Hearing the news that the President's legal team is exploring the unprecedented possibility of a President pardoning himself, combined with a claim by Trump attorney John Dowd that the President can't be prosecuted because whatever allegedly happened has passed it's best if prosecuted by date begs the question…
What crimes has the President committed?
As the most dysfunctional presidency in our country's history careens through its first year in office, I find myself wondering; should I laugh or should I cry?
Maybe a bit of both.
It seems obvious - if it wasn't before, of course - there's some damning evidence in Trump's tax returns. The preemptive strike by the President in his interview with the failing New York Times, warning Robert Mueller that he'd better stay out of Pussy-Grabber-in-Chief's financials and stick to Russia is hard to ignore. Mueller's investigation was always going there (again, of course). Follow the money. Trump's legal team have apparently abandoned the notion that their client is innocent. They aren't interested in arguing the facts so much as they are in smearing and discrediting Mueller and his investigation.
Our first celebrity president wasn't talking to Mueller in that New York Times' interview, though; he was speaking to his fans, once again painting himself as persecuted. Of course he needs to understand if he can pardon himself. It's a witch hunt! So unfair! Sad!
His fans have not abandoned him. His support, according to polls, remains unwavering regardless of the increasing evidence of collusion between his campaign and Russia, despite the lack of any meaningful legislation to reform taxes or fund infrastructure projects or dismantle Obamacare. News that Trump's Mar-a-Lago club is looking to hire foreign workers during Made in America week is met with a collective shrug. He's openly feuding with his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions (a man who seems incapable of taking a hint) in what many seem to believe is Trump sacrificing a pawn to set up a checkmate on Mueller. He's changed PR firms; Sean "Spicey" Spicer is out, Anthony "Mooch" Scaramucci is in so now maybe the President's message can get through to the American public. And the message appears to be this: Donald J. Trump is an absolute stud. He swishes free throws wearing a top coat! (The Knicks could definitely use him.) He throws perfect spirals through a tire. (Explains the Tom Brady connection.) He sinks 30-foot putts! (Hmm… That golf thing sounds familiar but... I just can't seem to put my finger on it.)
It appears it was no idle boast Trump made during the campaign when he claimed he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose any votes.
It shouldn't surprise us even if the reason for his continued popularity is a bit uncomfortable.
Trump is us.
Vain, transactional, curiously unfamiliar with his native tongue, boastful, irrationally confident in his own abilities, quick to anger, vengeful, not overtly yet still uncomfortably racist, overtly and obliviously misogynistic, comfortable with a lie, comfortable with the "everybody's doing it" defense, suspicious of science, selfish, greedy, and completely comfortable in his own hypocritical skin.
He's what we all want to be. Rich. Powerful. Married to a former fashion model. Not to mention the impressive golf game.
Let's face it. People who believed the system was rigged against them aren't going to be upset when they find out the system was rigged for them regardless of who did the rigging. The moralizing and indignation of their political opponents doesn't threaten them or cause them to question their loyalty to Trump so much as it reassures them that they're winning; that they've exacted 8 to 10 ounces of their pound of flesh.
The bread tastes too good and the circus is far too entertaining for any of Trump's fans to leave the party now.
No comments:
Post a Comment