For the interim, Donald Trump has won. We no longer have a truly independently responsible Department of Justice or inspectors general to make sure that the law is enforced impartially and with vigor. Whether it is the concealment of the funding costs of refurbishing the new Air Force One, the chaos over Epstein, the funding and directors of the new Gaza aid agency, the bribes paid to the president’s family for pardons or business deals by individuals or sovereign states, or so much else, the mainstream or alternative media seems unable to fully uncover the illegalities of the administration.
The ignorance of American society, or perhaps the resignation or even (horribly) the acceptance of Trump’s policies by so many, are the death knell of democracy as we know it. Many who oppose him are so emotionally drained that they cannot bring themselves to look as the daily news of the latest depredations.
Bannon was right: “Flooding the zone” has worked, not so much because there has been no pushback, but because that opposition has proved to be slow in showing results in the courts, aided by a compliant and, I dare say, complicit Supreme Court majority that has knowingly delayed reining in any of Trump’s clearly illegal actions by repeatedly using its decisions to refer cases back to the lower courts for further briefing or fact-finding. Since the American public demands instant resolution, from wars to legislation and legal action, this has led to a malaise on the many who oppose him and those who are perhaps still unsure but are upset over his immigration, tariffs, defunding and abolishment of government agencies, and the corruption of his government.
I have to admit that my major disappointment is that so many of us believe the most outrageous conspiracy theories and proven lies of the Republicans. My greatest concern now is that this is endemic. I don’t want to believe this, and recent polls seem to indicate that our national worm may be turning. It has to.
My greatest concern at the moment is that Trump and his operatives have finally realized that they don’t have to try to justify his actions by trying to pretend they are legally acceptable under existing law. The lower courts were working in this regard, with hundreds of stays on his executive orders. The Supreme Court did its best to overturn these stays by procedural orders delaying final resolution of them on the particular merits, but eventually they will have to rule on cases involving the use of the Alien Enemies Act, birthright citizenship, the closing of federally mandated agencies, the improper defunding of congressionally approved appropriations, etc., etc.
Remarkably, it took the Trump administration six months to realize that they had an easy way around a great deal of this opposition and tumult. All they had to do was go to their compliant Congress and pass laws! Their first attempt (the recession of formally approved spending) showed that this was a terrific strategy for them, with no intrusion by pesky lawyers. After years of right-wing hatred of public broadcasting, they got rid of its funding in a week! The hand-wringing of many in Congress about how they disliked the “Big Beautiful Bill” and then voted for it and the recession bill is an embarrassment to our nation and to them.
They also understand that when it comes to their use of defunding of prior appropriations in order to destroy those lefty universities and providers of abortion assistance, they only have to pass new appropriation bills for whatever they want. We don’t want any foreign aid? No problem, we won’t fund it. We don’t want immigrants from Black or Muslim-majority nations? We will basically ban it and/or remove embassies from those nations so no one can get visas.
Are their limits to this? Yes, but the scope of actions available to Trump is very large. The solution? Clear as a bell: Vote that Congress out. Don’t give up on making sure we retain our democracy and way of life. That is not hyperbole; it is reality. Stay angry, be real Americans, don’t allow a pseudo king to take over the nation and the ideals for which it has always stood.
In a response to a recent column, a very smart and reflective scholar warned—hopefully with tongue somewhat in cheek—that Trump will not allow or will try to pause the mid-term elections. I think he may want to, but I believe that that type of action would be a step too far, even from him. The polls say clearly that we expect presidents to obey the law. If he actually refuses to do so, look to Dickens in that it will be time for pitchforks in the street. Do not give up—I do believe Americans are moving in the right direction.
