The Sorry State of Our Union
April 11, 2017
I have been reading various media outlets and online websites regarding the last few days of the ever-volatile Trump Administration. Granted, during the campaign, I thought Donald Trump was able to use his P.T. Barnum carnival barker style of campaigning to win the White House effectively. It was a campaign that no one had ever run before and became a blitzkrieg of sound bites, bluster and a rope-a-dope methodology which defeated an astounding 17 other candidates in the Republican primaries. Additionally, Trump took on and was able to defeat the vaunted Clinton Machine (with some help from the Russians, FBI Director Comey and Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, allegedly). So, I was expecting his administration to be unconventional, to say the least. He would govern a little differently, but with help from experienced political hands, or so I had hoped.
However, over the past few weeks, I am starting to believe that the "new era" of Trumpism and politics his supporters along with those who had an open mind (like myself) had expected is nothing more than a charade. Mr. Trump's baffling Cabinet choices and their testimonies during confirmation hearings were nothing I have ever witnessed before. Attorney General-designate Jeff Sessions answers to Senator Franken were downright head-scratching, especially his volunteering that he didn't speak with anyone from the Russian government, even though Senator Franken never asked him that specifically. His recent recusal from any administration or congressional investigations into Russian tampering of American democracy is embarrassing to the country, and the country's allies. Along with President Trump's nutty accusation that former President Obama had instructed the FBI to "wiretap" phone lines at Trump Tower in New York is a ridiculous assertion, even on its face to partisan observers. Our transition of power does not allow for outgoing presidential administrations to listen in on phone calls from aides for the incoming administration since that would require the help of government agencies, who are going to be of service to the new administration.
I personally feel that Mr. Trump is not the person who is running things in the White House. That is a shared responsibility between Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus, with the former GOP Chairman Priebus in the "Robin" role to Bannon's "Batman." Trump appears to be coasting through his job. I don't get the impression he is a studious person, and the job requires a lot of reading (intel briefings, etc), and I feel he wants people to do the majority of heavy lifting the job comes with. President Trump loves to sit at his desk and show the items he has just signed. A bit juvenile, if you ask me. Like show and tell, but an adult version. Trump does not seem to be heavily involved in running the country. There is no deep preparation, outside of knowing his talking points that his aides tell him to say. His interviews consist of simple, but effective extemporaneous exchanges with the main network media. Nothing deep is said from President Trump. The country now has to deal with a non-interested President of the United States for the next four years. I hope those years do not suck.
While there is an apathetic president in the White House, there are dueling echo chambers in form of conservative and liberal traditional media, website and online opinion forums, and a general fraying of common decency. The latter is a result the echo chambers. Trump supporters are his supporters for a reason, and nothing the traditional media puts forth will change their opinion of him. His support borders on worship and that can trend to a worrisome possibility. Liberal supporters tend to have a visceral hatred of President Trump, even more than their loathsome feelings for former President Bush.
Take for instance the recent allegations, which are being investigated by the FBI, of the Trump campaign's alleged ties to Russia, and the transfer of that information from the intelligence services and the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes (R-California). The Democrats are trying to paint Mr. Nunes as a compromised member of the committee and a political stooge for the Trump Administration. The Republicans are supporting Congressman Nunes because their angle is that Democrats are just trying to create drama where there is none. The liberal and conservative echo chambers are taking sides and disregarding the other side's arguments. It is a scary proposition where two groups within Congress to not accept or give the benefit of the doubt to the opinions or concerns of the other side. This can set a dangerous precedent, which could lead to a cataclysmic and fatal division of the country for the foreseeable future. The lead-up to the American Civil War was begun when the pro-slave states of the south and the pro-union states of the north ignored the issues and concerns of the other side and felt their own views were more important, valid and the right way to look at the business of the country. I feel that America is still fighting those same pertinent issues. It has been accelerated due to the explosion of cable news shows with various experts, "strategists," and politicians preaching to their constituents, rather than seeking common ground.
Recently, President Trump was on the receiving end of his first legislative defeat, with his attempt to repeal and "replace" the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), was soundly destroyed by an indifferent White House, stubborn Freedom Caucus and poor leadership from Speaker Ryan. The Republicans spent 7 years trying to defeat, overturn and repeal the health care bill that President Obama wanted for his legacy. What an utter waste of time. The GOP had no credible alternative but simply threw a 7-year temper tantrum. If behooves the GOP, that if they want to repeal a bill they don't like for a multitude of reasons, the party needed to show a good-faith replacement that would make the goal of access and secure insurance for the poor and afflicted in this country, the replacement needed to show visible improvement above and beyond the older bill. Their alternative, the American Health Care Act, was an utter disgrace and a shallow attempt to cover their loathing of a legacy project for America's first black president.
(Updated):
With this Trump Administration, there is never a shortage of news and outrageous crap that eliminates from this White House. Recently, television images from around the world showing Syrian women and children being killed by the deadly Sarin gas. Some in the alt-net community suggested it was a false flag operation where it was made to look like the Assad government had committed this travesty, while others said it was the Russians, and others claim that it was the opposition rebels who are creating this illusion. Nonetheless, President Trump authorized the launching of 59 American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles to attack the airfield where the Sarin gas bombing was initiated. The Trump Administration did warn the Russians of the military operation, thereby avoiding an escalation in the situation. This attack did not create much damage, based on drone footage afterward, but the administration did specify that 20% of the aircraft that took part in the bombing had been destroyed. Not sure I buy that. I think it was a waste of time because it did not deter any of the parties involved in the Syrian Civil War from creating a cease-fire or cessation of combat. I think the primary goal was for Trump to show he had "balls" and could be trusted to represent American and Western interests. Personally, I don't think he scared Russia's Putin or the Iranian government of future engagement with the American military.
While there is an apathetic president in the White House, there are dueling echo chambers in form of conservative and liberal traditional media, website and online opinion forums, and a general fraying of common decency. The latter is a result the echo chambers. Trump supporters are his supporters for a reason, and nothing the traditional media puts forth will change their opinion of him. His support borders on worship and that can trend to a worrisome possibility. Liberal supporters tend to have a visceral hatred of President Trump, even more than their loathsome feelings for former President Bush.
Take for instance the recent allegations, which are being investigated by the FBI, of the Trump campaign's alleged ties to Russia, and the transfer of that information from the intelligence services and the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes (R-California). The Democrats are trying to paint Mr. Nunes as a compromised member of the committee and a political stooge for the Trump Administration. The Republicans are supporting Congressman Nunes because their angle is that Democrats are just trying to create drama where there is none. The liberal and conservative echo chambers are taking sides and disregarding the other side's arguments. It is a scary proposition where two groups within Congress to not accept or give the benefit of the doubt to the opinions or concerns of the other side. This can set a dangerous precedent, which could lead to a cataclysmic and fatal division of the country for the foreseeable future. The lead-up to the American Civil War was begun when the pro-slave states of the south and the pro-union states of the north ignored the issues and concerns of the other side and felt their own views were more important, valid and the right way to look at the business of the country. I feel that America is still fighting those same pertinent issues. It has been accelerated due to the explosion of cable news shows with various experts, "strategists," and politicians preaching to their constituents, rather than seeking common ground.
Recently, President Trump was on the receiving end of his first legislative defeat, with his attempt to repeal and "replace" the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), was soundly destroyed by an indifferent White House, stubborn Freedom Caucus and poor leadership from Speaker Ryan. The Republicans spent 7 years trying to defeat, overturn and repeal the health care bill that President Obama wanted for his legacy. What an utter waste of time. The GOP had no credible alternative but simply threw a 7-year temper tantrum. If behooves the GOP, that if they want to repeal a bill they don't like for a multitude of reasons, the party needed to show a good-faith replacement that would make the goal of access and secure insurance for the poor and afflicted in this country, the replacement needed to show visible improvement above and beyond the older bill. Their alternative, the American Health Care Act, was an utter disgrace and a shallow attempt to cover their loathing of a legacy project for America's first black president.
(Updated):
With this Trump Administration, there is never a shortage of news and outrageous crap that eliminates from this White House. Recently, television images from around the world showing Syrian women and children being killed by the deadly Sarin gas. Some in the alt-net community suggested it was a false flag operation where it was made to look like the Assad government had committed this travesty, while others said it was the Russians, and others claim that it was the opposition rebels who are creating this illusion. Nonetheless, President Trump authorized the launching of 59 American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles to attack the airfield where the Sarin gas bombing was initiated. The Trump Administration did warn the Russians of the military operation, thereby avoiding an escalation in the situation. This attack did not create much damage, based on drone footage afterward, but the administration did specify that 20% of the aircraft that took part in the bombing had been destroyed. Not sure I buy that. I think it was a waste of time because it did not deter any of the parties involved in the Syrian Civil War from creating a cease-fire or cessation of combat. I think the primary goal was for Trump to show he had "balls" and could be trusted to represent American and Western interests. Personally, I don't think he scared Russia's Putin or the Iranian government of future engagement with the American military.
In other White House news, Sean Spicer said that Assad was worse than Hitler because he used chemical agents to attack civilians, while the Nazi leader did not do that. Mr. Spicer conveniently left out the "chemicals" Hitler used to kill millions of Jews, including in the gas chambers. What an idiot! Each and every day this administration, along with the nut jobs who advise the president and speak to the media, embarrass this country to no end. Combine that with the horrible legislation crafted by our Congress, and I feel that the American century (20th) will lead the decline of American civilization. Maybe that is a stretch to think about, but based on the short, but tumultuous days of the Trump Administration, the behavior of North Korea, China in the Pacific and Putin's grand ambitions for Europe and the resurrection of the Russian Empire, I feel this country is off-course in its destiny to protect Western values.
