Research Professor, University of New Mexico
For those among us who have a brain, and use it, it has become exceedingly clear that greed and profit are the main driving forces of the Trump Administration. Trump’s executive orders, and his support by the Republican leadership, have pretty much undermined, or destroyed what successive presidents, both Republican and Democratic, have accomplished in the past sixty years. Greed, the profit motive, corruption and right wing ideological extremism have turned this great country upside down and both Trump, and the Republican leadership, are among the most disliked politicians in American history and, possibly, the rest of the world! Trump’s approval rating is barely at 34% and the Republican ratings are only slightly worse than Trump’s!
To date, we have seen the decimation of the EPA; Plant Parenthood is being defunded; the elimination of Meals on Wheels for poor people, gone; free school lunch programs for poor kids, gone; the deregulation of several consumer protection laws, gone; the assault on women’s rights and the LGBT community, in process; the approval of a mediocre candidate to the Supreme Court, done; the assault on the Paris Accord regarding climate change, in process; the reduction of benefits to our vets, in process; the relaxation of laws regarding gun possession by unstable people, done; the decimation of the Justice Department, done; the debacle over Obamacare and Trump’s efforts to introduce Trumpcare, a bill that would eliminate millions of poor people from access to healthcare and increase profits for the insurance industry, in process; the removal of regulations protecting public lands from exploitation by the fossil fuel industry, done; and the removal of laws that permit hunters to shoot practically anything in sight… from bears to wolves (done). Now, even shooting our animal kingdom from helicopters has become a legalized “sport”!
The above examples are just a few instances of deplorable, cruel and self serving actions by this “phony president”, and the deplorable Members of Congress who support him.
Just like drug addicts who must continuously increase the dosage of their heroin dependence, Trump’s motivation for transforming America is driven by profit, greed and power; and he doesn’t seem to get enough of it! The Republicans in Congress, however, are a different kind of animal. Most appear to be bought and paid for by the NRA, the pharmaceuticals, and the insurance and the fossil fuel industries, and their votes in support of Trump’s initiatives and executive orders is their way of paying off their “debts” to these industries. And, let’s not forget the 1%, like the Koch brothers, among other millionaires who support the GOP, and who have contributed millions to the Republican leadership, including the “phony president’s” pre-election campaign.
Trump’s lack of popularity, the emerging evidence of collusion with Russia over the election, and the looming possibility of corruption charges and indictments, aren’t leaving Trump with too many survival options. Solution? Start acting tough around the world; bomb into oblivion people who are more hated than he is and, if necessary, start a war with North Korea. That’s a strategy that’s worked well with some previous presidents, and it’s a good way to divert attention from the quagmire he has created for himself. The real question is, will America buy his nonsense? I fear most of his base of deplorables will continue to support him regardless, which is rather ironic because, in the event of war, they’ll most likely be among the first to die on some foreign battlefield! And his 1% of millionaires will most likely find a way to profiteer through the manufacture of weaponry, and other armaments, so we can’t expect much opposition to a foreign war from them. The Democrats, on the other hand, despite being in the minority in the House and Senate, have a real opportunity to influence public opinion, and change hearts and minds. To date, their lack of leadership, their lack of unity, and their inability “to find a spine” makes me wonder whether they have what it takes to seize the moment. Perhaps it’s time for Michelle Obama to step up and show them how it’s done!
Folks, it seems to me that there is only one solution. We must impeach and remove this “phony president” before he destroys everything we hold dear, and vote the Republican leadership out of office in 2018. It’s becoming clearer by the day that this Republican Party is just bad for America!
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