Almost six months ago, I wrote something on this blog after having finished Mary Trump’s book and I ended that post with the following, “Just as Trump tried to wrest control of the entire Trump empire from his own siblings, I fear that he, supported by his enablers, will try to wrest control of our country from ‘we the people’. Trump’s siblings smelled something fishy and acted before it was too late. I hope the people of this country will do likewise.”
What still blows my mind is that this whole sordid episode culminating in the attack on the Capitol last week, did not have to happen. All of the signs were there. It could have been stopped. I, like everyone else was shocked by the shear scale and horror of the attack on the Capitol, but I was certainly not surprised. For months, I have been writing in posts about how Trump’s actions paralleled those taken by other authoritarian leaders who had been duly elected in their countries and then taken the countries over the edge into the political abyss of authoritarianism. His actions were right out of the ‘Fascist playbook’. You could see this coming months ago.
I don’t think there is any question now that Trump will go down in history as the worst president in American history and there will be an asterisk by his name denoting that he is the only president in history to be impeached twice. What a legacy.
I think this impeachment trial in the Senate will be much different than the last trial. Mitch McConnell has signaled that he believes Trump committed impeachable offenses and given that the Senate is essentially split 50-50 between the Democrats and Republicans (assuming the trial doesn’t happen until after Jan. 20th), it would only require 17 Republicans to cross over and vote for conviction. And as more and more details emerge about how this appears to have been a coordinated attack (possibly with help from insiders!) I think it likely that enough Republicans will finally do the right thing.
If the senate does not vote to convict Trump in this impeachment hearing, then there is no hope. If fomenting an insurrection in this country is not an impeachable offense, I really don’t know what is.
It is extremely important that he be convicted because if he is not, he could possibly run for president again in 2024 and we would have to put up with four years of him riling up the country and causing trouble – again. Of course, that assumes that he has not been convicted of a felony by then which is a distinct possibility given all of the legal woes he faces upon leaving office.
The Trump brand has been indelibly damaged and businesses are deserting him in significant numbers every single day. Trump probably cares more about that than about being impeached. He is looking at losing a lot of money and given his upcoming debt problems, I think the Trump house of cards is about to implode.
The impeachment and a subsequent conviction would also have a significant adverse impact on any future political aspirations his kids might have. They will be tainted as well and I can’t imagine that a candidacy by any of them in 2024 would be well received. They all might also be facing their own set of legal and financial problems.
What is so ridiculous in all of this is that Trump could have emerged from this rich, politically powerful, and in front-runner status as the Republican candidate for president in 2024. If he had not started propagating the lie months ago about how if he lost, the election had to have been rigged, and simply abided by the process he would be in a much different place. When he lost the election, if he had simply conceded graciously, he could have walked away with his brand more valuable than ever, with the ability to pull in mega-donations to pad his political war chest, and as a ‘king-maker’ for the 2022 mid-term elections and as the Republican front-runner for the 2024 race. However, his ego and his inability to tell the truth got in the way.
In his four years in office and in leading the Republican Party, he caused the Republicans to lose the House of Representatives, the Senate and now the White House. His brand is tarnished forever. His future in politics is probably over. His businesses are taking huge financial hits. He has essentially torpedoed any political aspirations of his kids. And he has left a huge rift in the country and within his own party. All because of his ego.
This trail of destruction is consistent with everything that has happened throughout his entire adult life. He wrecked his family. He wrecked multiple businesses. He wrecked three marriages. He has wrecked countless ‘friendships. He has wrecked a political party. And now he has wrecked a country. And even after all of this, people continue to support him. I just have to shake my head.
I believe from the very beginning before the election of 2016 that that Republican Party plotted to destroy the Democrats. The Russian conspiracy to interfere with the election was the start. Trump having Wikileaks steel Hillary’s e-mails was another clue. For the next four years the Republican Party did everything they could to cover it up. From Barr redacting all the evidence from the Mueller Investigation to the Quid Pro Quo where Trump was without question guilty.
The Republican Party has become so good at circumventing the law, they convince themselves that they have the power to break any law and get away with it. Every one of those in Congress who supported Trump with voter fraud are guilty of conspiracy against the government and all of them should be charged with the insurrection.
This danger in our government to allow criminal activity in Congress to circumvent the law needs to be addressed.