“A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It is a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity.”
― Jimmy Carter
Watching what happened last week in that ridiculous, farcical meeting at the White House, where Trump and Vance ambushed Ukrainian President Zelensky, it felt to me that this was something different. It was depressing and sad to watch. But it was even more depressing to see just how many MAGA people out there quickly tried to justify it, and some of them even claimed that it was a victory, and thanked Trump for heroically defending the United States.
It felt like that was different for several reasons. First of all, the complete lack of dignity and diplomacy by the Trump team (not just Trump and Vance) to a visiting head of state felt unprecedented. It broke with the long tradition of American presidents treating other leaders with dignity and respect. Yet it also felt like with all that has been going on - particularly as a result of the Trump administration's polarizing bluster - this meeting in particular was being watched and judged by all of the rest of the world.
That was an ambush. What it reminded me of was a bunch of schoolyard bullies circling around a kid whom they want to pick on, and not grown men - supposedly leaders of the land - trying to seriously negotiate an end to a brutal war in Europe, which has been going on for years now. To argue loudly in what was clearly a staged event, and then to act like it was a big success is just...well, embarrassing. Supposedly, Trump was heard suggesting after the fact that this would be great television.
Really, it's difficult to take someone like that seriously, especially when he lacks the gravitas to be Commander-in-Chief. And it is equally difficult to take his supporters seriously when they quite conveniently fail to see these failings of his time and time and time again. You really feel that they have to be willfully blind or stupid at this point. Or, perhaps to be quite a bit more cynical, many of them secretly do not value American democracy or the Constitution (or at least never read more of it than the second amendment) and secretly like the idea of a strongman taking all the power into his own hands.
Since coming to office, Trump has been grabbing more and more power. It seems clear that he was not being honest when he distanced himself from the unpopular Project 2025 during his presidential campaign, as it has been aggressively pursued since day one. He has aggressively championed the Unitary Executive Theory and has begun acting like it is a fait accompli. Robert Reich (see video below) points out that Trump has taken the purse strings from Congress, which was effectively one of the major powers that they had prior to Trump. Also, Trump continues to act as if the courts of this land have nothing to say in terms of limiting his power.
All of that means that effectively, for all intents and purposes, our American democracy may already have been dismantled to the point of being a relic of the past. It remains to be seen what kind of a fight the courts or (scoff) the Democrats put up. And yes, the midterm elections may change things, but that is still quite far away. But it sure feels like we are already in part a de facto dictatorship. For now, it is still relatively early, and Trump has not (yet) wielded the full brunt of his new authority. That, however, feels like a matter of time.
One way or the other, one thing feels undeniable: American government has changed. Trump has altered how government words, and this change is going to last. Gone are the days of dignified statesmen who understood and accepted the limits to their power. Trump may be the first, but you can bet that even after Trump is gone, there will be other aspiring dictators, and my guess is that at least a few of them will gain access into the White House, as they presently have done.
Take a look at the video below by Robert Reich, who breaks it down quickly yet comprehensively. See if he does not make some solid points:
Trump's Tyranny Is Undeniable
No comments:
Post a Comment