To come: The Trump-Nixon Parallel @2017
Using the Haldeman Diaries, an analysis of the eerily similar psychological and political flaws/actions between Nixon and Trump. The short synopsis is that both men's political party affiliation seems to be the "Angry" party and whose primary political survival strategy is vengeance, with an obsessive focus on controlling the television image (via primarily making an "enemy" out of the media). As we see in Trump today, Nixon's downfall was his "rule of law" be-damned attitude--In Nixon's mind, he was above the law, has Trump clearly shows that he believes he and his family are above being prosecuted. While Nixon's pathology was informed by CIA director Hoover (can you say "pyschopath"?), Trump had the benefit of instruction by Roy Cohn (the third leg in the Hoover, McCarthy, Cohn triumvirate). The psychopathology of this triumvirate and its degradation of American culture and politics can not be over-stated.
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Pence won't survive a Trump Impeachment
Ok, so MW was a little off in the last Trump prediction (that he was a "shill" for the DNC) and would drop out at the last minute--what I didn't know at the time was how simple, pathologic, and vengeful Trump is. While I am not the type of person to kick myself in the ass for not seeing the Russian element in Trump's campaign, I should not have underestimated his vengeance. That roasting he got at Obama's White House Correspondents dinner changed his life forever. On that night, his rage was palpable with every dig slung his way. He thought winning a campaign against his enemy's political party would "show them all" and this was just another relatively complicated commercial property/development transaction--no transaction barred.
What any enraged person doesn't see is the future--that future where you get what you "ask for"...and it becomes you. President Trump recently told an interviewer that he thought the job would be easier. [No surprise that he apparently did not use certain language like "harder" or "more difficult"--he kept using version of "easy". His is a very, very, easy life...ergo his venal and exceedingly limited view of the possibilities for his life -- easy, never difficult, never a sacrifice needed.] In the days after he won the election, he looked scared. He had the cowering posture, and that "deer in the headlights" look. Before getting the first real job in his life, he was a home body, cocooning himself in his real estate. Since January 20th, he has not once been to his marital home, the New York hotel where his wife and his son live. Oh, they have met for weekends at his Florida property...but that's not New York. And, its likely that he--now that he got what he wanted, may never be able to be that homebody in New York ever again. He is miserable. He expressly admitted that he misses his "old life", he really liked his old life. And he will never have that again. He can't ever go back.........?
Maybe impeachment out of office will get him closer to his memories. That might be a solution for all involved. But let's talk about whether Pence would be able to step in. MW's prediction is that whatever Trump goes down for, Pence will be inextricably tainted by...fatally tainted in terms of political career. Here's the logic, using Flynn as an example:
1. Pence served Trump's campaign as Transition Manager, and on November 18th was sent a letter (from Congress) notifying him that Flynn accepted payments from foreign governments and would likely have to register.
2. Trump team did a "plausible deniability" version of a background check on Flynn during the transition.
3. On Dec. 29th, Obama administration announces sanctions to be imposed against Russia for its meddling in election. Russia takes actions responding to announced sanctions. Later (that day), Flynn talks with Russian diplomat Kislyak about the sanctions, among other topics. On the 30th, Russia announces it will not take any further action. Because the US routinely eavesdrops on the Russian ambassador's conversations in the US, Flynn's conversations with Kislyak are recorded, and the transcripts are forwarded to the administration(s)--and leaked to the press by Jan. 12.
4. By January 13th, the transition team--fully knows that Flynn's "Sanctions" conversation is a hot topic, and so they start putting out a unified, but false message that no such conversation happened: Spicer says it didn't happen (Jan 13) and Pence did a round on the Sunday morning talking heads shows (CBS's "Face the Nation" included) on Jan 15 saying it didn't happen and that Flynn confirmed that with him (on Jan 14th).
5. No public official, especially a public official serving at the behest of a higher ranking public official, goes on those shows without first asking permission from (or being ordered to by) his "boss", and second, getting a briefing on what is going to be asked, and how your boss wants you to respond. So, Pence, before that Sunday, would have been told that he was going to talk about what Flynn told him about what he (Flynn) said to the Russian. At that point, Pence would either know the context or the "why" regarding why he was being prepared on this specific topic, or, if not, he would have had clear reason to ask why that is a topic. He was responsible for presenting the WH administration's position on this very specific topic, so he has a duty to know what was going on. At a minimum, he would have asked why are we wasting PR time on this non-issue, if that is what he truly believed it was. The fact that he made that public appearance and spoke to that issue means he knew that there was a real problem--by Jan. 15th, Pence knew that Flynn discussed sanctions with Kislyak.
6. In Feb., FBI director testifies in front of an investigative committee: Republicans focus on source of "leaks" within the FBI, and Democrats focus on Trump team ties to Russia.
7. In April, Pence, Spicer, and Sessions (AG) hit the media hard with the WH's position that the transition team never knew about Flynn's acceptance of payments from foreign government(s), notwithstanding the fact that the November 18th letter confirming the payments was sent directly to Pence.
Pence can not escape the chronology that he knew all about Flynn's acceptance of payments from foreign governments, and all about what Flynn said to Russian diplomats: He was the clear recipient of the Nov. 18th letter; he had to have been briefed on and knowledgeable of the Flynn/Russian transition conversation; and he would have known or had reason to know by January 12th, three days BEFORE he went on t.v. to say deny Flynn's sanctions conversation, of intelligence reports and transcript directly contradicting that and that, in fact, the conversation did include discussing sanctions. So, it was Pence who lied, and he did so in collusion to support a cover up.
What any enraged person doesn't see is the future--that future where you get what you "ask for"...and it becomes you. President Trump recently told an interviewer that he thought the job would be easier. [No surprise that he apparently did not use certain language like "harder" or "more difficult"--he kept using version of "easy". His is a very, very, easy life...ergo his venal and exceedingly limited view of the possibilities for his life -- easy, never difficult, never a sacrifice needed.] In the days after he won the election, he looked scared. He had the cowering posture, and that "deer in the headlights" look. Before getting the first real job in his life, he was a home body, cocooning himself in his real estate. Since January 20th, he has not once been to his marital home, the New York hotel where his wife and his son live. Oh, they have met for weekends at his Florida property...but that's not New York. And, its likely that he--now that he got what he wanted, may never be able to be that homebody in New York ever again. He is miserable. He expressly admitted that he misses his "old life", he really liked his old life. And he will never have that again. He can't ever go back.........?
Maybe impeachment out of office will get him closer to his memories. That might be a solution for all involved. But let's talk about whether Pence would be able to step in. MW's prediction is that whatever Trump goes down for, Pence will be inextricably tainted by...fatally tainted in terms of political career. Here's the logic, using Flynn as an example:
1. Pence served Trump's campaign as Transition Manager, and on November 18th was sent a letter (from Congress) notifying him that Flynn accepted payments from foreign governments and would likely have to register.
2. Trump team did a "plausible deniability" version of a background check on Flynn during the transition.
3. On Dec. 29th, Obama administration announces sanctions to be imposed against Russia for its meddling in election. Russia takes actions responding to announced sanctions. Later (that day), Flynn talks with Russian diplomat Kislyak about the sanctions, among other topics. On the 30th, Russia announces it will not take any further action. Because the US routinely eavesdrops on the Russian ambassador's conversations in the US, Flynn's conversations with Kislyak are recorded, and the transcripts are forwarded to the administration(s)--and leaked to the press by Jan. 12.
4. By January 13th, the transition team--fully knows that Flynn's "Sanctions" conversation is a hot topic, and so they start putting out a unified, but false message that no such conversation happened: Spicer says it didn't happen (Jan 13) and Pence did a round on the Sunday morning talking heads shows (CBS's "Face the Nation" included) on Jan 15 saying it didn't happen and that Flynn confirmed that with him (on Jan 14th).
5. No public official, especially a public official serving at the behest of a higher ranking public official, goes on those shows without first asking permission from (or being ordered to by) his "boss", and second, getting a briefing on what is going to be asked, and how your boss wants you to respond. So, Pence, before that Sunday, would have been told that he was going to talk about what Flynn told him about what he (Flynn) said to the Russian. At that point, Pence would either know the context or the "why" regarding why he was being prepared on this specific topic, or, if not, he would have had clear reason to ask why that is a topic. He was responsible for presenting the WH administration's position on this very specific topic, so he has a duty to know what was going on. At a minimum, he would have asked why are we wasting PR time on this non-issue, if that is what he truly believed it was. The fact that he made that public appearance and spoke to that issue means he knew that there was a real problem--by Jan. 15th, Pence knew that Flynn discussed sanctions with Kislyak.
6. In Feb., FBI director testifies in front of an investigative committee: Republicans focus on source of "leaks" within the FBI, and Democrats focus on Trump team ties to Russia.
7. In April, Pence, Spicer, and Sessions (AG) hit the media hard with the WH's position that the transition team never knew about Flynn's acceptance of payments from foreign government(s), notwithstanding the fact that the November 18th letter confirming the payments was sent directly to Pence.
Pence can not escape the chronology that he knew all about Flynn's acceptance of payments from foreign governments, and all about what Flynn said to Russian diplomats: He was the clear recipient of the Nov. 18th letter; he had to have been briefed on and knowledgeable of the Flynn/Russian transition conversation; and he would have known or had reason to know by January 12th, three days BEFORE he went on t.v. to say deny Flynn's sanctions conversation, of intelligence reports and transcript directly contradicting that and that, in fact, the conversation did include discussing sanctions. So, it was Pence who lied, and he did so in collusion to support a cover up.
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