President Trump is Not Whom You Should Fear The Most

A lot of people are worried sick about what President Trump might do next.  Rest assured,  there are limits to the damage he can do.  But,  his term or terms in office will be quite interesting,  to say the least.  There is an old Chinese curse that is,  sadly,  applicable:  “may you live in interesting times”.

The office of President is specifically designed to limit the bad the President can do,  which also limits the good he or she can do.  All our Presidents do both good and bad while in office.  That’s just human nature.  The ones we consider "good" Presidents do more good than bad,  and vice versa.  It's never “either-or”.  

In Mr. Trump's case,  I fear he will do more bad than good,  not so much out of malicious intent,  but out of egregious ignorance compounded by unwarranted arrogance,  and a demonstrated inability to speak or value the truth.  But only time will tell. 

Age may not be the sole Constitutional qualification to be President that we need anymore.  Ignorance so egregious should be a disqualifier for the Presidency in the Constitution.  I’m not sure how you measure it to judge,  though.  Update 6-23-17:  readers please weigh in on how such ignorance might be measured,  using the comments feature.  

The President Is Not the Only Problem We Face

Meanwhile,  I am more concerned about the damage the Republicans will do while in control of all 3 branches.  They are demonstrably unfit to govern,  since for more than 3 decades now,  the entire party has been held hostage to an extremist minority within their midst.  As the popular vote indicates,  the Republicans are about half of American voters.  So minority within their party is a small minority indeed,  compared to all of us.

That minority has managed to either purge,  or forcibly convert the rest of the Republican party into voting with them,  via the "primarying" threat.  Because it’s an extremist minority view that controls,  everything the party has ever claimed about economics and public policy has proven to be a lie,  for many years now. 

This is an example of a minority takeover of a government,  via extortion and propaganda.  This a minority uninterested in doing things for the people,  or even in maintaining their freedom,  despite what is claimed.  It is all about obtaining and wielding power over others.

Prior examples:  the Nazis,  the Bolsheviks,  the Chinese communists,  Pol Pot in Cambodia,  etc.  And THAT is why I am concerned about our future as a democracy.  Mr. Trump's deficiencies are just incidental to THAT threat.  

So Where Is the Alternative?

The problem is that we have little in the way of an alternative that is not just as dangerous.  The Democrats also sold out many years ago to the same financial giants as the Republicans sold out to,  more than a century ago.  They went "rich elite",  and completely forgot about their core constituency,  the lower middle class working people who typically held factory jobs. 

Which neglect is exactly why that base revolted and elected Mr. Trump!

The fundamental trouble is with party agendas on both sides:  they have little to do with reality,  being extremized WITHOUT REGARD TO FACTS,  just to differentiate the parties.  Political agendas do not make good public policy.  They never have. 

An Unexpected Problem Confronts Us

Money is power.  The love of money and power corrupts everything it touches,  as any preacher can tell you.  The real problem:  the financial giants own both parties,  and controlled who actually ran for President in 2016. 

Mr. Trump was the only Republican a “corrupt elite politician” like Hillary Clinton could conceivably beat.  And she did,  in the popular vote!  On the other hand,  Mrs. Clinton was the only Democrat that an ignorant incompetent like Mr. Trump could possibly beat.  And he did,  in the electoral college!  PER THE PLAN!

Both party primaries were deliberately rigged for these two candidates to keep the "blood and circuses" interesting enough to prevent public perception of who was really pulling all the strings behind the scenes.  You didn't think Mr. Comey was incompetent enough to violate FBI investigation procedures by making those two public announcements (July and October) about Mrs. Clinton's email-mishandling,  did you?  And it WAS mishandling,  but she is not unique in that fault,  not by a long shot. 

Mr. Comey was forced to do those irregular election-swaying announcements by the financial giants to keep the race looking "even" for a longer time,  until the giants could get their man in at the last moment.  This was with Russian fake news (via Wikileaks,  Sputnik,  and RT) helping to sway voters' minds,  in addition to Mr. Comey’s October announcement. 

The collusion deserving investigation is less about Mr. Trump's campaign than it is those financial giants.  They wanted an incompetent they could influence or control to help give them everything they want.  They got him. 


Update 6-23-17:  It would appear the Russians actually did hack into the records of voter registration in multiple states,  and the records of multiple voting machine manufacturers.  There seems to be no evidence they actually succeeded in altering vote tallies,  but this was quite apparently not for lack of trying!

Update 7-28-17:  I consider both fake news election meddling,  and attempts at real election vote count tampering,  to be acts of war against the US,  committed by Russia.  These are every bit as damaging to us as an explosive bomb.  This does demand a punitive response.  I am glad to see that both the House and Senate largely think so,  as well.  Although,  I am not sure that only economic sanctions are the right response.  

Can We Fix This Problem?

You cannot expect a wholly-bought Congress to change this,  no matter which party is in power.  They work for who bought their jobs for them,  not us.  This has been true for decades now.  They would have to cooperate with a grassroots Constitutional amendment process,  too,  and they will not,  because of the money. 

Ballot-box solutions are thus pretty-well ruled out.  This evil takeover of our government will not go away without some sort of revolution,  I fear.  The giant corporations and banks control the entire federal government,  which means they control the armed forces.  And they know the rebellion is inevitably coming. 

Why else would EPA enforcement officers (and similar non-military career government workers) need body armor,  swat vehicles,  machine guns,  and most of the ammunition being produced?  They are to serve as adjunct troops to help put down the rebellion!

Compared to this picture,  an arrogant and ignorant incompetent like Mr. Trump is small change,  even with his finger on the nuclear trigger.  As serious and dangerous as that is (update 6-23-17).

Keep your guns and ammunition hidden.  You’re going to need them.  Just as the Second Amendment says. 

GW

Update 6-23-17:  

There have already been a few calls for impeachment and removal of President Trump.  Right now that seems rather unlikely,  as his supporters still rabidly support him,  regardless of the damage that he does them on behalf of the radical-right wing of the GOP,  who also still support him.  This is showing up in the health care bills and the tax reform plan that takes money from his supporters,  and gives it to the super-rich instead.  And this is just getting started.  

There would be only three basic grounds for impeachment:  (1) egregious ignorance and incompetence,  leading to an inability to properly perform the duties of his office,  (2) obstruction of justice with regard to the various investigations of him and his campaign,  and (3) treason,  per the definitions in the Constitution.  

Update 7-28-17:  there is a connection between why Mr. Trump so viciously has turned on Jeff Sessions,  and why he is looking for ways to fire the special investigator Robert Mueller.  That connection is Mr. Trump's hidden tax returns and other hidden records of his financial dealings.  

I predict that when these are finally brought to light,  that two very disturbing things will be found:  (1) the majority of  Mr. Trump's income is coming from investors and customers in Russia,  and (2) Mr. Trump owes the best part of a billion dollars to Russian banks who financed his ventures when no other banks would touch him,  after his 6 bankruptcies of record.  These Russian banks are largely operated by Russian crime figures close to dictator Putin (they keep each other in power).  

That is an incredible vulnerability to coercion by a hostile foreign power!  It is simply not tolerable in an American president!  I am not surprised Mr. Trump is so vociferous about keeping his records unrevealed,  and why he is so determined to fire anybody who will not work to keep them concealed.  
The guilty dog is barking very,  very loudly here.  Loudest of all,  as a matter of fact. 

The first ground might actually come to pass,  sooner or later,  in spite of the fact that there is no precedent for doing this.  Whether this is a first-term or second term process depends upon how soon his supporters realize he has not,  and will not,  do anything substantive to help them,  which he promised to do during his campaign.  As rabid as they are,  they will resist to the last changing their minds about Mr. Trump. 

The second ground could happen in a first or second term,  should the GOP tire of the damage he does.  To turn away from supporting a GOP president willing to sign their legislation,  will require that they consider the good of the country above party advantage.  That is something we have not seen since Bill Clinton's first term.  I would not hold my breath waiting for it,  unless the Democrats take the House in 2018.  They would also need massive control of the Senate to convict. I think both are very unlikely.

The third ground is not something anybody is seriously talking about.  Yet.  The outcomes of the investigations may change that.  Those are months,  perhaps a couple of years,  away.  

The Constitution specifically defines "treason" to be either of two things:  (1) waging war against the United States,  or (2) providing aid and comfort to its enemies.  It requires two witnesses to the act,  or a confession in open court.  The charge is brought by the House (articles of impeachment),  and the court in which the case is tried is the Senate.  It takes a 2/3 majority to convict.

Mr. Trump's statements and actions (multiple examples exist) have clearly damaged our relations with NATO and all our other allies around the world.  This has been witnessed by millions.  It is something the Russians have tried to do without success since these alliances were formed right after WW2.  I doubt that there is any reasonable person in the US who does not consider Russia today to be an adversary.  The synonym for that is "enemy".  

I submit that damaging those alliances (NATO and the rest as separate counts),  when the Russians had not been able to accomplish that in 70+ years,  provided "aid and comfort" to the Russians, who qualify as an "enemy".  There are plenty of witnesses.  That satisfies the definition of treason in the Constitution.  

The only question is when will the House and Senate live up to their oaths of office,  and do what is right for the country instead of just maximizing party political advantage?  

THAT is the question you must ask yourself when you enter the voting booth in 2018,  2020,  and beyond.  You can vote counter to the financial giants who bought your politicians their jobs and rigged your elections.  If enough of you do,  we all can still take our country back without an insurrection.

Until our Representatives and Senators do live up to their oaths of office,  no impeachment is possible,  on any of the three possible grounds.  And the grounds of treason look to me to be most certain right now,  even without any investigation outcomes.