Donald Trump's last cabinet meeting was stomach churning. Each member of the Trump team -- with the exception of James Mattis -- dutifully genuflected before the president. Reince Priebus said it was a "blessing serving your agenda." Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue gushed that in rural America "they love you."
Michael Harris writes that the majority of Americans are not on side with the cabinet -- for many reasons:
Gallup, by the way, painted a different picture of a president VP Pence called “a truly wonderful man.” It’s most recent poll showed a 59 per cent disapproval rating of the president’s performance to date.
The rolling out of Trump’s new Cuba policy was nearly as ghastly as the cabinet meeting. It was a triumph of 1950’s Cold War rhetoric over substance. It was the aluminium siding salesman striking again.
Trump has so openly and egregiously turned the U.S. government into a highly profitable branch of the Trump business empire that he is now being sued by the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
They allege that his inescapable involvement in his family business violates the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Hard to argue: President Trump has doubled membership fees at Mar-a-Lago and China has given him a slew of valuable licenses despite its own law barring the use of foreign leaders names as trademarks.
It's madness. And it's catching.
Image: democraticmoms.com
10 comments:
I would like to think that Trump could become some catalyst sparking democratic restoration. I would like to think that. I can't.
I'd like to think that, too, Mound. But a real restoration assumes the rejection of Trump. And, so far, his supporters still seem to think he's Mr. Wonderful.
A democratic restoration will only come about if some people become willing to impose their will upon other people.
Of course that's also how an autocratic imposition comes about.
The world runs on some people imposing their will upon other people.
The only question we have to address is which people would we prefer to be among.
It depends on if the imposition comes from "we the people" or from "I, Claudius," Dana.
"We the people" have imposed Trump.
Or did I miss something?
A significant minority imposed Trump, Dana. That's the problem.
So in order to remedy Trump another imposition is required.
Whose?
I certainly don't see modern liberals having the courage, let alone the convictions or the cohesion, to undertake anything resembling action.
So whose imposition?
Chris Hedges is right, Dana. We're in this spot because of the failure of the liberal elites. Perhaps France's Emanuel Macron can serve as a template. The French have rejected the two main parties and settled on a centrist -- if he turns out to be a centrist.
" The problem appears to be that the young believe that all politicians break their promises."
Not only the young, Owen! One wonders if the poor turn out both there and here is due to folks believing that no matter who comes to power the outcome will be much the same. Or am I just becoming cynical in my old age?
Point well taken, Rural. Cynicism has nothing to due with age. It has everything to do with performance -- or non-performance.
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