Tag Archives: Donald J. Trump

A NATIONAL HOLIDAY TO HONOR DONALD J. TRUMP

The Scoundrel in Question.

Welcome to NATIONAL SCOUNDREL’S DAY. On January 6th of every year, Americans should gather in civic assemblies, high school auditoriums and American Legion Halls to honor the only president  in United States history to attempt a coup d’etat. 

Also notable as the only a coup d’etat in American history that failed, or was so poorly conceived that it never had a chance to succeed. A political power grab unlike any coup d’etat ever seen in this modern era. Not a swift military tactical movement, nor an unexpected detention of authorities in power, but a painfully protracted, 5-hour coup d’etat planned by the three stooges of the Donald J. Trump presidency—Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and Roger Stone.

A coup d’etat noticeably absent of battlefield commanders, or any set of detailed plans or clearly communicated objectives. A coup d’etat carried out by a ragtag army of hoodwinked malcontents, Halloween-garbed Viking imitators and hundreds of right-wing tourists lured to the nation’s capital for what they believed would be a political rally and a Make America Great Again Festival, hopefully featuring free beer. 

Fear not, if you worry that there aren’t enough political figures whose infamy and stupidity qualifies them to also be celebrated and scorned on NATIONAL SCOUNDREL’S DAY. The rolls of the January 6th accomplices, whether before or after the fact, reads like a Who’s Who of Trump’s Republican bootlickers: Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell and dozens of others who either refused to certify Joe Biden’s electoral victory or voted for acquittal in Trump’s senate impeachment trial.

And what would a NATIONAL SCOUNDREL’S DAY be if it failed to honor and ridicule those titans of the right-wing media, those fabled curators of the President’s lies and malfeasances—Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Lou Dobbs and Jeanine Pirro, among many others, including Rupert Murdoch—whose daily serving of lies, rumors and conspiracies fed, fostered and festered discontent and outrage throughout America’s heartland?

Yes, it’s way past time we set aside a single day in our crowded calendar every year to honor those whose misconduct and sociopathic behavior put at risk those values and hallowed traditions we honor as loyal, god-fearing Americans.

At long last Benedict Arnold and Joseph McCarthy can rest easily in their graves, knowing they will never be forgotten. Not as long as we have a holiday to celebrate NATIONAL SCOUNDRELS’ DAY. 

Not as long as Donald J. Trump will be remembered for all his accomplishments as a National Disgrace.

TRUMPED, THUMPED AND DUMPED, REDUX

A man and his toys.

In a blog post from last April, I predicted that with Trump Past would always prove to be Prologue, and that his history of grabbing for anything he wanted, like a toddler on a playroom floor, had repeatedly resulted in his destroying or severely damaging those playthings before finally letting go.

When something or someone has been Trumped, Thumped and Dumped, you know it and they know it. it’s as devastating and unforgiving as a tornado moving through a trailer park. 

Trump’s record of serial bankruptcies in business, six in all, and a similar history as an unrestrained libertine, with 23 women claiming sexual grievances that range from groping to rape, only adds to his legend as a man who damages almost everything he puts his hands on. 

Now, as I watch history being made with Trump’s second impeachment trial, I recall that I also predicted in that eerily prescient essay that Trump would damage and possibly destroy the Republican Party. An achievement he will soon accomplish, I expect, with the unwitting assistance of sycophants like Senators Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Lindsey Graham.

What I did not foresee was the massive damage, if not destruction, Trump would inflict on our country. On America. On our values, our institutions, our traditions and, most seriously, on our sense of ourselves. 

Trump took charge of an America with immense power to lead and benefit the world, and twisted its institutions to serve himself—always himself! Nothing you can point to has more importance, in Trump’s ever-lusting mind, than his bloated ego and selfish appetites. It was never America First; but always Trump First, even when that put America Last. 

In the end, Trump could not accept the American voters taking back the power they had temporarily granted him four years ago. He would ultimately trample on the Constitution, his oath of office, his duties within that office, and his vow to protect and defend America and its citizens. All in service to his own outsized dreams of rarified privilege and entitlement. 

And so as we watch the House impeachment managers make their irrefutable case for Trump’s impeachment, we know they are fighting in a losing cause. In a Senate half-filled with politicians who cannot see beyond their fear of Trump’s reprisals, Truth and Justice will never prevail.

They don’t know it yet, but these Senators of lilliputian courage, in sacrificing their honor and integrity, have already been Trumped and Thumped.

And judging by the lessons of history, it won’t be long before they are rudely Dumped.

Just ask Mike Pence.

As I mentioned, this essay is a revisit of a blog post from last April, titled “TRUMPED, THUMPED AND DUMPED.” Click here if you would like to read that essay.

TRUMP’S PRODIGAL CHILDREN

Like most of America, I was sickened at the site of our capital being stormed and desecrated by a riotous mob incited to lynching fever by a sociopathic president so crippled by narcissism he could not admit or accept his own defeat. 

And since that defeat, he has neglected the duties of his office to sing callous lies to his base. “I was cheated,” he wailed repeatedly, like a country western singer bemoaning his woes. “Your vote was stolen,” his sad song continued. “The election was rigged, the country taken over by socialists parading as Democrats.” 

“And it’s time to fight back,” went the final deadly refrain.

All the while, since the election, he’s been backed up in the halls of Congress, the very building his rioters stormed, by sycophants who so fear his power and popularity they’ve turned their backs on everything they once believed in—America, democracy, integrity, perhaps even the teachings of Jesus. 

Yes, Jesus, a man who, just like their president, was crucified unjustly, they would have you believe.  

Most of the crowd that fateful day were out to show their rage. A few, I suspect, had more pernicious aims in mind. Aims like murder, violence, destruction and anarchy.

And now we are left to clean up the mess. Not just the excrement smeared on the walls of the capital, but the excrement smeared on the institutions of our democracy, which I fear has left an indelible stain. 

Trump will be tried for his perfidy. Tried and judged for so trampling the vows he made four years ago, to protect and defend the constitution, that no excuse will be large enough to hide his dishonor, nor any lie strong enough to withstand the truth that American lives were lost because of his actions. 

In pitting his own lust for power against the will of the electorate, he has stained the office of the presidency with the blood of those lives. 

History will so judge him for these crimes, even if his fellow Republicans refuse to do so.

And now we must also look to try and judge those who were swept up in Trump’s lies and who, in their zeal to fight for a phony cause, made a mess of our nation’s capital and of their own lives. 

How should we judge those who were sold a phony cause by a consummate con man? A cause manufactured to manipulate them, to harvest their love of their country, and to use them as instruments of one’s man’s insatiable lust for power? 

I have no doubt about the judgement we should rain upon those who came to the capital to kill, destroy or violently disrupt the nation’s business. There are laws that fittingly apply to their misdeeds.

But for those who were drawn like acolytes to a false prophet, who are still trying to process exactly what they were drawn into, I would like to see leniency and compassion applied to their cases, as I would like to see all victims of con men so tenderly treated.

So many of that riotous crowd were drawn to Washington as victims. Victims of Trump’s lies, victim’s of Trump’s Republican bootlickers who echoed those lies, victim’s of the right-wing media that repeated and validated Trump’s lies.

They are our brothers and sisters who have been led astray. And I pray for the time when we can welcome them back safely to our community and to our humble embrace.

Only then will justice truly prevail.

GRAND THEFT WHITE HOUSE

“Let’s Make Them An Offer They Can’t Refuse.”

A Primer For Snatching Victory From The Jaws Of Defeat

Hello, Mr. President:

This primer was left for you by Roy Cohn, your mentor and early life consigliore who, almost single-handily, was responsible for America’s internal chaos and self-destruction under McCarthyism. 

Trump and mentor

Mr. Cohn, in his immortal wisdom, has left you six rules to follow as you pursue success in life, or when you attempt to win—even after losing!—a second term as President of the United States.

Rule Number 1 has three parts: Cheat, Cheat and Cheat Yet Again. Not just cheating your opponents, Roy advises, but friends, family, employees, vendors and virtually anyone dumb enough to trust you or take what you say on faith. 

If you are pursuing a billionaire’s career in real estate, always cheat on the square footage you are selling or buying. If selling, add a 10% increase to the square footage. If buying, protest that you’re being cheated by a 10% overcharge on the footage. Either way no one will usually bother to check. 

Rule number 1 applies in any field you can think of. But if you’re attempting to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in a political race, your prescribed behavior is almost childishly obvious. For example, if you are losing the race, steal ballots, falsify results, and blame your opponent for every crime you can think of. If you can’t rig the outcome in your favor, accuse your opponent of doing exactly that. When you are desperate, as the saying goes, sink to desperate levels. For example, you can claim your opponent’s son is a crook, or that your opponent is a pedophile. In that latter situation, you should have photographs doctored so he’s shown hanging around schoolyards with his hands in his pockets. Remember, you have to be creative, and you must never stop accusing your opponent of any shit you can fling that will stick to the wall.

It’s worth noting that nothing works better or more efficiently than a shower of lawsuits, especially when your opponent hasn’t enough time to respond to one before the next one is launched. 

In order to deal with the aftermath of Rule Number 1, you must then employ Rule Number 2, which is simply Lie, Lie, And Lie Again. 

As you can easily see, Rule Number 2 works hand in glove with Rule Number 1. When anyone accuses you of cheating, immediately accuse them of slander. And even if they have proof of your cheating, double down on your denials and once again accuse them of exactly what you were caught doing. Then, of course, threaten to sue.

Next is a ruIe Roy rarely shared in public. He called it his “Ace In The Hole” rule, which is better known here at Game Central as the “Finger In Your Eye” Rule. Quite simply, when anyone seems to be getting the best of you in a deal, political race, negotiation, card game or even a sexual assault accusation, go immediately to Rule Number 3— When In Doubt, Sow Confusion. If it’s a card game, overturn the table and accuse your adversaries of cheating. If it’s a political contest, start pounding the table, shouting out false accusations, and do your best to tear the political environment to shreds. Remember “When you don’t know what to do, Sow Confusion” and you’ll do all right.

Rule Number 4 is a two-parter, as well as an outgrowth of Rules Number One and Two. Never Admit To Your Crime and Never, Never, Never Apologize. If they catch you with your hand in the cookie jar, admit to nothing except conducting a cookie jar inventory. If you have cookie crumbs around your mouth, insist you are being framed. If they catch you actually chewing cookies, deny it adamantly and try not to spit crumbs into anyone’s face as you do.

Rule Number 5 only makes sense when you’re in a position of power or higher leverage; a position not unlike the presidency. Simply put, Rule Number Five requires you to Scare The Living Shit Out Of Your Opponent. And for this exercise, assume everyone in the world is your opponent. Scaring The Living Shit Our Of Your Opponent requires you to throw tantrums, physically intimidate lowly employees, threaten to use force—even nuclear weapons, if you have to—and fire anyone who resists your orders or calls out your bad behavior. 

Roy’s last rule is built on the assumption you are ready to employ Rules Number One through Five. Put in its simplest, raw terminology, Rule Number 6 insists that you Take Whatever You Want. If you want something bad enough, be it real estate, a romantic partner or the presidency of the United States, once you find it isn’t nailed down, locked up or beyond your grasp, take it, and take it for keeps.

And so you have Roy Cohn’s Six Rules For Success. Six rules for winning Grand Theft White House and overcoming any challenge you might face in life, even beating a political opponent who actually accumulates more votes than you. 

If you have any questions, consult with William Barr or Whitey Bulger.

HOW CAN SO MANY AMERICANS BE SO BLIND?

Cover of a German magazine that saw the threat of Donald J. Trump
long before most of us Americans.

I’ve been thinking about this question since Tuesday. That’s when I first discovered almost half the voters in our country not only accepted all the disturbing things Swamp Creature did to our country, but that they approved of them!

Otherwise, I reasoned, how could they vote to give him four more years of unfettered access to the power and majesty of the American presidency.

Yes, they must have approved of the entire Trumpian circus! Putting children into cages, ignoring the threat of a pandemic, looting the U.S. Treasury, paying chump change in personal taxes, extorting friendly countries for political gain, politicizing the Justice Department, inciting violence and hatred, destroying decades-old global friendships and alliances, calling nasty names, serving his Russian master to our disadvantage, destroying constitutional ethics, putting half his family on the government payroll. And lying. Not just lying like a politician, but lying like the most dishonest snake oil salesman that ever graced a carnival sideshow.

“Seriously,” I had to ask myself, “Are we that fucked up?”

It’s a question that refuses to release me from its grip.

As someone who prefers to give people the benefit of the doubt… And as someone with close friends who have fallen for the Trump malarkey, hook, line and stinker, the only thing I can think of, is to compare Trumpism with a fever in the blood. You can’t blame someone for catching a fever, can you? Nor can you take it personally or resent it when the symptoms run riot.

These people—most of whom appear normal and don’t own guns or hate their black neighbors or attempt to run buses off the highway—are, for the most part, absolutely normal. They work at jobs, love their kids and grandkids; and would never think of joining a militia or kidnapping the governor of any state. Not even the governor of Puerto Rico.

I say they’re normal, but they’re not really.

Better to say they were normal, before they caught the virus. Yes, virus, bug, illness or disease—call it what you will, but there’s no denying they’ve caught Trumpism. And similar to those infected with Covid-19, they find themselves at the mercy of the disease and at risk of eventualities too scary to think about. Their lives are not in danger, but their morals, values and sense of humanity are under the gravest threat.

No, they don’t realize it or see what is happening to them. In fact, not realizing you’re ill is one of the symptoms of the disease.

With all my efforts through my blog and heart-to-heart conversations, I have not been able to cure a single one of them (that I know of). Not one of my Trumper friends has suddenly snapped out of their hypnotic state to confusedly question how they got here in the first place.

That doesn’t leave me hating them, or disgusted with myself. Just like with Covid victims, my options are limited. I’m left to pray for them, to leave a place for them in my heart, and to try not to judge them or project Trump’s failings and petty hatreds onto them. Of course, some Trumpers are racists, bullies and psychos, but not all of them; or even the majority.

Unfortunately, this illness is too new for anyone yet to understand it, or to have developed a cure. And polite society will not allow us to lock them up till a cure is found, or to confine them to a hospital ICU. So we are left with the simple challenge to accept them in all their weirdness and obstinacy the same way we would accept a relative with mental illness, down-syndrome, depression or even criminal tendencies…

With love and distrust.

I would recommend a little of the former and a lot of the latter!