It’s
hard to believe, but the Presidency of Donald Trump seems to get worse with
each passing day. Since my last post, an incredible amount has happened, but
much of it following the same pattern – chaos in his administration, anti-labor
actions, conflicts of interest, growing evidence of potential ties to the
Russian election hack and lies that just keep piling on top of other lies. What
is becoming clearer as one week passes into the next is that Trump is engaged
in an all-out assault on the media, the main organism that can hold his
flailing administration accountable for it anti-democratic, anti-American and
anti-worker agenda.
In
this post, I will simply highlight some of the most egregious examples of his
behavior in the past 10 days. Top of the list, of course, is the ties to Russia
and contacts between his campaign team and the Kremlin during the election (NYT)
alongside the fastest resignation of of a Defense Secretary in history (NYT).
For those who continue to doubt that the Russians helped elect Trump, they
might want to look to Germany, where they are trying to interfere in the
upcoming election, or Montenegro, where they are implicated in an
assassination attempt. Beyond the Russia ties is the most chaotic
transition in history, amplified by his Labor Secretary having to withdraw
after allegations of his spousal abuse were confirmed from an old Oprah tape. That
follows claims of spousal abuse for his key strategist Bannon and others in the
administration. And, of course, one should note the GOP pushing through the
nomination of Scott Pruitt, even as he faces legal action for failing to
release emails between his office in Oklahoma and the Oil & Gas companies
he served so well as Attorney General of the state (WP).
The
rally in Florida yesterday exemplified all that it is wrong with Trump, from
his ceaseless attack
on the media to his penchant for altering
reality to serve his interests. Some in the media are already fearful that
they could be hunted
down like a third-world country’s media for covering the administration
honestly as the witch hunt for leakers grows, the first case of self-censorship
emerged and the media worries that this
could be the start of a trend. And just in case we thought he didn’t mean
it, Reince Priebus emerged from his near invisibility to confirm that he
did. Even Fox News’ Chris Wallace felt compelled to critique
the President for his dangerous attacks on the media. And this comes as his
new FCC Chair seems poised to undermine another channel for dissent, by ending Net
Neutrality.
There
was also continued assailing of immigrants as fears swell across the country with
raids appearing to be on the rise,
even as he admitted defeat
in his original immigration order just last week. This is in concert, with his
fear mongering of increased crime in the "inner
cities," ironic given the fact the numbers appear to be a blip in a
downturn in crime that has been going on for over two decades and the new FBI
report that provides further details of his and his father’s attempt to
kick blacks out of his real estate holdings in the 70s.
As
Trump was rallying his troops near his White House South, Pence was attempting
to allay the fears of a Europe that is increasingly worried
about the rhetoric coming from the administration. And some are suggesting
that the reason he is on the road so much is because he is already suffering
from cabin
fever, which one might see as a good sign if it didn’t mean Bannon could be
formulating
even more of the foreign and domestic policy.
Finally,
in his efforts to rein in spending, Trump is targeting a host of conservative bête
noirs including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Legal Services
Corporation, AmeriCorps and the National Endowments for the Arts and the
Humanities. These are all governmental organizations that serve the people of
the country, providing public television and radio, legal services, jobs for
kids and funding for the arts and humanities. The assault appears to be yet
another attempt by this administration to undermine the public sphere and any
organizations that might challenge his power. But the most astounding element
of these cuts is how little money they will save (NYT)
and some of the other programs on the chopping block including the White
House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, which dispenses grants to
reduce drug use and drug trafficking, and the Export-Import Bank, which has
guaranteed loans to foreign customers of American companies since the 1930s. Do
any of these 2.5 billion in cuts really make America great again? I’ll leave
that up to his voters to decide, though it is unlikely they will even know,
or care, about them …
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