CommentsMY TURN-Since the announcement of the illegitimate election results, there has been an onslaught of misinformation, manbaby antics, outrageous distractions, outright lies, emotional outbursts and the most unprofessional and mismanaged conditions that Washington, D.C. and our government has ever experienced.
However, it goes beyond that as we see blatant destruction of the very baselines that keep the fabric of our government together and profiteering as well as greed at every turn. It is an abuse of power that many people and leaders around the world are watching and yet the American people sit idly by to allow it to continue. The GOP currently has the ability to stop this insanity, and yet they turn their backs or ignore what can only be described as an attempt to overthrow our democracy and replace it with a Banana Republic run by madmen (and women). They count on the fact that the chaos will keep the American people from rising up in revolt and the complacency of those that really don’t get involved in political interests. We are currently witnessing the worst conditions of abuse of power and the jury is still out as to whether the country will survive it.
While the orange asshat in D.C. tweets childish obsessions and makes vindictive and hateful actions against those that criticize him, the Republicans say and do nothing. Both Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are silent, even though they would be the first ones to run down the street screaming if a Democrat did even one hundred of one percent of what we are seeing now. The intensity of the state of hypocrites on the conservative side is beyond comprehension, and the Democrats have yet to understand that you simply cannot “reason” with insanity and the status quo must be changed to a “gloves off” attitude.
In A NY Times article entitled, “Republicans, Don’t Just Tweet About It. Do Something.”
“At that news conference in Helsinki, the world was confronted with an extraordinary stew of narcissism, appeasement, moral surrender and the chronic dishonesty that Republicans have been willing to tolerate for so long. But now the stakes are higher.
In just a few days, President Trump undermined the global world order, weakened our alliances, cast doubt on our commitments to NATO, sided with Vladimir Putin over our own intelligence agencies and suggested that the Russians be allowed to interrogate a former ambassador to their country. Despite the attempted walkbacks, clarifications and various obfuscations about dropped contractions, the damage is real. And now Mr. Trump wants Mr. Putin to come to Washington.”
As a nation, we are hated around the globe, have lost every friend and ally and are observing the crumbling of each and every string that holds the fabric of the nation together.
The most important parts of the NY Times article are contained in the following:
“It is precisely moments like this that the author of Federalist 51, generally thought to be James Madison, had in mind when he explained our system of checks and balances: ‘Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government.’
Let’s be honest: Most Republicans have been too afraid of the president’s tweets to rise to the occasion. Their reluctance is understandable: In one poll, 79 percent of Republican voters said they were just fine with Mr. Trump’s performance in Helsinki. Breaking too decisively with the president risks offending the base and perhaps inviting a primary challenge. The end of the political careers of Senators Jeff Flake and Bob Corker and the defeat of Representative Mark Sanford are cautionary tales for many Republicans.
So Republicans who privately bemoan the president’s recklessness are content to rationalize, wring their hands and do nothing. But now they need to look past his tweets and even their own electoral base to the larger question of their constitutional responsibilities. Republican members of Congress need to act like a political party with principles rather than outsourcing their consciences to a handful of critics who are willing to say out loud what many of them are saying in private.”
Representatives of the Press Step Forward to Protect our Freedoms
While some have compared the current horrors with those of Watergate, it must be stated that what is occurring now makes Watergate pale in comparison. That past situation involved outright lying, stealing and devious behavior but didn’t cross the line of the complete government takeover that we are seeing today.
One by one, Trump and his Orc supporters are removing the ability for anyone to criticize or condemn their actions, with the latest involving revoking security clearances of some of the highest-ranking officials such as former CIA Director, John Brennan. These are the actions that we have seen throughout history as fascist dictators simply delete anyone that crosses them. The Trump supporters obviously never got these history lessons as they drool with glee in demeaning the very security departments that have kept our country safe.
The USAToday article stated: “Brennan, like many of his supporters, called the decision part of a broader effort by Trump to ‘suppress freedom of speech’ and ‘punish critics.’”
“It should gravely worry all Americans, including intelligence professionals, about the cost of speaking out,” Brennan tweeted. “My principles are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent.”
But there may be a one-two punch lining up that brings a glimmer of hope. Anyone that has studied dictators realizes that beyond the first steps of blaming other cultures or religions for all the woes of the people, it requires a major upheaval and overturn of the news media that the people rely on.
Trump began this process early on with his “fake news” rants and only validating the Fox (government approved) media that reports only the good things about him. Again, his Orc supporters have no clue that Hitler and the Brown Shirts relied on the chant “Lugenpresse” (lying news) and that eventually all reporters and journalists were thrown in jail or the camps and only the approved news sources were allowed to continue.
We are not ready to lay down and let the idiocy wash over us as the Boston Globe has stepped up to the plate, organizing hundreds of newspapers across the country to fight against Trump’s attacks on the media. In a WBUR.org report they state:
“Over 300 newsrooms around the country joined The Boston Globe to speak out against President Trump’s criticism of the media on Thursday.
The Globe’s editorial is titled “Journalists Are Not The Enemy.”
The Globe writes that ‘it’s not a coincidence that this president — whose financial affairs are murky and whose suspicious pattern of behavior triggered his own Justice Department to appoint an independent counsel to investigate him — has tried so hard to intimidate journalists who provide independent scrutiny.’”
There is another element that made the headlines and is of the highest importance. A CBS News quote stated:
“The Senate unanimously passed a resolution Thursday affirming that ‘the press is not the enemy of the people.’ The resolution, introduced by Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, passed by unanimous consent.
President Trump has repeatedly declared that the “fake news” media is the ‘enemy of the people.’”
The combination of these two actions may not sound like a lot on an individual basis but considering that both the press and the Senate are made up of individuals from all parties, it is making a resounding statement.
Just as McCarthyism Reached the Tipping Point — So Omarosa May be The Useful Tool
McCarthyism was a dark part of the American past, with the paranoid attitudes that communists were around every corner and that neighbor and relative were requested to “turn in” anyone that they deemed suspicious. A description of this time is well stated in This Day in History.
“Senator McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) experienced a meteoric rise to fame and power in the U.S. Senate when he charged in February 1950 that “hundreds” of “known communists” were in the Department of State. In the years that followed, McCarthy became the acknowledged leader of the so-called Red Scare, a time when millions of Americans became convinced that communists had infiltrated every aspect of American life. Behind closed-door hearings, McCarthy bullied, lied, and smeared his way to power, destroying many careers and lives in the process. Prior to 1953, the Republican Party tolerated his antics because his attacks were directed against the Democratic administration of Harry S. Truman. When Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower entered the White House in 1953, however, McCarthy’s recklessness and increasingly erratic behavior became unacceptable and the senator saw his clout slowly ebbing away. In a last-ditch effort to revitalize his anticommunist crusade, McCarthy made a crucial mistake. He charged in early 1954 that the U.S. Army was “soft” on communism. As Chairman of the Senate Government Operations Committee, McCarthy opened hearings into the Army.”
The accusations of Senator Joseph McCarthy destroyed lives, careers and families. His vindictive and hateful rhetoric empowered him to continue the fear-mongering until there seemed to be a hidden tipping point.
“Joseph N. Welch, a soft-spoken lawyer with an incisive wit and intelligence, represented the Army. During the course of weeks of hearings, Welch blunted every one of McCarthy’s charges…McCarthy, exposed as a reckless bully, was officially condemned by the U.S. Senate for contempt against his colleagues in December 1954. During the next two-and-a-half years McCarthy spiraled into alcoholism.”
One might assume that the American people, government representatives and even the press had finally seen through the veil of insanity, propaganda and idiocy and that it was the serendipitous presence of Welch that brought all the “Red Scare” crashing down on McCarthy and his cohorts.
In today’s madness we are witnessing an individual that it frankly disliked by all sides and yet seems to be playing the role of the useful tool against Trump: Omarosa Managault Newman. Known for her support of Trump, her part in “The Apprentice” show and being the sole Black American member of Trump’s entourage in D.C., this woman has seemed to have no integrity or loyalty to anyone but herself. She is not that much different than Trump except that she is incredibly savvy and intelligent (two traits Trump lacks). Omarosa has always carefully calculated her positions, protecting herself from the insanity and seemed to have both a short and long-term plan.
It seems that Omarosa studied Trump’s many weaknesses with a purpose to write her book and expose the illegal, immoral and treasonous actions of Trump and his administration. She knows how to “play” Trump and with the release of each tape, he responds with exactly the bullying responses that are expected. Each media interview shows a calm and relaxed woman whose endgame has been well-calculated.
This is driving Trump to even more insane steps as he is trying to process an illegal lawsuit against her and is so focused with his tweets that he is now sounding exactly like Joseph McCarthy at the end of his cycle.
The fact that Omarosa has hinted that she has turned over damning recording evidence to Special Counsel Mueller has Trump spiraling into even more chaos.
We have yet to see this entire scenario play out — but there is a blending of universal actions that are occurring in our lifetimes and we all need to take advantage of the momentum. For the average American this means getting out to vote ALL of these idiots out of office.
Voting is the only power that we have and you need to vote like your lives and those of your children depend on it — because they DO!
(S. Novi is a journalist who worked in the media and continues to seek out truth and integrity. A liberal and one who is suspicious of cults and empty promises. Her posts originate at Medium.com. She is a contributor to CityWatch.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
