Mayor Rahm Emanuel knows about that phenomenon and he's not happy that Trump benefits from it: "Emanuel...thinks everyone in Washington is too focused on the crazy around Trump to see what’s actually going on — and what’s not." Politico.
David Brooks's column in Tuesday's NYTimes works off the same metaphor: When the World Is Led by a Child. Brooks writes: "Trump is an infantalist. There are three tasks that most mature adults have sort of figured out by the time they hit 25. Trump has mastered none of them. Immaturity is becoming the dominant note of his presidency, lack of self-control his leitmotif."
And Dana Milbank at the Washington Post summons a soupcon of pity for Sean Spicer when he points out the many ways Trump has humiliated his chief spokesman. Headline:
"Trump Has Sucked the Lifeblood Out of Sean Spicer."
And now that I have once again focused attention on the Infantalist, what can we do about this?
What the hell; this just in from a friend in DC: "Pay Trump Bribes Here!"
Brooks: "But there is perpetually less to Trump than it appears."
ReplyDeleteI wonder if history will recall with surprise the time when the most important country of the world chose an incompetent leader for President.
If he were a king, we'd say: "That's why monarchical systems fail. If only there had been a democracy, a suitable leader would have been chosen!"
And if he had been elected directly, people would say: "That's the risk of having everyone cast their vote in an ignorant manner, and that's why we need a 2-tier system with an educated electoral college".
But now, what is there left to say?
We have no real competency test in the U.S. for politicians. They have to be 35 or older, natural born citizens, and residents of the U.S. for 14 years.
DeleteUntil Trump started leaking classified information to the Russians (I guess he can declassify anything he wants, if you don't believe it just ask him!) I had thought impeachment proceedings would be more destructive to the country than to just keep fighting the fires he started. For one thing, the fire-fighting draws time and energy away from Ryan, et al, in their efforts to fulfill their avowed goals of dismantling the ACA and enacting tax cuts for the uber rich, not to mention gutting as many financial and environmental regulations as possible. But his ignorance and recklessness is getting worse, we would be better off with Pence as president, little as I like him. However, this demonstrates why actual impeachment ending in removing him from office is very unlikely.
ReplyDeleteHe should be impeached. He's not qualified and he's actually dangerous. I'm not looking forward to a Pence presidency but at least he's sane.
ReplyDeleteSo on what grounds would you impeach him? I'm not sticking up for him, but so far he hasn't done anything demonstrably illegal.
ReplyDeleteSo on what grounds would you impeach him? I'm not sticking up for him, but so far he hasn't done anything demonstrably illegal.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of impeachment, Andrew Sullivan is Trump Just Incriminated Himself
ReplyDeleteNYTIMES WASHINGTON — "President Trump asked the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, to shut down the federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, in an Oval Office meeting in February, according to a memo that Mr. Comey wrote shortly after the meeting."
ReplyDeleteMr. Comey wrote the memo detailing his conversation with the president immediately after the meeting, which took place the day after Mr. Flynn resigned, according to two people who read the memo. The memo was part of a paper trail Mr. Comey created documenting what he perceived as the president’s improper efforts to influence an ongoing investigation. An F.B.I. agent’s contemporaneous notes are widely held up in court as credible evidence of conversations."
Whether or not Trump has tapes, it appears that Comey was legally recording the conversations.
Yes, it would be very hard to accomplish impeaching him given the Republican majority, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve it or that it's impossible ... The case for impeaching Donald Trump
ReplyDeleteThe impeachment talk started here before the news came out about obstruction of justice (trying to get Comey to back off). Obstruction was the crime finally proven by the "smoking gun" tape Nixon had. Giving secrets to the Russians, on the other hand, is exactly what the Republicans investigated Hillary Clinton for -- 13 times if I didn't lose count. Funny how so many Republicans in Congress are still waiting for White House explanations of the Comey firing, the Russian leak, the possible White House tapes and now the Comey memos. Heck, I can't even keep track the of all the things folks like Sen. Tom "I Wish I Wuz in the Land of" Cotton and Sen. Addison Mitchell McConnell are waiting for -- waiting as Bob Marley sang, in vain -- while they withhold judgment.
ReplyDeleteSusan Collins (R-Maine) is one senator who wants to know more about the situation, context, and to see the paper trail Comey has allegedly collected. It sounds like she and other Republicans want to see what evidence is available. If impeachment on obstruction of justice charges go forward, I presume there will be no out-of-court settlement option. Resignation a la Nixon would be the only alternative. And my guess is that Pence would offer a pardon "for the good of national unity."
ReplyDeleteAnd Trump would go back to his penthouse, his money, and his real estate speculation.
What does he have to lose?
Jean, maybe going back to his old life is what he really wants. He's not acting like someone who actually wants to govern.
DeleteSo maybe the whole thing was a rewrite of "The Producers". Can't wait the part where Trump sings
ReplyDeletePrisoners of love,
Blue skies above,
Can't keep my heart in jail.