If I understand the term “Christmas spirit” correctly, it’s probably not exactly proper to be laughing at someone else’s misfortunes, let alone those of their whole family. Yet, with Trump and company, it’s just so hard to resist. Yes, Donald Trump may be compromised mentally and emotionally to a degree that one might even feel genuine pity for the man. It’s harder to offer passes to the entirety of his inner circle and family. The stark corruption tainting everyone who surrounds him is so tangible it’s nearly impossible not to imagine them all gathered in some inactive volcano, maniacally laughing until it peters out and things get awkward. Or at least, that’s what they might have been metaphorically doing last year, maybe even some of this year. But as the holidays quickly approach, the Trump clan isn’t laughing anymore. The blunt truth is, they’re fucked, royally. The walls are closing in and every aspect of Trump is being investigated: his business, his campaign, his inauguration fund, his charity… it goes on and on. But wait! Haven’t we been here before? In fact, haven’t we been here before so many times that we’ve not only already said “Haven’t we been here before?”, but followed it up with “only this time it’s different.” Except this time, it really does seem different.
The Trumps’ ability to get away with just about anything had become the stuff of legends. They’re so good at being bad, that a shockingly large swath of the country doesn’t believe the mainstream media that has displayed time and time again that this is a whole family of professional grifters. Stepping into such a public light has been Trump’sbiggest downfall. For someone longing for publicity, Trump’s greatest asset has been being a public figure that nobody much cared about. Now he has more attention than he could have ever imagined, and that attention extends to every dirty deal he and his children have tried to slide underneath the table. Of course, the Big Fish, Donald himself still seems to be tantalizingly just beyond the outstretched reach of the Law. Looming ever so malevolently over our heads are the ongoing issues that: apparently a sitting president can’t be indicted because it would be harmful to the country (yet a sitting President who’s also a habitual criminal hiding behind this law isn’t? Clearly this rule needs to be reexamined), and while impeachment is on the table, it requires a two thirds majority vote from the Senate, which just netted an even greater majority of Republicans who can all thank their success on fully embracing Trump.
So what’s different? Why should we think this is going to end up differently? Yeah, we know about the Democrats taking the House, Mueller is looming, all the investigations that will happen… one day. But the Don himself? Still protected. It’s a nightmare with no end in sight. Maybe. There are some differences worth thinking about even amidst the latest Trump-related stories pissing us all off.
The Blue Wave has gotten plenty of press. We know already that this means subpoena power, and Democrat-led committees that are going to investigate every inch and orifice of Donald Trump and friends (talk about a sacrifice for your country…). Certainly that’s no fun for Donald, but we hear news stories almost daily from “sources close to the White House” that he’s in a perpetual state of fury. Despite a usually calm demeanor in front of cameras, his tweets tell a lot about his state of mind. Clearly, he’s become used to being mocked, accused of evil-doing, and having some aspect of his life dragged through a courtroom. There’s more than legal issues at stake here though. For one thing, Donald may be “safe” as a sitting President, but the rest of his crew? Well that’s a different story.Don Jr. seems prepared to be indicted any day for lying to Congress and possibly conspiracy, among other things. Ivanka has been handling government-related business on her private Email, shades of Hilary Clinton. Do we lock them both up? Wilbur Ross is accused of bilking associates for millions (as well as pocketing too many Sweet ‘n Low packets). There’s plenty more where that came from. Then there’s his associates who are already indicted: Manafort’s in jail, Cohen was just sentenced to three years, and Flynn just got yelled at by a judge, then told if he wants to avoid prison, he better sing some more. Even if it’s impossible for Trump to go to prison, he is quickly losing friends and confidants. He is becoming the epitome of the phrase “it’s lonely at the top.” As more of his associates co-operate with various investigations, or simply get arrested, Trump is forced into a small corner by himself, the worst place a man who constantly needs his ego fed should be. Even his most vocal supporters over at Fox news have started the process of fleeing the sinking ship. It started with Tucker Carlson, who surprised many when he said that Trump “wasn’t capable of sustained focus” and blamed him for not keeping many of his campaign promises. This would be followed by Ann Coulter actually fact-checking Trump when he claimed The Wall was already being built in a televised argument with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. The writer of In Trump We Trustwould go even further, calling Trump’s Presidency a joke, which caused The Donald to unfollow her on Twitter. Also, former judge and Fox pundit Andrew Napolitano wrote anop ed for the Washington Times detailing just how screwed Trump is.
Now Trump has lost his Secretary of Defense in a public spat, and the government has shut down. These are examples of an increasingly paranoid Trump, desperately looking for a win. Pulling the military from foreign conflicts? No, that didn’t come out of nowhere. File it under his “America First” policy. But even if there’s some, let’s amusedly call it “logic”, to getting our troops home and not immersing ourselves in the fruitless task of policing the Middle East, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. The resignation of “Mad Dog” Mattis, and the almost completely bi-partisan condemnation of this move should be a clear sign that this is the wrong way. Then there’s the Government Shutdown (#Trumpshutdown). It’s clear Trump isn’t going to get money for his wall. Democrats aren’t going to back down, and many if not most Republicans think it’s a bad idea, they just won’t say it in public. Trump was ready to sign a stopgap bill until he was goaded by the far-right, especially those at Fox, who somehow think Trump would regain his reputation as a tough guy and master negotiator if he gets his Wall going. The sheer impulsivness of both these moves are a sign of desperation. A hope that if just one of these big moves scores, he’ll get it all back, the respect, the admiration, and from that: protection. He’s like a losing gambler, going for the bigger and bigger move he needs to pay off and put everything back to at least even. The Presidency is not based on luck of the draw however. To continue the gambling terms, Trump bluffed his way into the job, then proudly showed the world he had less than even a pair of twos.
While things might get worse before they get better, there’s another thing that comes from the blue wave. Something more abstract than what mainstream media is comfortable teasing as a lead story: Hope. We’re still calling this the new millennia, and yet, people born in the year 2000 are now old enough to vote themselves. That’s if they’re not discouraged by the fact that two out of the three Presidents elected in their lifetime weren’t elected by popular vote. The Electoral College, for a multitude of antiquated reasons, has put an oppressive thumb on the scales of Democracy and has allowed two of the worst candidates in modern, if not all of history to ascend to the Presidency. If the EC was meant to “save us from ourselves”, it didn’t work that way. Instead it’s given voters of all ages more reason than ever to assume their vote just doesn’t count. That’s why this past mid-term election has such value. The American voters, clearly displeased with the current administration (which the majority of us did not vote for) made a statement that actually changed the balance of power and started the pendulum swinging the other way. Things aren’t just bad for Trump, but his Republican enablers as well. In fact, as Trump swings and misses more violently and erratically, it is the GOP that suffers. The midterms had the highest percentage of voter turnout since 1914. People are really affected by this administration, and they turned out to the voting booths to express their displeasure, and it worked! Assuming Republicans don’t try any shenanigans to hamper the arrival of the new Democratic majority in Congress, next year will be decidedly different, and we’re already seeing the ramifications of that now. Young voters should feel emboldened by this result, and recognize that in times of extreme trouble, their vote can make a difference.
This isn’t just limited to Democrats either. Republicans, or maybe those who hope for a new party should take note as well. In the run up to the 2016 election, Barack Obama made a noteworthy statement. He said that we need both parties, Democrat sand Republicans, in a tug-of-war that makes sure that every decision made or law passed is carefully considered and balanced. As annoying as the gridlock we’ve gotten used to can be, we can be relatively assured that any law that passes on a genuine bi-partisan basis is carefully considered and less likely to lean too heavily on one side or another. Obama explained that any one side gaining absolute power was potentially dangerous, and we’ve now seen that play out in the last two years as Republicans have control of all three branches of government. Different sides may disagree on the success or morality of the situation, but it’s fair to say that it’s no fun for anybody, and we’re losing our overall status in the world as a result. As soon as 2021 however, we could be looking at the mirror opposite. The GOP is feeling the results of backing Trump, and the worse he gets, the more likely they could lose the Presidency and the Senate in the next election. Liberals may love the idea of a completely Democrat-run government, but there are snakes on every side, and, as the saying goes: “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. It may be difficult to imagine the negative aspects of Democrats in control, unless you’re a Republican. In that case, an awareness that our system does work should be comforting. If Republican voters think Democratic efforts for progress make too many changes too fast, they can vote for a greater balance that slows that process down and keeps things more measured. The fact is, no matter what “team” you play on, if we lose faith in the process, then the game is over for everyone.
