Turning the page on Trumpism

Will the GOP let him go?

Donald Trump is desperate.

There’s scant room for any other conclusion, given his relentlessly unhinged behavior and utterances, as of late. He reeks of one who has tasted power, but now can feel the walls closing in on him. He is trapped by his own hubris. Its weight will soon crush him, and every avenue of escape seems blocked.

I have to admit that I’m feeling some relief. Perhaps this nation can be pulled back from the edge. We have so far to go, and I have no illusion that we’ll see a truly unified nation in the near future (if ever). We may, however, be seeing the end of wretched Trumpism, as only the most imbecilic among us still cling to this notion of Trump-as-god.

Since his ouster from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the gilded toad has spent his time ranting on his social media platform, as well as endlessly campaigning. And while he still can draw a crowd of red capped, fawning zealots, the fervor has not carried over to the voting booth.

As it always is with Trump, he chooses to back candidates that are mindlessly loyal to him, and not necessarily those who have strong track records of governance, or even the vaguest sense of conservatism. He didn’t care as much about winning in this recent midterm as he did for packing the House with loyalists. As a result, Republicans saw big losses.

The novelty of a reality TV clown in the highest seat in the land has worn off.

Then there are all those legal woes.

To date, multiple potentially damaging investigations into Trump’s behavior, as both a businessman and a politician, are underway. As he gears up for another run at the presidency, it appears he may just as surely be running from a looming criminal conviction. After all, the presidency saved him from legal peril once. It wouldn’t be out of the question to give it another try.

Most recently, Trump saw his family business, the Trump Organization, found guilty of multiple charges of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records. While there’s no chance of this being the case that puts the former president behind prison bars, it’s only the first domino to fall.

It’s quite entertaining to see this false idol tumble down into obscurity, but we’re not out of the woods, yet. His desperation is causing him to more openly align with the frothing fanatics of the Q movement, as well as those who have attempted to overthrow our system of government, or who may otherwise espouse ideological views that are hostile to a united nation of people.

I’m saying it here, once again: Trump is directly responsible for the violence and destruction of January 6, 2021. His goal was to stop the peaceful transfer of power, and to hold on to the seat of the presidency, through force by his base. He wound them up with his rhetoric, then he let them go. How deep his involvement in planning the attack may not be fully appreciated until the January 6 Committee has finished their work, but we know he could have stopped the attack with a simple call to stand down. He refused to do that, and all reports are he watched with rapt attention as the chaos unfolded.

It's always, always about him.

Through the mountain of disgrace and disturbing revelations, few GOP lawmakers have been willing to cut ties and make the effort to wash the stench of Trump from their hands. They still fear him, or more correctly, fear his base.

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.

This most recent midterm, however, and the high-profile losses of Trump’s handpicked minions has helped some within the party to reacquaint themselves with their backbones. Speckled among the party leadership arise voices that express a desire to move on from the age of Trump. Of course, all of that may be too little, too late. There are many defectors from the party, who chose principle over partisanship, country over party. I count myself among them.

And no, I didn’t join the Democrats, as I now see partisanship as a cancer to the cause of good governance, nor do they represent my beliefs.

In a recent Washington Post forum, Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney gave voice to the growing movement of Trump resistance within the party.

At a Washington Post forum, the Utah Republican noted that he voted to convict Trump in both of the former president’s impeachment trials, before explaining his broader perspective.

“It’s not just because he loses,” Romney said, highlighting recent election results. “It’s also [that] he’s simply not a person who ought to have the reins of the government of the United States.”

(Emphasis mine.)

CSPAN @cspan

.@LACaldwellDC on former President Donald Trump: "Would you support him if he's the nominee?" @SenatorRomney: "Absolutely not...Look, I voted to remove him from office twice...he's simply not a person who aught to have the reigns of the government of the United States."

Say it louder so the folks in the back of the room can hear, Senator!

To be sure, this isn’t a new position for Romney. As a general rule, he’s been consistent in his principles, unlike the vast majority of the GOP, and many who I once considered my political “heroes.”

The facts are, Trump has never been fit to hold office. His blatant and embarrassing ignorance of the issues was apparent during the 2015 primaries. He was routinely shown up in those debates he bothered to take part in, choosing, instead, to bluster and bully his way through. He made a mockery of the process, muddied the waters, and inevitably, conned a lot of really ignorant people into thinking he was qualified. Every red flag was there from the start.

Now add to what we already know the fact that the man has recently called to terminate the Constitution of our United States, in order to have himself installed – by force – to the presidency. The use by many of the word “suspend” falsely softens the alarming statement by a former president.

The Constitutional oath of office that every president takes reads as follows:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

(Emphasis mine.)

As he has so openly admitted to his willingness to end the Constitution, how can he then take the oath to defend it?

He can’t, and as that is the case, he has disqualified himself. When the 2024 election season kicks off, Trump’s mountain of legal troubles will be amplified in every arena. Even more so, his declaration of ending the Constitution will be displayed in an unending loop, as it should be, by every opponent.

No one supporting Trump at this juncture should align themselves with the words “patriot,” or “conservative.” By virtue of continued support of him, they’ve chosen a side that is against our republic. It is time to close the book on this shameful chapter of our nation’s history.

We can do better than Trump. Our nation depends on it.