Senate Advise and Consent? Don’t Count on It, with the Avenging Alligator in the Swamp

Senate Advise and Consent?  Don’t Count on It, with the Avenging Alligator in the Swamp.

Have we ever known the Avenging Trump to back down on a fight, at least without leaving a scar?

This is a strategy that he learned from Roy Cohn, his mentor, McCarthy’s chief counsel of the House Un-American Activities Committee days.

Trump has just publicly praised Speaker of the House Paul Ryan as a fine wine and a genius.  But Trump felt impelled to next add, to the Speaker’s face, pointing directly at him, “but if you ever cross me …”.  The  Speaker is not just a representative, he is second in line to the Presidency.

Let’s reflect on this for a moment.  Our government is balanced with a separation of powers among four parts:  the Executive branch; the Senate, representing the states; the House, representing the people; and the Supreme Court, representing the Constitution and the law.  Trump is saying, pointedly, that the House must capitulate to him or he will come after them personally.  That is not respecting our constitution or our balanced form of government.  That is what dictators do, in electing subservient parliaments.

In the campaign, Trump graced his principal opponents with a derogatory schoolyard adjective, which sticks with their name, having been repeated so often.

There is also a double threat from Trump followers.  First, the twitter trolls will publicize the challenging Senator’s address and phone number, as well as those of his or her family, and send threatening emails there.  When the “offender” comes up for reelection, they will be challenged by Trump voters, just as Speaker Ryan was booed at the same Trump rally.

Trump also always responds by doubling down.  In the Cabinet, Assistant Secretary and Administrator nominations, as well as the Supreme Court nomination, Trump will be certain to threaten and to carry out nominating a replacement candidate who is twice as unqualified and twice a zealot, to destroy their Department or a System.   After Trump does this for the first rejected nominee, all resistance will melt like soft ice cream in a climate charged heat wave.

Actually, the Senate really doesn’t have to reject anybody.  The conflicts of interest, lack of governing experience, and radical zealotry of Trump’s appointments, will tie his administration up with so many domestic and foreign conflicts, that Trump will see the goals of his administration become a flaming catastrophe.

About Dennis SILVERMAN

I am a retired Professor of Physics and Astronomy at U C Irvine. For two decades I have been active in learning about energy and the environment, and in reporting on those topics for a decade. For the last four years I have added science policy. Lately, I have been reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic of our times.
This entry was posted in 2016 Election, Affairs of State, Affordable Care Act, Donald Trump, Health Care, Politics, Supreme Court, Trump Administration. Bookmark the permalink.

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