally being shown for what it is
-- a
disaster!
Because
federal agencies have been hollowed-out and de-moralized by slashed budgets and
the firing of professional leadership, the federal government is unable to
respond adequately to a threat of global proportions. Thus, we find ourselves at the mercy of inept
leadership and inadequate resources.
However, the catalysts for this actual and potential destruction,
incompetence and corruption are those totally bamboozled and uninformed voters
who continue to place us all in danger by their sycophantic support of Donald
J. Trump and his minions.
But, this
time around – if Trump is re-elected – the hammer of incompetence and the
sickle of corruption are about to fall with devastating effect upon “Never
Trumpers” and “Always Trumpers” alike. Here
are just a few of the blows coming your way, sooner rather than later:
· cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and many
other government benefits that will devastate access to the care needed by
Seniors and others with special needs
· an economy (and stock market) disrupted by the
negative effects of this virus on business and consumers
· health care changes that benefit Big Pharm and Big
Drug companies but devastate ordinary families -- the return of pre-existing
conditions, caps on pay-outs, higher prices for some drugs and plans that cost
more for everything
· a coronavirus epidemic in this country could take
the lives of hundreds (maybe thousands) of adults and children and “Trumpers”
will not be spared these agonizing outcomes
· a recent appellate court decision could bring
something quite unexpected -- once again to Trumpers and non-Trumpers alike --
and that is the withholding of millions of dollars in law enforcement grants to
force states to cooperate with U.S. immigration enforcement; such penalties could
potentially have a ‘whiplash’ effect on the safety parameters of areas in which
many live, especially in states like New York, Connecticut, New Jersey,
Washington, Massachusetts, Virginia and Rhode Island.
· you could find yourself afraid to openly express your
opinions for fear of personal attacks on you by the president of the United
States and his henchmen; it is happening right now to
whistleblowers, professional staff, to judges, and just recently to jurors in
the Stone trial, singled-out by name by this president and accused by him of
biased activity;
BEWARE Trumpers and never Trumpers for you could end up on
an enemies list (reported to be extant in this administration) that might
affect your life in ways that could cost you your job, your pension, your
house, your car, and your freedom.
DONALD J.
TRUMP is ultimately responsible for our plight because of his isolationism and
white nationalism; his destructive ideology of de-construction, his paranoia toward
any criticism, his inability to understand the necessity of applied science in
our lives, and his dangerous modus operandi of appointing leaders for their
loyalty rather than for their expertise, their abilities and their empathy and
passion for serving others.
Frighteningly, the inexperienced Acting Deputy Director of the White
House Corona Virus Task Force has had to solicit help from a larger audience
via the internet for operating the global mapping of where the coronavirus is
active!
We are traversing very
dangerous ground here because this is not simply “authoritarianism.” Trump is
hitting all the discordant notes that have been identified by researchers (such
as Professor Lawrence Briggs and others) as characteristic of such groups over a
long period of time. Unfortunately, Americans are led to give much more
attention to extremist views of the far Left (“socialism”) and far too little attention
to the nihilistic and destructive terrorism and authoritarianism of the
extremists of the far Right.
All the way back to the last
half of 2016, I have warned readers of this in regard to Donald Trump, and
even opined that “the Donald” was well
on his way to fulfilling those characteristics even before he was sworn in as
president. (“Fourteen Reasons to be
Anti-Trump” – parts I and II – 11/21 & 11/23/2016). Here are those 14 characteristics of fascist regimes, in brief:
1)
Powerful and
Continuing Nationalism – “Fascist
regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs,
and other paraphernalia” (like hats and T-shirts?).
2)
Disdain for
the Recognition of Human Rights –
“Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist
regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because
of "need."
3)
Identification
of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause. “The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the
need to eliminate a perceived common threat” like immigrants or Islamists
4)
Supremacy of the
Military – “Even when there are
widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount
of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and
military service are glamorized.”
5)
Rampant Sexism – “The governments of fascist nations tend to be
almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender
roles are made more rigid.
6)
Controlled
Mass Media – “Sometimes media is
directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly
controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and
executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.”
7)
Obsession with
National Security – “Fear is used as
a motivational tool by the government over the masses.”
8)
Religion and
Government are Intertwined –
“Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the
nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and
terminology are common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of
the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or
actions.”
9)
Corporate
Power is Protected – “The industrial
and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the
government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial
business/government relationship and power elite.”
10)
Labor Power is
Suppressed – “Because the organizing
power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions
are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.”
11)
Disdain for
Intellectuals and the Arts – “Fascist
nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and
academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored
or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.”
12)
Obsession with
Crime and Punishment – “Under fascist
regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The
people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil
liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force
with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.”
13)
Rampant
Cronyism and Corruption – “Fascist
regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who
appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and
authority to protect their friends from accountability.
14)
Fraudulent
Elections – “Sometimes elections in
fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by
smear campaigns against (or even assassination of) opposition candidates, use
of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and
manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries
to manipulate or control elections.”
GET THE PICTURE? It
is essential that we keep reminding ourselves that this so-called President and
his behavior must be viewed in this context.
Otherwise, we risk the same
fate as has befallen many other countries whose people failed to recognize the
path being taken by their elected leaders until it was too late to prevent a corrupt
despotic ruler and his cronies from taking over their society and their lives. Not recognizing what is happening is
tantamount to acceptance and even encouragement of the inevitable outcomes.
The main concern of our opposition
should not just be the removal of this wannabe dictator from office. There must also be a thorough examination of
the qualifications and motives of his cronies, henchmen and abettors of
despotism. Their occupation of any
elective or appointed office -- or attempts to capture any office with tainted
money and/or manipulative propaganda -- must be monitored and strongly opposed
wherever needed. Reforming our election
system and strengthening the constitutional safeguards of our representative
democracy must also receive our undivided attention, along with a firm resolve
to:
VOTE
THIS INCOMPETENT CORRUPT PRESIDENT and HENCHMEN OUT OF OFFICE.
