The drumbeat is getting much louder now for the Department of Justice to appoint an independent prosecutor to pursue the investigation into Donald Trump’s campaign’s and administration’s collusion with the Russian attack on our democracy.
Democrats are leading this charge right now as they have been and while Republicans are mostly unified against this, cracks appear to be forming.
How can they not, after Trump fires the FBI Director who is investigating him? But as we’ve seen, Republicans will contort, squirm, evade and stonewall in any and every way to avoid holding Trump responsible for his actions, all they care about is retaining his right hand to sign their partisan legislation whatever the cost.
Trump has been on a crusade to destroy the parts of The Constitution that get in his way of acting as he wants to. He has and continues to attack the courts and the media, the only remaining entities outside of the collaborating Republican Congress that can act as a check on his power.
This is a Constitutional crisis. The President of the United States may have cooperated with Russia in sabotaging our presidential election. He may currently be beholden to Russia due to financial matters or blackmail. He has fired three key people investigating his potentially criminal behavior (US. Attorney Preet Bharara, Acting Attorney General Sally Yates and now FBI Director James Comey).
What was once thought as an impossible feat, for Trump to sabotage the checks and balances of the United States government to allow him to act as an Imperial President, now seems to be succeeding.
This is a real threat to the United States. This is not something to assume can’t happen and go about business as usual. This kind of gradual coup over our democratic system can’t just be criticized or pointed at. This is Defcon 1 and action is not desirable, it’s required.
Democrats in the Senate have learned today that their Republican colleagues are not currently willing to join them in putting country ahead of party, they are not coming together to demand an independent prosecutor so America can have confidence in the fairness and impartiality of our justice system. Republicans are willing to allow the subject of a criminal investigation into traitorous actions against the United States in collaboration with an enemy of the nation…to choose the person who he wants in charge of that investigation.
So Democrats need to take the drastic actions that are needed and available to them as a minority in Congress.
Democrats should commit themselves to blocking any and all business in either house until or unless an independent prosecutor is appointed to investigate the possible collusion of Trump’s campaign and administration with Russia. Even if it means a shutdown of government, Democrats need to treat this as an absolute. Our very democracy is at risk and with little other leverage available to Democrats, they need to use what they can as if the future of our democracy was at stake.
Because it is.
Now maybe we’re being to harsh on Thumper, I mean it takes great mental acuity to create a whole new phrase as he claims today. ‘I woke and had this great thought he said, I mean it’s bigly astounding, magnificent in fact, think about this ” priming the pump” isn’t that so great, I mean we give huge tax cuts to the rich and that will ‘PRIME THE PUMP” GET IT?
gyp46, so Trump wants to prime the pump so what comes out will trickle down on the 99%?
Sounds a bit disgusting…and it is!
Trump really likes him some trickle down! There’s video to prove it. I think his buddy Putine has it in a safe place. 😉
And he likes to prime his own pump…because only he can find it.
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Thanks for an appropriately serious article on a serious topic, AdLib. No one does humor better than you do, but unfortunately there are times when there’s not much to laugh about. And I’m afraid this is one of them.
Here are Bernie Sanders’ thoughts on the current situation, and on the need for the GOP to get on board in the effort to deal with this out-of -control, wannabe banana republic dictator:
Cheers, Kes!
Bernie touched all the bases in that video. I especially like how he, other Dems and now many in the news don’t hesitate to call Trump a liar.
We’ve had presidents before who lie but we’ve never had a compulsive liar as president. If he can’t be trusted, if everyone close to him lies like him as a requirement to keep their jobs, all should know that anyone or anything connected to him in anyway must be distrusted.
Hence, with the Russia issue and Trump’s fingers in the DoJ and now the FBI (since he picks the new Director), an independent counsel is the only path forward if we want Americans to have confidence in the rule of law.
Well said as usual Adlib. Folks we are watching the culmination of decades of false propaganda. In my humble opinion Newt Gingrich and the contract with america was the initial action of driving a wedge between Americans. Add in Roger Ailes and his determination to create a republican TV network once outlined in memo to Richard Nixon when he was the President, and we end up a totally divided nation where one faction now totally disbelieves any news source but Alies’s network,Fox. I have reached the conclusion that understanding the mind of a Trump supporter is impossible. 2018 now has reached the level of a ‘must do’ for the survival as a free, thinking, society.
gyp46, as I was driving home last night I was considering some of the same questions. Especially the one about “when did all of this extremely partisan divisiveness begin?” And the same names popped into my mind: Newt Gingrich and FOX “News.”
Of course, as you noted, the ball started rolling even earlier with Richard Nixon. A genuinely paranoid sociopath in my opinion. And it seems to be culminating in the “Saturday Night Massacre 2.0”
gyp46, don’t forget the propaganda machine under Reagan as well!
I do agree, we’re seeing The Blob that’s grown and grown after consuming decades of lies, hate mongering and blind greed…and it wears an orange toupee!
I heard even Repubs saying that maybe Dems winning back Congress in 2018 is necessary to stop this continuing train wreck of America’s democracy by Trump. And the polls are showing Dems far ahead of Repubs in who Americans want to control Congress. It can only get worse for Repubs and Trump, there is noo escape as long as we GOTV.
This is history in the making. Trump is the dumbest president ever, even dumber than “w”! This could well be the beginning of the end of trump et al!
He is dumb when it comes to historical and poli-sci awareness, Nirek, no doubt. But he’s also pretty cunning when it comes to looking out for Number One.
Unfortunately when you combine that with malice and derangement, it’s the trifecta of Presidential Toxicity. I hope the GOP wakes up soon and turns on him.
Kes, when the first indictments of Flynn, Manafort and Stone come down, I think Repubs will start to drop off the Trump Train. First, they may try too close ranks but as they see Trump’s numbers plummeting and 2018 approaching, they’ll step back from him.
But it will be much too late for them, 2018 should be a huge Dem sweep that drowns the GOP and sets up a disarmed Trump to be crushed in 2020.
Nirek, he seems defiantly stupid. He thought he could just lie his way out of why he fired Comey and that Dems would applaud him. Then the next day he brings the very Russians who helped hack our election into the Oval Office and meets with Kissinger…just when his firing of Comey made people call him Nixonian.
And insulting Comey today as well as slurring the FBI? He’s just pissed off the very intelligence agency that can crush him.
Watch for the leaks coming out now!