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The release of a letter signed, as of this time, by almost 500 professionals, in a striking repudiation of AG Barr's handling on the Mueller Report, is a sign of hope.
I want to offer what I'm calling the long view for some discussion.
To begin with, Trump is more the logically consistent symptom of the disease than the disease itself. And the disease would be (fill in the latin name for) the inability to make a representative form of democracy work, together with the inclination to rely on 'the strong man," as a substitute. Or the trend towards a dictatorship, which I think suits both Trump and his supporters.
(Just this morning at the dentist I heard an intelligent professional say that he liked the fact that "Trump gets stuff done." That same professional went on to explain that decades ago, he mentioned Tip O'Neil, the politicians argued during the day and at night, over some bourbon, they compromised towards the center and you had a centripetal consensus which served to unify the disparate forces. Today, as the politicians are more afraid of being primaried out than losing an election to the other party, the compromises are away from the center, centrifugal, toward the 'base', and aggravate the partisan divide. And in this environment, 'getting stuff done' counts as an accomplishment. That's not utterly unreasonable; it's just not sufficient)
Here's the point: The moment of origin of this disease was Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon forty-five years ago. This released the presidency (and every incumbent since has taken advantage of it) of the consequences of ignoring the separation of powers designed to preserve power away from a single executive.
I'm not taking a cheap shot at Ford. The pressure was enormous at the time. But the fact remains that he was not up to the task of holding the executive responsible for his flouting of the laws and we are continuing to pay a price for this failure in the inept hubris of the current "most powerful man in the world."
The hope that I spoke of is that this repudiation of the executive branch (first the attorney general and by implication the president) and its excessively unconstrained authority will awaken the sleeping majority in the U.S. Senate to its responsibilities.
To my mind, nothing short of the idea that government of, by and for the people is at risk.
@stevemcc saidOne might hope so, but then again, just the other day Mitch McConnell declared the Russia probe "Case Closed". Never mind the obstruction of justice or that the president might not actually be above the law, never mind all that, and apparently, according to Mitch McConnell anyways, “This investigation went on for two years," McConnell said. "It’s finally over."
The hope that I spoke of is that this repudiation of the executive branch and its excessively unconstrained authority will awaken the sleeping majority in the U.S. Senate to its responsibilities.
Except it's not. Not unless it's okay with you that the president of the United States can obstruct justice with impunity. Just do your damned job, Mitch. Stop cheerleading.
@stevemcc saidI'm not taking a cheap shot at Ford. The pressure was enormous at the time. But the fact remains that he was not up to the task of holding the executive responsible for his flouting of the laws and we are continuing to pay a price for this failure in the inept hubris of the current "most powerful man in the world."
The release of a letter signed, as of this time, by almost 500 professionals, in a striking repudiation of AG Barr's handling on the Mueller Report, is a sign of hope.
I want to offer what I'm calling the long view for some discussion.
To begin with, Trump is more the logically consistent symptom of the disease than the disease itself. And the disease would be (fill in t ...[text shortened]... ties.
To my mind, nothing short of the idea that government of, by and for the people is at risk.
That sounds reasonable, I would also add a now famous quote:
Every country has the government it deserves. Joseph de Maistre - French Diplomat: 1753 -1821
Donald Trump needs someone to vilify, and is trying desperately to cover up his financial crimes, and his ties with Russia. It will be up to the American people in 2020 to decide if they want to continue down this path.
