What is supposed to the Administration’s showpiece of the year in a dreary Congress, President Donald J Trump, who was mired in controversy and scandal, pitched up to give his State of the Union address. The Republicans were hoping for some lift as they faced a disastrous midterm election largely due to Trump’s outrageous first year in office. The good news for them was that Trump stayed more or less on script arguing that America had entered a “Golden Age”. The bad news is that only his sycophantic cult believe him.
But before gong onto the speech, which once again illustrated the hold Trump has over the Republican legislators who dutifully and spinelessly handed him standing ovation over ovation which was particularly jarring when he was speaking palpable rubbish, “Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so much we really don’t know what to do about it".
TRUMP’S TALE OF WOES AND THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS - THE WEEK THAT WAS
Before the President even started he was coping with an historic Supreme Court Ruling which axed his pivotal tariff policies; a revelation that there had been a serious allegation against him by a teenager in the Epstein files, the latter becoming an ever increasing international crime scene; the Republican Congressional women who were demanding the resignation of a colleague that was revealed to have had a sordid relationship with a staff member who had subsequently committed suicide - if indeed he bowed out it would bring the Republican majority to two in the House; a whistleblower, who was a a trainer of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE) recruits, who with documentation showed that they were hopelessly undertrained and instructed to break the law such as with arrests and entering property without a warrant; another whistleblower from the National Institute of Health, (NIH), who discussed the destructiveness of halting research and the fact that this leads to a brain drain and to cap it all his approval rating was crashing to a record low at 36 percent.
And there was much more such as in that up to a third of the cases brought against the administration by the immigrant detainees grabbed off the streets, the Courts found that the Bondi Department Justice were defying or not obeying court orders in a third of the litigations against them The problem is that an avalanche of prosecutors in the Justice Department have either been fired or resigned. Judges have been threatening contempt of court rulings and one finally did so. A prosecutor probably fearing such a stain asked a Judge to lock her up for the night as she was unable to provide the Court what had asked for.
On the other end of spectrum Trump was backing himself into a corner on starting a war in the Middle East. He, according to his retreaded fellow transactional real estate operator morphed into a diplomat negotiator, could not understand why Iran’s Khamenei had “not folded”. This naive childish assessment of the Supreme Iranian Leader's belief system and consequently how he might act is mind boggling and could plunge America and the region in a prolonged war. Khamenei is not dealing in real estate in New York. Trump with all America’s military hardware in the Mediterranean Sea could commit American troops into a senseless war.
And so it goes, there was even more. Trump was put out that the Democrats finally realized they were not dealing with a normal situation, 70 of their legislators not pitching up to his address. He screamed “sabotage”. Those present were hardly defferential, one holding up a poster, “Black people aren’t apes”, in reference to Trump posting a picture on his “Truth Social” of the Obamas on the bodies of apes. A few screamed that he was killing people and they all refused to stand at the behest of his crony patriotism. So the Dems had got the message that they needed to show some spine and forget the standing rules of order.
PROTEST ADDRESSES
There were 5 simultaneous State of the Union protest meetings the largest of which was organized by the now number one podcaster MeidaTouch and an activist movement Move On. This was held on the steps of the Capitol. Democratic lawmakers made appearances usually accompanied by a victim of one sort or another who had an inspiring story to tell.This program exceeded the two hours of the Main Event up the road but somehow held a large crowd as the production was remarkably slick particularly bearing in mind that it had been put together in the past few days. It also garnered a sensational 2.1 million views on line.
But Trump’s most significant set back was the Supreme Court decision on his Tariffs “which he loved”. This means that any tariffs now imposed have to end up in Congress. The tone of the ruling signaled that the love fest between the Judiciary and the Executive could be over.
THE SUPREME COURT AND TRUMP’S TARIFFS
What seemed obvious, namely that tariffs are a tax, had not hindered Trump initiating the former as central to his fiscal policy. The Constitution specifically states that “the power of the purse” is the prerogative of the Legislature, not the President. Nevertheless it was regarded as a massive deal when the Supreme Court unceremoniously threw Trump’s capricious tariffs out. The reason for the enormous import of the 6- 3 decision was that tariffs were the major thrust of the President’s economic policy. Pundits were comparing the Court’s response to a 1935 ruling which reigned in FDR’s New Deal and a 1952 outcome which undid Harry Truman’s attempt to nationalize the steel industry while the country was at war with Korea. So once again Donald J. Trump is up there with the greats. However that decision heralded a disastrous few days for Trump and his Administration.
Following the announcement of the Court’s ruling Trump began on script, whining how “deeply disappointed” he was. Then he attacked the judges personally, “I’m ashamed of certain members of the court. Absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what is right for the country”. Inter alia in his 45 minute rant he opined, “They.re just being fools and lapdogs for the Rhinos and radical left Democrats…. The court has been swayed by foreign interests” and “It’s an embarrassment to their families and to one another.”
Trump went on for days posting a half a dozen diatribes on his “Truth Social” attacking his former enablers on the Court, while what passes for his moral compass, The Dow Stock Exchange Index and his poll numbers dived. At least in his El Duce’s State of the Union address to the nation he merely reflected “disappointment” at the four of the nine judges who pitched up.
Trump said the quiet part out loud when he shared that he wanted to do away with income taxes and replace them tariffs.Thus he wanted the entire financial burden of the State to be carried by those in the lower income groups as opposed to the billionaires.
However Trump was having far more success with creating the infrastructure to effect his so called Border or Immigration policy.
“BORDER OR IMMIGRATION” POLICIES.- MAKE AMERICA WHITE AGAIN
Trump trumpeted his border and immigration policies by arguing that, “….the United States had the strongest and most secure border in history…”. Rather than defend the gestapo like actions of the Immigration and Custom Enforcement, (ICE), and Border Patrol Agencies and the fact that they were untrained and were instructed to ignore the law, he detailed in gruesome detail the crimes committed by illegal immigrants. He ignored the cold blooded murders committed by ICE. The 47th President ranted on and on attacking former presidents, excepting himself presumably, “It is the first duty of the American Government to American citizens not illegal aliens”. He also used the occasion for a racist attack on American Citizens of Somali origin - Trump’s newest worst friends.
Trump made no reference to the massive build up of detention centers which were the going to Make America White Again, or to coin a phrase MAWA. He basically declared victory for his new “army”. Presumably he felt that the near universal protests, the fact that they had been kicked out of LA, Chicago Minneapolis and the others didn’t mean he had lost the war against Americans. For one thing for sure both borders were secure!
AT THE END OF THE DAY
Trump’s address couldn’t have helped his woes. Viewing was down 11 percent from last year and there was no blip up in his miserable 36 percent approval numbers. So he is just going to rely on voter suppression to MAWA. It didn’t pass unnoticed that during nap time in his marathon that he made a serious plug for his “Save American Voter Eligibility Act”.
There are armies of Democratic lawyers ready to file motions against executive orders or legislation to restrict voting. Elections are in the Constitution to be run by States just like the “power of the purse” belongs to the Legislature.
The protests continue daily. Another No Kings national rally on March 28. Organizers hoping to smash the 7 million record attendance of last time.
One fact is for sure Trump won’t give up trying to avoid a crushing defeat in November. He is on record for supporting insurrectionists in 2020 in addition to, inter alia, pleading and threatening the Republican Secretary of State of Georgia that all he needed “to find was 11,800 votes which was one more than he lost by”.
Expect increasing, vitriol, hate, anger, fear mongering, executive orders, strategies to restrict voting, cries that there is cheating, attempts at creating emergencies till it all reaches a crescendo at the Midterms when the wannabe dictator throws in ICE into the mix.
There is everything at stake for both sides. -investigations into Trump and his thugs if the Democrats win, the end of Democracy for a long long time if the Republicans win.
Someone should whisper in Trump’s ear that America is diverse and he is 250 years too late to unscramble the egg and MAWA - let alone MAWMA - Make America White Male Again to coin another phrase.
Bill and Hillary Clinton, albeit reluctantly, gave the country a lesson in civics adding to the administration's problem with the Epstein files.
AT THE END OF THE DAY THIS WAS ALL TO COMPLICATED TO RESOLVE AND WAR WITH IRAN WAS FAR MORE URGENT....
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