There is a pattern to what we see and are experiencing from our country's leadership. Yes, we are being led by a narcissist who cannot handle any criticism. We are being led by a person who will not hesitate to attack anyone who does not play to his ego or who is critical of things said or done. We witness this on a daily basis. There is no hesitation to the tweet attacks which, in many cases, are relentless and bombard common sense and decency. But, once again, notice the patterns. Not only are there Twitter bombardments, but the pattern of "misdirection" is also maintained. For example, the terrible response and attack on the Mayor of San Juan in relation to the Hurricane's devastation of Puerto Rico brought about the attack on the NFL. All of a sudden at a political rally for a Trump backed candidate in Alabama (who lost by the way), the NFL is put under scrutiny. The lack of compassion and humanity for the horrors of the citizens of Puerto Rico (and also the American Virgin Islands), is now brushed under the rug. All of sudden we are faced with "non American values" by our athletes. This now takes over the press and Twitter. The failings in the really important areas are now in the background. Think about how many times this has occurred during the campaign and after the election. Way too many times. And we continue to be the audience for the master magician (misdirection is one of the key areas in the arsenal of all magicians).
Our country has been systematically divided. This started with the Republican primaries where the base was established. Playing to the fringes of our society (i.e. white supremacists, Klan members, anti-Semites, etc.) with a theme that was compared time and again to 1933 Germany, proved to be a successful strategy. The rallies were covered 100% by the press and the other candidates were successfully put into the backgrounds. His bombastic style of attack was appreciated by the base and his numbers were on the rise. Each rally contained more and more deplorable actions and words (i.e making fun of a reporters physical affliction, pointing out people of color, etc.) but the base was ecstatic.
I am not going to relive the election process any further. I only want to show the patterns that were started early on and, when successful, carried across to the present. Time and again we are reminded of the importance of the "core"; Charlottesville is a prime example as well as the continuing immigration emphasis. But these were based on the earlier examples of questioning an African-American president and his credentials and policies. The Republican Party had a choice to make and, wanting to be the party of complete power, they fell into line. Yes, there were some defections, but not many. It did not make a difference that one of America's heroes, who is a sitting U.S. Senator (John McCain), was attacked or that disparaging remarks were made time and time again against the two Republican leaders of the House and Senate. The conservatives wanted a win and wanted a Supreme Court appointee as a result. So, the party swallowed their principles and fell into line. Success was assured with an unlikely ally coming through against the opposition right before election time.
If you read the Headline for this post - "How Did We Get Here?" - the above is a quick description of the road to success for our current president.
What Can We Do?
Real answer? Nothing. What did I say? Nothing?
We have a president who is bringing us to the brink of a real military confrontation with a similar nut job (North Korea for those who have not read a paper, watched TV, listened to the radio or have been locked away). He does not seem to listen to our military leaders or allow diplomacy to be done by our current Secretary of State. The latest attempt was Twittered away by the president telling the Secretary that diplomacy is a waste of time!!!!
We have a president who talks down to anyone who does not agree with his actions and/or words.
We have a president who continues to show his ignorance and prejudices but is sheltered by members of Congress who are too afraid to publicly criticize him lest they lose the Trump base in their respective States.
We have a Democratic Party that shows some signs of defiance in Congress but has yet to define a platform for the 2018 elections. Joe Biden - "come on down!!!"
Today I witnessed our president in Puerto Rico talking down to the country that has been devastated by the recent Hurricane. He compared their Hurricane to a previous Hurricane (Kristina) and told them theirs was not as bad and they were lucky that they "only had few deaths". Where the hell is compassion by the supposed leader of the free world? Then he starts to throw, yes you read this right, he was throwing packages of paper towels to the audience. This was not a Rock Concert where they throw T-shirts to the crowd!!! What is wrong with this man?
I have not even started on his Cabinet or his failed Congressional actions that he promised during his campaign; repeal of Obama Care, build the wall, infrastructure, tax reform, etc. His continuing writing of Executive Directives comprise his "law making" abilities. He has no idea on what Government is or how it works. His son-in-law, another piece of work I might add, continues to lie and has been caught with private mail servers (sound familiar?) as well as other members of the White House staff.
As long as the base continues to blame everything on the previous administration, especially former president Obama, then things will remain the same.
Just to let you know how far this goes let me relate something that happened this week that made me sick. We had this horrific situation in Las Vegas. I was at early morning services (for those of you who are not aware, I am an Orthodox Jew and go to daily services in the Synagogue) and the information about the shootings were coming across the Internet. After services I was walking with some of my companions when one of them (an avid Trump supporter I have to add) said they put the blame "squarely" on Obama for the shootings. I was stunned and could not believe my ears. I just walked away shaking my head and realizing there is no way that his supporters are ever going to change. They wear blinders and will not acknowledge anything negative about their president and leader. This is the problem we face.
So, let's come back to what can we do? I said nothing earlier but there are things that can be done.
Elections in 2018 needs to be defining against Trump and the Republicans. Remember, the Republicans are having their own internal problems with incumbents being challenged in many primaries. The Democrats need to get their act together and appeal to their base and the independents.
Full support for the Mueller investigation. This is the best case for Impeachment proceedings. Long shot? Maybe not. Be prepared for a Tweet storm that one has never experienced!!!!
A fight fire with fire policy. This is something that I think can be very effective. First of all there needs to be a notable champion who can fight the Tweet "war" with Trump. For every stupid and distasteful Tweet by Trump, there needs to be Tweets in response. These need to be just as bombastic and aimed directly at Trump. His ego will take a beating if the responses are effective and unrelenting. Just think about it. Just remember who and what Donald Trump is and play to his weaknesses (of which there are many).
Thanks for letting me vent. There will be much more coming but I needed to get this initial one out. I know there was so much more to say but I do need to get to sleep!!!
Thanks for reading and I will look forward to your comments.
