As long as you have Donald Trump in the White House you will have outrages in America. As if that were not bad enough; Trump has a lot of helpers, most of whom will outlast him. Let’s explore.
Among other problems America currently has an economy in disarray largely because of Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic. Not surprisingly Trump lost the election in November yet he is protesting that he really won and in a landslide. Even by Trumpian math that claim is beyond the comprehension of anyone with an above room temperature IQ.
Leadership requires wisdom, judgement and courage. Trump is sadly lacking in all three departments. The problem is that he has a lot of companions and they all seem to have an “R” after their name.
Months ago the House under the real leadership of Nancy Pelosi passed a coronavirus relief/stimulus bill. After it gathered sufficient dust on Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s desk without ever seeing the Senate floor, Pelosi got another bill involving less spending through the House which suffered the same fate in the Senate where Mitch is too busy confirming (in many cases grossly unqualified) Trump nominees to pay attention to the needs of the people.
This last week the Congress punted by passing a one week continuing resolution to keep the lights on in the federal government because they couldn’t get their work in on time. I have a grandchild in Middle School and if she misses a due date on an assignment she either gets an incomplete or an F. Maybe we need a new TV show called, Are You As Responsible As A Middle Schooler? Spoiler alert: largely due to Mitch McConnell’s Senate our Congress isn’t.
Early last week it appeared that Congress was closing in on a bill aimed at funding the government and to aid/stimulate the economy. The rumored package included extending unemployment benefits for the nearly 10 million unemployed (and that’s not counting those who were forced to leave the workforce). Suddenly the deal was blown up by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin – no doubt on orders from Trump – stepping into the negotiations demanding a $600 per person stimulus check instead of extended unemployment benefits. I’m sure Trump felt that a $600 check with his name on it somehow was better for his future ventures. Like many Americans I would be better off with the $600 check option. The reality is that it isn’t all about me. In many cases the unemployed have been out of a job since early 2020, they have no immediate prospects of getting a new job and they are really hurting. They need the unemployment much more than I need the $600.
The other fly in the ointment is that, led by Mitch, the Republicans are insisting on immunity for employers who endanger their employees with regard to COVID-19. To me that is a poison pill. If we offer no worker protection and in effect suspend existing workplace safety laws we have reduced employees to slaves. That is totally and unconditionally unacceptable to me. It is simply immoral and un-American! This is a classic need versus greed situation. Democrats are looking out for the needs of the unemployed and local governments; the Republicans are protecting the greed of those who would sacrifice their workers in the pursuit of additional profit.
Election Day was Tuesday, November 3, 2020 and the last day to vote. By the late morning of Saturday November 8, 2020 all but the willfully ignorant realized that Joe Biden had defeated Donald Trump. Is it really that amazing that a scandal a day president with record unemployment and a raging pandemic would lose? Sans evidence Trump continues to claim that he was cheated by widespread fraud and really won in a landslide. The only thing I find amazing (and frightening) is that over 70 million people voted for this abject failure.
After losing some 50+ court challenges Trump and his minions led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are trying to get a case to the Supreme Court where Texas challenges the voting procedures, laws and totals in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In fact Trump has lined up Texas Senator Ted Cruz to argue the case before the Court should it get that far. The case lacks standing, evidence and merit but who knows in Trump’s D.C.? As to motivation it appears Paxton is looking for a much needed presidential pardon. Cruz is playing nice because he feels he can pick up Trump’s voters in 2024 after Trump has inevitably passed from the scene.
Instead of taking a trip to the White House (ala the Barry Goldwater led Republicans of the Nixon era) and telling Trump it’s time to go quietly Republicans are signing onto an amicus brief. As I commenced writing this article the count stood at 106 Republican House members, since then 20 more signed on. The excuse given for the late signings was “Clerical errors” and it was stated that the only reason the number wasn’t higher is because of time constraints. Keep in mind that it is 126 of 196 GOP House members. It sounds a lot more like disregarding the votes of the people and disrespect for democratic elections to me and a bit of succumbing to pressure. Is Trump their version of Santa and they don’t want to be on the Naughty List?
I want to leave you with one simple observation: Today the term Republican leadership is an oxymoron.
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