The Hijacked American Presidency

[Jude Iam]

Via a colleague, here's today's opinion piece from New York Times columnist. Jude


The Hijacked American Presidency



Every now and then we are going to have to do this: Step back from the daily onslaughts of insanity emanating from Donald Trump’s parasitic presidency and remind ourselves of the obscenity of it all, registering its magnitude in its full, devastating truth.

There is something insidious and corrosive about trying to evaluate the severity of every offense, trying to give each an individual grade on the scale of absurdity. Trump himself is the offense. Everything that springs from him, every person who supports him, every staffer who shields him, every legislator who defends him, is an offense. Every partisan who uses him — against all he or she has ever claimed to champion — to advance a political agenda and, in so doing, places party over country, is an offense.

We must remind ourselves that Trump’s very presence in the White House defiles it and the institution of the presidency. Rather than rising to the honor of the office, Trump has lowered the office with his whiny, fragile, vindictive pettiness.

The presidency has been hijacked.

Continues here

[BothSidesNow]

THANK you for sharing this column. And thank the universe for Charles Blow, who continues to inspire me/us by telling the truth about the abomination we are now living with. As he writes:
We must say without ceasing, and without growing weary by the redundancy, that what we are witnessing is not normal and cannot go unchallenged. We must reaffirm our commitment to resistance. We must always remember that although individual Americans made the choice to vote affirmatively for him or actively withhold their support from his opponent, those decisions were influenced, in ways we cannot calculate, by Russian interference in our election, designed to privilege Trump.We must remember that we now have a president exerting power to which he may only have access because a foreign power hostile to our interests wanted him installed.

Via a colleague, here's today's opinion piece from New York Times columnist. Jude
The Hijacked American Presidency
...

[santoshimatajaya]

Needless to say: Right On, Thank You!

[Dogenzip]

Continuing to denounce Trump simply nourishes his support among his hard core base. Too much media attention has already been devoted to Trump. A more effective strategy would be for Democrats and all of us through political action to propose and promote real solutions to the huge problems facing this nation. More Bernie and less Clinton, more Elizabeth Warren and less of the corporate elite who still run the Democratic party machine. If we want to prevail in the next elections we must stop insulting and ignoring the legitimate issues facing white, working class, rural America.

[rossmen]

To blame the russians, not my guess, for our election results, is ignorant. We the US have been messing with other nations elections for decades. All the hackers did was add transparency to US democracy, a service. No false new or lies. Just cause you don't like our current president, who does?, is it really wise to chaff the discussion by blaming russians? There are far more important things going on. This writer is way off!

[Jude Iam]

yes, begs the many issues of the numerous systems which have led to the political hegemonies (whether by blood, marriage or corporate merger) now holding the entire world in their grasp, all needing change.

merely overview of the ultimate ugliness on every level of this man, the 'leader' of the 'free world'.

Continuing to denounce Trump simply nourishes his support among his hard core base. Too much media attention has already been devoted to Trump. A more effective strategy would be for Democrats and all of us through political action to propose and promote real solutions to the huge problems facing this nation. More Bernie and less Clinton, more Elizabeth Warren and less of the corporate elite who still run the Democratic party machine. If we want to prevail in the next elections we must stop insulting and ignoring the legitimate issues facing white, working class, rural America.

[Jude Iam]

ok: the electoral systems, 14th amendment, state, federal and international corporate legislation, monetary systems, etc. all need dissembling and reworking to benefit everyone and everything.

while living through the brutality and abysmal caricature of the low-life in charge of the US. onwards, jude

yes, begs the many issues of the numerous systems which have led to the political hegemonies (whether by blood, marriage or corporate merger) now holding the entire world in their grasp, all needing change.

merely overview of the ultimate ugliness on every level of this man, the 'leader' of the 'free world'.

i will delete it.

[Dogenzip]

No need to withdraw the initial post on the Hijacked American Presidency. This is part of a vital and useful public discussion we need to have.

[podfish]

Continuing to denounce Trump simply nourishes his support among his hard core base. ... More Bernie and less Clinton, more Elizabeth Warren and less of the corporate elite who still run the Democratic party machine. If we want to prevail in the next elections we must stop insulting and ignoring the legitimate issues facing white, working class, rural America.

true enough, but I'd feel a lot better about Bernie & his like if anyone could demonstrate that he had any appeal outside the groups that are already anti-republican. I'm not saying he didn't get crossover votes, but I've never seen anyone (informed) give some evidence that he attracts more than he scares off. They already use Pelosi as a boogieman; I always felt they'd have an easy time characturing Sanders that way if he'd prevailed over Clinton.

[podfish]

To blame the russians, not my guess, for our election results, is ignorant. We the US have been messing with other nations elections for decades. All the hackers did was add transparency to US democracy, a service. No false new or lies. Just cause you don't like our current president, who does?, is it really wise to chaff the discussion by blaming russians? There are far more important things going on. This writer is way off!

different questions. Just because the CIA et al interfered (we do have a long tradition of it) doesn't mean it's fair play for others to do it here. A better answer is for nobody to do it. Ignoring it is kind of a three-stooges answer - I kick you, and then turn around so you can kick me back.

[podfish]

OT - (on topic, for once)
Someone on the radio, I forget who, called Trump "America's enema" which I thought was pretty evocative. The idea is that sure, it's painful, but it's necessary and you come out better in the end for it. (yeah, pun not avoided)

[wisewomn]

Podfish, I've never met anyone to whom Trump appeals outside his most ardent supporters, who are widely outnumbered by the people (of both parties) whom he scares off. Poll after poll showed that Bernie had a much better chance of defeating Trump than Clinton did. He was so popular that he scared the pants off the Democratic establishment, who then fiddled the primaries so Clinton would win, but not by a landslide by any means. Then the national election was fiddled (gerrymandering, Russian meddling, questionable poll results--witness the wide disparity between vote counts and exit polls in some states--that were not impartially recounted after the election). Pelosi did not prevent Obama from being elected. I'm sure there are even a lot more anti-Republican groups now as the reality of Trump and the useless-as-tits-on-a-bull Republican-controlled Congress sinks in. Over and over I've read that Trump supporters are 36% (or less) of the voting population. And here's a news flash: when has there ever been a President in our memory who wasn't caricatured? Feelings are all well and good but in this instance I think they are unwarranted.

true enough, but I'd feel a lot better about Bernie & his like if anyone could demonstrate that he had any appeal outside the groups that are already anti-republican. I'm not saying he didn't get crossover votes, but I've never seen anyone (informed) give some evidence that he attracts more than he scares off. They already use Pelosi as a boogieman; I always felt they'd have an easy time characturing Sanders that way if he'd prevailed over Clinton.

[rossmen]

Àn apt metaphor for imperialist play. And didn't the pols show sanders doing better against trump than clinton? Wasn't the biggest hacker reveal that the dnc really was trying to flush sanders? Didn't clinton and pals covertly support trump early on in the primaries?

All i know is who i voted for, not clinton or trump, would have for sanders, not that it matters around here.

different questions. Just because the CIA et al interfered (we do have a long tradition of it) doesn't mean it's fair play for others to do it here. A better answer is for nobody to do it. (Ignoring it is kind of a three-stooges answer - I kick you, and then turn around so you can kick me back.

[podfish]

Podfish, I've never met anyone to whom Trump appeals outside his most ardent supporters, who are widely outnumbered by the people (of both parties) whom he scares off.

really? do you have relatives in the midwest or south? or business contacts? even in this county, the people I know who are in the trades, or firemen, or cops, are glad it's Trump and not a democrat. To them, Clinton seemed offensive, and Bernie seemed to live in an imaginary world. They're more interested in things like whether they have to deal with regulations in their businesses or other activities than they are about Trump's obvious failings as a leader, much less as a human. They may not 'hate' immigrants, or even care that much, but in general they don't think they really belong here. Most don't seem particularly engaged by abstractions like America's place in the international community, they tend to approve of direct action, and don't believe that the Democrats really look out for their interests. It's also not hard to find interviews with people who voted for Trump, and are mad about the risks to their health-care, but would rather complain to their Republican representative than reject that party in favor of Democrats. One stands out in particular: a woman terrified of losing healthcare, wanting it provided, but equally adamant that it shouldn't be government health care. Apparently they give out health-care cards that don't say 'ACA' or 'Medicaid' but instead have the name of the insurance company backing it. It's easy to call that person stupid, but it's a stupidity shaped by their need to feel independent.

Poll after poll showed that Bernie had a much better chance of defeating Trump than Clinton did. He was so popular that he scared the pants off the Democratic establishment, who then fiddled the primaries so Clinton would win, but not by a landslide by any means. Then the national election was fiddled (gerrymandering, Russian meddling, questionable poll results--witness the wide disparity between vote counts and exit polls in some states--that were not impartially recounted after the election). Pelosi did not prevent Obama from being elected. I'm sure there are even a lot more anti-Republican groups now as the reality of Trump and the useless-as-tits-on-a-bull Republican-controlled Congress sinks in. Over and over I've read that Trump supporters are 36% (or less) of the voting population. And here's a news flash: when has there ever been a President in our memory who wasn't caricatured?

it's obviously a hypothetical point. It's pretty obvious that Clinton was backed by the establishment, and they worked to prevent Sanders from winning the nomination. It's equally obvious that the (other) establishment wanted Jeb but equally obviously (weirdly, because they're usually pretty good at behind-the-scenes maneuvering) failed to stop Trump. Trump may have 36% but I would have worried as to whether Sanders had that much himself. There's no way to know how effective attacks on him would have been; it's perfectly possible that many of the 'not Clinton' people with democratic leanings could have been swayed against him too. Don't underestimate the strength of feelings in those against 'government handouts', to the point where they personally would feel ashamed to be (visibly) getting them. Going back to Tocqueville, you can find the sentiment that Americans really feel they should stand on their own, and not rely on community support. I'm not unique in observing that - it's the Gary Cooper/John Wayne thing. People don't act that way always, but it's one of the things that's visibly unique to American culture.

Feelings are all well and good but in this instance I think they are unwarranted.

Feelings are what drive people. Some of us are better at using knowledge and reason to shape our feelings or overcome them, but only some and even then it's spotty. I sure feel rage at Trump, and despair at his supporters, but I can recognize it's partly a gut reaction to the supporters' ignorance, not their actual positions, and to Trump's obvious unsuitability for any position of responsibility. It's bolstered by his actions and stated intentions, but even if he had yet to do anything awful, I'd abhor the man and back any resistance to him.