Atlanta, GA
November 26, 2024
Donald Trump is the beef liver and black licorice of American politics. Most people love or loathe the distinctive taste, even when it masks the vulgar meal they’ve always eaten.
But others are indifferent. Regardless the samplings to which they’re accustomed, all they know is whatever they’re given makes them sick.
Taken for a Ride
There’s a common notion that the powers-that-be resist Donald Trump. It’s an understandable assumption I usually share.
And, to a great extent, it may be true. After all, look at the ruthless tactics used to keep him at bay.
But are they really necessary? In many ways, Trump may be the best vessel for his ostensible enemies to go where they want.
During his first term, they usually did. And his devoted adherents were taken for a ride.
Trump nullified the Iran nuclear deal, increased debt by a third, moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, authorized weapons to the Ukraine, green-lighted lockdowns, gave “Public Health” hacks free rein (and reign) to push us around, lobbed missiles into Syria, and facilitated Saudi genocide in Yemen.
Not bad for a president who promised to “drain the swamp.” Yet MAGA minions defend or deflect (or ignore) these despicable decisions.
They’re still doing it. With few exceptions, Trump’s recent appointments are horrific. Many could’ve been picked by Bill Clinton or George W Bush.
As Jason Furman, who chaired the Council of Economic Advisers under Barack Obama, said of Trump’s Treasury nominee: “I think Scott Bessent would be a completely credible choice….well within the mainstream of past treasury secretaries.”
Great. As Dave Gonigam quipped yesterday, “can’t you just feel the swamp water draining?”
Three weeks ago, Trump supporters worried the country could be lost to an entrenched Establishment. It was a valid concern.
But, aside from some cosmetic trimming, their man appointed the sort who’ve been running things all along. Yet they suddenly think everything’s fine.
This is perfect for those who’ll continue to run the show. After all, the opposition is more receptive to your plan if they think their ostensible “champion” pushed it thru.
Qui Tacet Consentire
Meanwhile, a few weeks after voters ousted it from office, the Biden Administration is fomenting World War III. The Russian ruler responded with a salvo of hypersonic missiles for which NATO has no defense.
This was, as former Navy Seal Matt Bracken described it, a brush-back pitch from Vladimir Putin. But rather than step away from the plate, US psychopaths are apparently digging in, and considering sending nuclear weapons to the Ukraine.
We’re led by lunatics.
Yet Donald Trump, who’s rarely reticent, is strangely silent…which in international law suggests consent.
As president-elect (or merely as an American), he should be outraged that his lame-duck predecessor is poisoning the pond where he’ll will soon swim…and in which the rest of the world is liable to drown.
But despite the most reckless decisions any administration (much less a repudiated one) could make, Trump says nothing. This is a damning indictment of the incoming executive. It implies he either endorses what’s being done, is indifferent to it, or is impotent to stop it.
Trump obviously has no official power to cease this insanity. Maybe he’s secretly communicating with Putin to settle his nerves? We can only hope some soothing signals are being sent.
Regardless, forceful rhetoric (or even a hint of disagreement) from the president-elect could rally opposition at home, and ease understandable anxiety abroad. Yet Trump’s implicit acquiescence, along with his bellicose appointees as Secretary of State and Defense, make it seem he’d rather not.
Interchangeable Ornaments
Trump’s supporters instinctively laud or excuse anything he does, while blaming every failure on the duplicity of his foes.
His opponents reflexively leap to hysteria and hyperbole, attributing Trump’s every utterance or action to dictatorial desire.
The detractors may have a point. Indeed, they probably do.
But so what? How do his imperial urges distinguish Trump from any president (and almost every politician or public official) of the last century?
They’re mostly interchangeable ornaments on the hood of an Edsel. They all crave power and adore status.
Obviously.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t seek or cling to high office.
Donald Trump is no different. He’s just more obtrusive, garish, and brash. But aside from style, he’s not unusual.
Politically, he’s always had the instincts of a traditional Democrat (for most of his life, that’s what he’s been).
If not for his bombast, he’d have blended seamlessly into any administration since the Second World War.
But he’s always lacked a philosophical core. He’s indifferent to ideology, inclining instead to making decisions (no matter how dumb) and doing big (yuge!) things.
That’s intended neither as a compliment nor a condemnation (depending on the circumstances, it could be either). Just an observation.
What matters to Donald Trump is sealing the deal…and that Donald Trump receive credit for getting it done.
That’s why he still boasts about “Operation Warp Speed” and the CARES Act, despite both being unmitigated disasters.
But they were his disasters, which means any errors were unavoidable, could have been foreseen by no one, or were the fault of imbecilic underlings who provided awful advice.
American Mussolinis
Trump’s more moronic opponents often liken him to Hitler, which is insultingly absurd.
He’s also frequently compared to Mussolini. As with any modern president, this isn’t entirely unwarranted.
But Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman are more apt analogies. FDR was among Il Duce’s great admirers before the war. Truman and most of his successors remained eager emulators when it was over.
Then again, these comparisons may be overwrought.
Unlike Truman, Trump hasn’t nationalized refineries, airports, or cotton mills, nor threatened to conscript striking steel workers into the US army.
And, tho’ Trump promises to deploy the military to deport illegal aliens, he hasn’t followed FDR’s lead by forcing innocent Americans into concentration camps.
So, bad as Trump can be, his modern predecessors (and certainly his successor) reveal he could’ve been worse. But the recent election gives him another shot!
Will he succeed? I have no idea. But his ardent admirers shouldn’t be surprised if he does. And they’ll likely be dismayed when he lets them down.
I’m not sure why. What do they expect? We’ve seen this act for almost a decade.
At this point, no one is excused for being disappointed. By now, any Trump supporter should know better than to expect too much.
After all, licorice rarely improves with age.
JD
To me it was the better choice...
Wrong man at a dangerous time. Hard to believe that of all the smart, articulate, patriotic people in our country, this very faulty man is our president. (Harris, for different reasons, also unsuited). I worry about the future, especially rampart inflation and decreased trade, which -- as of now -- are likely to occur.