TRUMP SHOOTS SELF IN THE FOOT
Obamacare:
Republicans, bless ‘em, voted to repeal Obamacare dozens of times – all for show, since they knew Obama would veto any legislation repealing his signature accomplishment. The hypocrisy of such moves is clearly revealed by the failure of the Republican-dominated Congress to dust off one of their prior “repeal Obamacare” bills and send it to the Republican President, who either:
· Out of party loyalty would be obligated to sign it, leaving the administration twisting in the wind without a suitable replacement, or
· Lacking a replacement, would have to veto their own party’s signature legislation to avoid twisting in the wind.
The failure to promptly repeal Obamacare simply highlights the barrenness of Republican rhetoric: for six years they’ve been howling “Replace!” and when it’s their turn to step up to the plate, they have no bat.
Trump/Russia connection
Trump sent Washington abuzz with his tweet:
“Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!”
Look how rich the tweet is in material for exegesis.
· Trump attempting to shift the discourse to a presumed malfeasance by Obama
· Linking Obama to McCarthyism, a subject well known to Trump because of his tutelage by Roy Cohn, famous for being McCarthy’s lawyer
· Tooting his horn, again, about the “victory.”
· Reassuring his base that there is no substance to the allegation of collusion between his campaign and Russia’s attempt to sway the election in his favor
Trump apparently didn’t think through the consequences of his accusation. He will either have to reveal the source of his information (reportedly Breibart, or perhaps, the FBI) or, failing to do so, will expose the hypocrisy of his attacks on the “dishonest press” for failing to reveal their sources. If his source is Breibart, then the basis for the accusations is probably flimsy. Ultimately, the only reliable source for a wiretap would be a government intelligence agency, most likely the FBI, which could only tap Trump’s phones after obtaining a warrant from a FISA court. Such a warrant could only be obtained upon presentation of “probable cause” of malfeasance by the Trump campaign. By pressing the issue, Trump will only bring to the fore the probable causes impelling the agency to ask for a warrant.
Then there are the continual denials by Trump, Pence, Sessions and Spicer that anyonein the Trump campaign met with the Russians, only to be proven false by undisputed revelations of multiple such contacts – ultimately leading to the resignation of Gen. Flynn, and the recusal of Sessions from any investigation relating to the Trump campaign/Russia connection. If there was nothing untoward about such meetings, Trump and his minions could have acknowledged the meetings without consequences. Could it be, as the Democrats allege, that each of these meetings was followed by Russian actions clearly intended to undermine the Clinton campaign, and therefore collusion existed between Trump and the Russians?
These Trump campaign/administration lies and accusations basically amount to Trump shooting himself in the foot, very likely leading to impeachment.
“The tyrant is a child of Pride
Who drinks from his sickening cup
Recklessness and vanity,
Until from his high crest headlong
He plummets to the dust of hope.”
Sophocles
Curiouser and curiouser.