Respectability gone
I remember when Republicans and the right wing were all about law n order. Seems like a century ago now.
Donald Trump’s non-stop drive to paint the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago to recover classified documents as a political witch hunt is drawing rebukes from ex-justice department and FBI officials who warn such attacks can spur violence and pose a real threat to the physical safety of law enforcement.
But the concerns have not deterred Republican House minority leader Kevin McCarthy and other Trump allies from making inflammatory remarks echoing the former US president.
The unrelenting attacks by Trump and loyalists such as McCarthy, senator Lindsey Graham, Steve Bannon and false conspiracy theorist Alex Jones against law enforcement have continued despite strong evidence that Trump kept hundreds of classified documents illegally.
Evidence shmevidence. The point is that Trump is Our Guy.
“I have been dealing with law enforcement and the criminal justice system for close to 40 years. I have never seen the type or virulence of attacks being made every day against the FBI, DoJ lawyers, and judges,” former justice department inspector general Michael Bromwich told the Guardian. “It’s a chorus led by Trump but that includes elected officials at every level. It is dangerous and unacceptable.”
Bromwich added: “It’s one thing for professional rabble rousers, liars, and nihilists – such as Bannon and Jones – to attack law enforcement and DoJ in the way that they have since the search; it’s quite another for so-called respectable political figures such as McCarthy and Graham to do so. Their recent actions and words reflect that theirs is a politics detached from facts and principle.”
They’re not really respectable political figures any more. They hold respectable offices, but they themselves are just common or garden self-dealing bullies like Trump.
The degree to which Trump-ites continue to support him, against their own declared principals (such as they were), even outside of political office, without the tools of the state to enforce his will, would impress even Stalin. Stalin never had to worry about elections; Trump’s followers are working towards the same goal for their guy. They’re all hoping Trump will regain power -through whatever means- and then keep it permanently. Once that comes to pass, they are expecting their loyalty will be rewarded; he will owe them. As at this point, anyone working for Trump is in it for transactional self-interest, I’m sure that’s how they see it. Trump will, of course, believe he got there through his own efforts alone, and stiff them at will*, as he’s done to anyone and everyone who’s worked with or for him.
*It’s a wonder that somehow, Trump has never managed to piss off the exact sort of people or person powerful enough to stop him in his tracks. Either there is no secret, all-powerful kabal in actually in control of the United States, or, if you’re particularly dogged in your conspiracy-ism, there is one, and Trump is still considered more an asset than a liability to their interests.
There are ads running here currently (in Georgia) that say Stacy Abrams (Democratic gubernatorial candidate) wants to ‘defund’ the police, which isn’t true (she admitted to wanting to reallocate funds), but the R’s are still spinning things that way, as if the R’s are the party of law and order and the D’s are the party of anarchy. Pretty absurd considering Jan. 6th. Now that Trump has turned on Kemp (Republican incumbent), it looks like they are still promoting the law and order hype. Funny thing is, the Trump-backed Purdue campaign did more negative campaigning against Kemp in the Republican primary than Abrams is currently doing. Not that the Dems aren’t doing their share (mostly about gun policy), but Trump’s bitterness about Kemp not agreeing with his insurrection agenda and the way they went about campaigning was excessively negative (which of course is Trump’s campaigning M.O.).
Do they have any real plan after Trump’s bought the farm? As like as not he’ll be out of action by 2024 but even if he isn’t he’s fucking old; he’s just not got many more years left.
I agree about Trump’s age, but remember that Biden is older and will likely run for reelection. Biden takes far better care of himself, though, and maybe the Democrats will choose someone else (or perhaps Biden will bow out).
Sure, Biden is bloody ancient (and I sure as hell don’t want him running again) but the Democrats don’t lose their identity and senses of purpose if and when he bites it…