Lowering The Bar

This just in: I’ve been quiet for some time now as this season of Trump plays out. However, I need to let off just a bit of steam.

Let’s ignore that Trump says, “You can grab them by the pussy if you’re famous.”

Let’s ignore Trump trashing a Gold Star Family.

Let’s ignore Trump saying, “I like soldiers that weren’t captured.”

Let’s ignore the affairs and the payoffs.

Let’s ignore the “I love Putin” behaviors.

Let’s ignore that daily lies.

Let’s ignore the complete ignorance of how an economy works.

Let’s ignore the breaking of treaties and the damage done to NATO.

Let’s ignore the abandonment of the Kurds to Turkey’s genocidal mercenaries.

Let’s ignore the increased nuclear threat of North Korea and Iran.

Let’s ignore the corruption and the imprisonment of nearly everyone associated with this administration.

Let’s just focus on the latest scandal. The scandal that says the president of the United States withheld desperately needed arms and funds from Ukraine unless they would help smear a political rival.

This started with a whistleblower; a person of no further relevance since everything this person said happened has been verified by several other sources with not a single source denying the claims. Yet….the Republican Party wants to “out” this person in clear violation of Whistleblower laws. There are two reasons for this. The first is a Distraction. They want you to focus on this one person and ignore all of those that followed. The second is Witness Intimidation. The Republican Party wants to send the message that if you defend the Consitution of the United States against this president, you will be put in danger.

Think of the whistleblower issue this way: A person sees a bank robbery in process and calls the police. The robber is caught red-handed. There are videos and witnesses. In comes the defense for the robber. This defender says, “You can’t convict my client because he can’t see the person that called in the crime.” This is the Republican stance.

So we started with a whistleblower and the Republicans screams, “Rumors! Hearsay! No proof of Quid-Pro-Quo (Latin for extortion and bribery)”

Then we got first-hand testimony. That got rid of the “hearsay” but still no quid-pro-quo.

Then we got the quid-pro-quo and the Republican defense became, “Well, he did try to do this but he never actually pulled it off because Ukraine got its support.” This is like saying “attempted murder” is not a crime.

Republicans cried about closed hearing; a process that was created by Republicans in the first place. When the hearings became public, they complained that it was a big show.

Republicans complain that the witnesses are not involved “directly enough” to count. When the Democrats try to get testimony from those that are directly involved, the Republicans defy the subpoenas.

Republicans have ridiculed military service members and career diplomats. Their strong arguments include “He was wearing a bowtie” and “He looks like a nerd.”

I watch all of this and ask myself “Why?” Why would anyone act like this? Why is the defense of Trump so strong, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that he is guilty?

The answer is fairly simple: Trump is offering his base and the Republican Party exactly what they want…

They want a White and Christian America.

Keep that last line in your mind any time you question the behavior of a Republican and it will always explain their actions.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim