WARNING!!!!!! THIS IS A POLITICAL OBSERVATION POSTING WARNING!!!!!
We are living through something I never thought we would see. I knew that a time was coming when we would see the devolution of the democratic republic into something more militaristic in its adherence to one extreme or the other. I always pictured that happening over a couple of presidential cycles to allow for a slow erosion of stability in the authority of the other branches of government. The one thing we could always rely on was the system of checks and balances between the branches.
In 3/4th of a single term in office, we have seen the efficacy of both the Legislative and Judicial branches reduced to near ineffectiveness. The current Executive branch has effectively established itself as a single authoritative voice and actor in guiding the nation. The events in the first two years built a foundation of instability within the Legislative branch. How many fully processed bills have passed across the President's desk to be signed into LAW? Compare that to the "Executive Orders" that have been acted upon by agents representing the Oval Office. And some of those EOs were written in 280 characters or less. The President has used Twitter as a lever to move groups (complicitly or implicitly) to act on motivations and beliefs that would never pass legal standards.
Beyond that, the Executive branch has used Federal agencies and officials to act upon individuals and groups that could provide a case study in civil rights violations for years to come - IF we remain to have the freedom to study, express, and critique those acts. We are living in a dystopian political system that is absurd in the amount of degradation that has occurred.
We are living through something I never thought we would see. I knew that a time was coming when we would see the devolution of the democratic republic into something more militaristic in its adherence to one extreme or the other. I always pictured that happening over a couple of presidential cycles to allow for a slow erosion of stability in the authority of the other branches of government. The one thing we could always rely on was the system of checks and balances between the branches.
In 3/4th of a single term in office, we have seen the efficacy of both the Legislative and Judicial branches reduced to near ineffectiveness. The current Executive branch has effectively established itself as a single authoritative voice and actor in guiding the nation. The events in the first two years built a foundation of instability within the Legislative branch. How many fully processed bills have passed across the President's desk to be signed into LAW? Compare that to the "Executive Orders" that have been acted upon by agents representing the Oval Office. And some of those EOs were written in 280 characters or less. The President has used Twitter as a lever to move groups (complicitly or implicitly) to act on motivations and beliefs that would never pass legal standards.
Beyond that, the Executive branch has used Federal agencies and officials to act upon individuals and groups that could provide a case study in civil rights violations for years to come - IF we remain to have the freedom to study, express, and critique those acts. We are living in a dystopian political system that is absurd in the amount of degradation that has occurred.
- Trump castrated the Republican Legislators, leaving them to defend him in egregious behavior and sentiments or face a loss of favor, status, and office due to the sway of Presidential influence with voters (Jeff Sessions?).
- Trump has ignored, rebuffed, and ridiculed the Democratic Party where they appear to be shouting to the winds for all of the effects subpoenas that subpoenas, hearings, and sternly worded press encounters have.
- The Supreme Court has almost seemed able to stand in the path of rampant autocratic rule. ALMOST. Every loss reinforces the emotional drive of Trump to seek his path forward by paying lip service to observe the letter of the law while ignoring any intent. Every win causes Trump to feel vindicated in EVERY choice that he makes.
- Trump has nearly made news and media worthless. The Fourth Estate has no direct influence on politics. Its influence, though, has provided a meaningful way to ensure that bad actors were aware that accountability could still be handed to those who elected those officials. Trump has turned "fake news" into a "he said/they said" circus of finger-pointing so that truth, facts, data, and historical reality are muddled on a level unseen before.
- Trump has leveled individual attacks against Latinx, Middle Eastern, Asian, Black, and LGBTQIA groups at different points in his presidency. This has caused the reaction of civil rights and justice groups to be on guard nearly constantly for the next round of rights to be violated. What has happened is that the civil rights and justice systems are now overburdened with attempting to watch all sides at once. No one is sure who will be targeted next. No one is sure who will be repeatedly attacked. Trump has taken a "divide and conquer" approach to wear down the resources (mental, emotional, financial) of groups that seek to aid targeted groups. They fight on so many fronts that no one targeted group can be supported at the same level for long. The next attack draws resources away to cope with a new strategem from the White House.
- As a master of deflection, Trump has masterfully manipulated the attention of the public (media and the everyday person) to deflect or minimize negative focus on himself by offering a distracting countermove to his own behavior. We have fallen for it. We have been tricked by the wily prestidigitator. The giant object in the room mysteriously vanishes while the shiny object that catches the eye for a moment gently shifts our focus. Example: paramilitary "police" are using snatch-and-grab tactics in Portland, Oregon to remove citizens from public areas, while on camera, without identifying themselves or declaring why a person is being detained and Trump does an advertisement for Goya brand products from the Oval Office, seated behind the Resolute Desk, smiling over a sample of items (the CEO of the said company had explicitly endorsed the work of the President).
- Trump has shown himself to be woefully ignorant of historical facts, basic scientific truths, mathematical realities, and simple logic. Yet, he is still pushing the ludicrous behavior that made him a reality-show icon into the very real realms of politics, policy, and the daily lives of billions of people. That is not hyperbole. That is a fact. His behavior of stunts to shock and amuse has impacted the citizens of multiple nations. His antics and comments have dehumanized entire ethnic groups in the minds of zealots who idolize him. His threats and aggressive posture on Twitter have reached around the world to bring us into various levels of conflict with former colleagues and strained tenuous relationships with near enemies.
- While trumpeting his self-assumed role as the Law and Order President, Trump has shown repeated instances of taking the common understanding of the law of the land, the United States Consitution, and manipulating it to suit his personal ends or goals; if not outright ignoring it while proudly declaring that he is above (or at least beyond) the law.
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