'This', the orderly removal of Donald Trump was never going to go down easy or fast. For the faint of heart the Trump Presidency and its core support in Congress is nothing else but an ongoing coup d'etat. Remember what Bannon said: that their goal is "the deconstruction of the administrative state”, and this at CPAC:
"If they think they are going to give you your country back without a fight, you are mistaken. Every day, it is going to be a fight."
Outside of government the core base of Trump is primarily made up through a coalition of domestic "Conservatives Without Conscience", (thank you @JohnWDean), which he identifies the conservative mindset:
- Viciousness towards anyone or any group with the gumption to challenge and disagree with them.
- Opaque deference to racial, gender and ethnic bigotry.
- Policies favoring Big Business
- Indifference or worse governing actions opposed to individual liberty and equality
- Using psychological warfare (psy-ops) seeking a false moral superiority yet fiscally corruption of the Republican Party
- All conflated into an allegiance to domineering, demagoguery political personalities
In his book, Dean back in 2006, feared that this Right Wing Authoritarianism was leading the USA toward an American version of fascism. Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) identified by Robert Altemeyer, Professor at the University of Manitoba, in his seminal political science research published in Right-wing Authoritarianism (1981) and his more recent follow up The Authoritarians (2006). What Altemeyer found was pegged at between where:
"20-25% of Adult Americans, are vulnerable to a demagogue who would incite hatred of minorities to gain power." (Link)Now at Day 146 of the Trump Administration the AP reports in its recent poll, 64% of Americans have a unfavorable view of President Trump, while 35% favorably like his presidency. One could interpret that in the favorable pool, 16% state they strongly approve which could project comprise mostly of the domestic fascists, while 18% somewhat. So don't hold your breath as the bottom is somewhere between 20% and 25% where deep partisan Republicans fuse with fascists who align or register as GOP, nice company. When Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974 he registered 22% in the Gallup Poll.
This is where we are as we all face the threshold of American Fascism taking control. Fascism is not reserved just for foreign nations be it in Europe, (Italy, Germany, Spain, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania or RUSSIA) as in other continents of the world, Africa, South America and Asia. The only two continents that currently are without current of past fascist regimes is Australia and North America, for now. Fascism is a modern derivative of extreme nationalism, fueled by racism and is a national cultural and political revolution of the political Right with its own ideologies with the goal towards a forceful reordering of society seeking a projected utopia. And if you know your history fascism in the United States was a discussed subject even in 1944 when America was fighting the Axis Powers made up of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan. An article by then Vice-President Henry Wallace published an article in the NY Times: “The Danger of American Fascism,” which
..."described a breed of super-nationalist who pursues political power by deceiving Americans and playing to their fears, but is really interested only in protecting his own wealth and privilege...warning about hucksters spouting populist themes but manipulating people and institutions to achieve the opposite. They pretend to be on the side of ordinary working people — “paying lip service to democracy and the common welfare,” he wrote. But at the same time, they “distrust democracy because it stands for equal opportunity... invariably put “money and power ahead of human beings. “They demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest.” They also “claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. They bloviate about putting America first, but it’s just a cover. “They use isolationism as a slogan to conceal their own selfish imperialism.”
"They need scapegoats and harbor “an intensity of intolerance toward those of other races, parties, classes, religions, cultures, regions or nations.”
He, "acknowledged the great difference between American fascists and other countries’ murderous authoritarians. The American breed doesn’t need violence. Lying to the people is so much easier.
They “poison the channels of public information,” he wrote. Their “problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public” into giving them more money or power.Sounds almost Nostradamus like.
Most insidious is that fascism in all modern societies consider itself a democracy movement while simultaneously rejecting representative forms of government. Fascism among all things needs a supreme, charismatic leader to give its revolutionary movement its sharp focus, a living symbol of the nation, its ideals and Utopian direction, in all cases Dystopia in reality. The result in all fascist regimes is that previous democracy institutions are co-opted by RWA forces where then a legal degeneration ensues in line for rule of the supreme leader and single party system. This concept of degeneration attacks the neo-liberal concepts of rule of law, with its decency and natural laws of tolerance and individual freedoms, but fascism changes the concepts of tolerance and freedom to fit their own worldviews. Tolerance and freedoms are only available within their communities of RWA revolution, and it must be intolerant of those who oppose them, there is no reciprocity. Therefore everything must be on their own terms. Enough of the political science lesson but I believe this is critical to understand what the future entails.
So throughout this week starting on Tuesday with NewsMax's CEO Christopher Ruddy, a close personal friend of Donald Trump, stating on PBS that the President is considering firing Robert Mueller, Special Counsel. This was a stunning development less than 30 days after his appointment, 38 days from the firing of Comey. On the following day, Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein stated that only he could legally fire Mueller and that would require 'cause'. Thursday, brought the press bombshell with Washington Post story stating of what I have been told privately for months, that Trump is under investigation, as well as, his entire entourage and team and Mueller's investigations were widening.
"The special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election is interviewing senior intelligence officials as part of a widening probe that now includes an examination of whether President Trump attempted to obstruct justice, officials said.
The move by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to investigate Trump’s conduct marks a major turning point in the nearly year-old FBI investigation, which until recently focused on Russian meddling during the presidential campaign and on whether there was any coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Investigators have also been looking for any evidence of possible financial crimes among Trump associates, officials said."
Then today, the adjacent tweet appeared on the transom Friday, President Trump tweets an official statement that only appears to telegraph another Saturday Night Massacre redux. 
That statement quickly elicited a response from Senator Feinstein and Congressman Schiff both ranking members of congressional committee's investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election where collusion and corruption with Trump's campaign is alleged.
It is now my opinion and judgment that Trump has no choice but employ a scorched earth effort to turn the Department of Justice on its ear in an effort in his mind to save his infantile and failing presidency, and possibly this family and entire team.
What would ensue is not unlike what Nixon did, demanding that Rosenstein fire Mueller, Rosenstein then refuses stating there is no cause, where then Trump orders Sessions to fire Rosenstein. Then the baton goes to Rachel Brand, the Associate Attorney General who has a number of political and statutory conflicts where her official duty is that she is charged with ongoing counterespionage investigations within the Justice Department. She could fire Mueller and face the onslaught of political and legal heat, or herself, recuse herself, resign or be fired, conceivably for insubordination and disloyalty [to Trump].
My guess is that she tries to recuse herself but Trump and Sessions would still fire her if she isn't lock step, leaving the last option in succession at DOJ being Dana Boentes, the current US Attorney of Eastern Virginia District Court and at one time the acting Deputy AG and then, acting AG when Sally Yates was fired for warning of Flynn's lying. This all before Session was confirmed. Boentes is rumored to be involved in the investigations of Trump Team. My guess is that Boentes again refuses or recuses himself and he too is fired where because of Trump's firing of 44 US Attorney's back in March where he was one of the few who survived as no acting US Attorney the line of succession stops because the next in line is the US Attorney of Northern Illinois.
But then what? Mueller is not fired, unless Sessions goes radical and un-recuse's himself where then Mueller is finally fired. I don't think Cable News could keep up with the successions. Here is where the Congress will need to get some spine and pass a law for an independent prosecutor where it reappoints Mueller. And this will determine if we are over the threshold of fascism since Congress will have to overturn a Presidential Veto. That would require a 2/3's vote in both houses, 288 in the House and 67 in the Senate, or 93 Republicans would have to join 194 Democrats in the House and 15 Republican Senators join Democrats in the Senate. You know it would have been better if the Electoral College had stopped Trump back in December
I studied Game Theory in college when I had a semester long seminar in MAD, Mutual Assured Destruction conducted during the Cold War period in my college days from actual DOD personnel. Game Theory explained, is the use of mathematics and logic regarding competing forces where one presumption is that the actors are intelligent and/or rational, rational in a sense that the actor believes so not whether their opposition thinks they are rational. Game Theory was often used in the fields of economics, psychology, and of course, political science and now is utilized in the fields of computer games, computer science including data mining as well as biological research. Naturally assigning Game Theory suggests that Donald Trump's upcoming decisions or reactions is all about closing all investigations because it all leads to impeachment proceedings, which information in RUMINT suggest he is guilty of multiple crimes both as a private citizen and now President. His pattern of behaviors are very consistent, honed over the last fifty years and his options here are limited.
Back to the fascist revolution. All the legislation proposed by Trump and the Republicans reflect what John Dean saw in 2006. The immigration Executive Order, is racist nationalism, healthcare repeal and replace, tax reform are not about his electoral base but about his political agenda favoring Big Business and corrupt enrichment. His comments regarding representative government from the senate rules to the ideas like filibuster, obstructionism, fictional executive privilege, emoluments, waivers, communications, etc, is all fascism in reality. The question is how many domestic fascists are in the Congress. And there in lies the coup d'etat. That said once another DOJ Massacre takes place Trump will never see approval ratings (outside Fox sponsored) above 30% again, where he could fall below 22% when this is finally over.
If in fact the RUMINT is correct about the partnership of the Trump Team and the Russians as it pertains to the hacking and election colluding there also had to be partners in the Congress and states. Now as for more Game Theory, the wild card are the four other Eyes in the intelligence community, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, plus the other NATO allies. When or if Mueller is fired and in between Congress's reaction I am projecting that a series of stunning intelligence releases will find the media permanently wounding the Trump Administration and possibly the Congressional leadership, leaving little choice for members of Congress to demand a full and independent investigation. This general pathway of totally exposing our once open government is the only way out of this, non partisan and fully venting. As I said back in December this is going to be messy, very very messy.
No comments:
Post a Comment