Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Trump isn’t toast yet

Gen. Douglas MacArthur signs the Instrument of Peace during Japanese surrender ceremonies on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Sept. 2, 1945. (US Army Photo)

     World War II lasted exactly six years. Six years and one day, to be precise, from the German Panzers rolling into Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, to the Japanese signing articles of surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945.
     A long time. An era.
     Speaking of experiences that seem to go on forever, Donald Trump has already been gleaming at the center stage of our transfixed national attention for longer than World War II was fought.
     From June 16, 2015 — setting aside his previous career as real estate tout and TV game show host — when he descended that glass escalator in the gaudy marble lobby of Trump Tower and announced, “The American dream is dead. But if I get elected president, I will bring it back bigger and better.”
     And people believed him.
     To Monday, when the FBI raided his equally tasteless Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, reportedly looking for classified presidential records that he took with him instead of turning them over to the government, as the law requires.
     Seven years, plus seven weeks. And counting.
     Of course, unlike the ceremony in Tokyo Bay, the Mar-a-Lago milestone is not the end. Nowhere near. If the nation has learned one thing from the entire Trump fiasco — and it might not have, but let’s pretend — it’s to never put too much emphasis on any one event or statement, no matter how jaw-dropping or norm-shattering or horrific.
     Never count Trump out. So long as the former president has breath to lie with, he’ll plow forward, masses of supporters furiously following along in his wake, like pilot fish hungry for chum.

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10 comments:

  1. Unbelievable and frightening. As you and others have said: he's a symptom.

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  2. I think the next step is an Erdogan type, maybe not in '24 and probably not Mike Pence, who might qualify had he not defied Trump on 1/6. DeSantis seems to be auditioning for the role, but I don't see him stirring the soul of the masses. After the Republicans undermine President Kamala Harris's administration, another America-Firster will probably arise to save the nation in '28. That's my bad news for worse or worser.

    john

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  3. It would be helpful in keeping trump and his supporters at bay if the democrats could figure out how to stay out of their own way, nominate a desirable candidate and not be so smug. Just having the right idea is not enough. You can't ram it down peoples throats and expect them to be appreciative.

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  4. One hopes your dystopian vision of a Trumpian future is undermined by nature. He is, after all not much younger than the present guy. And fat. With apologies to Mr. Shakespeare, age does indeed wither and custom stale.
    Tom

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  5. Biden's heart is generally in the right place. However, now, that's not remotely enough. He should step aside and allow a more energetic, dynamic individual to emerge as the D candidate in 24. We need a more direct, vigorous and relatable voice at the top to call out the urgent stakes at issue. Cory? Pete? Stacey?

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  6. I snickered at your prediction in 2016, Mr. S, but that was when Hillary still held a sizeable lead, and everyone was predicting a Biden landslide and saying that Trump was toast. I'm not laughing anymore.

    If my wife and I are still breathing, we'll both be 77 before November 5 of 2024. If the Orange Boomerang comes back to clock America in the cabeza, I'm having more and more doubts about seeing the summer of 2027--and turning 80. Trump's return means doom for America, and especially for those of my ilk...left-leaning early Boomers. All the particulars...the whys and the wheres and the whats and the hows...are best left to the gentle reader's imagination. Not going there again.

    Still, I'm glad I'm not a kid of 25 or 30. They're facing the possibility of a life sentence in hell, without parole. Miles and miles of bad road to trudge along. And there are buried landmines all along it, and vultures overhead, and snipers.

    Regarding any possible replacement candidates for Biden in '24...who? Is there a viable entity at the moment? Nope. Not the Veep, that's for damn sure. Forget her. Better hope (or pray) that if Joe goes away, he's only bowing out, and is not being carried out.

    If the Orange Guy isn't either incarcerated or otherwise prohibited from running and/or holding office, then maybe the only thing that can save us is his sudden incapacitation...or worse. It's bad karma to hope for someone's illness or death, especially at my age, but I'll do it anyway. Desperate times, desperate measures.

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    Replies
    1. Katie Porter, congresswoman from California. One of the smartest, most articulate politicians I've seen in ages. Unfortunately, I don' think she's very well known. Of course, neither was Secretary Pete, and look what he's done. Katie/Pete or Pete/Katie, 2024.

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    2. It is indeed interesting to ponder what would happen if he suddenly exited the scene, which given his advanced age and general poor health would not be a huge surprise.

      His offspring would no doubt attempt to carry on in his stead -- DJT Jr. in particular seems to have been watching way too many gangster documentaries on the History Channel -- but I could see a monstrous power struggle within the Republican party once the members are no longer required to seek his blessing in order to run for office.

      It would upset the balance of power in a major way, with a vacuum in the center that a large number of second-tier party members (assorted governors or Senate or House members) would rush to fill as soon as possible. I can foresee the infighting that would occur, but I have absolutely no idea who would win.

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  7. I’m looking forward to when that dreaded name won’t be in the news every day. .

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    Replies
    1. Might be a long wait. Hitler made news for a quarter-century (1920-1945).

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