Freak Out Friday – August 18, 2017

I have been writing about Trump’s presidency pretty much every week since he took power. And I can say this with utter confidence:

This week was the low point. Until he is thrown out of office, this is as low as it gets.

I don’t have to number the entries this week because it’s all been one huge f*ckfest since Charlottesville. This is a man who has not hesitated to condemn pretty much anybody, within hours or even minutes of being provoked (or seeing something on Fox and Friends that triggers him.). Yet when the insanity reigned in Virginia, which is apparently now not just for lovers, but lovers of violence), Trump did not step forward and condemn the Nazis and White Supremacists who started it and were collectively responsible for Heather Heyer’s death. Instead he declared there were problems “on many sides.” He equated the two sides, giving them equal involvement and equal responsibility.

That is, of course, bûllšhìŧ. One side was there to protest the removal of a statue commemorating a man who basically committed treason, while simultaneously advocating death to Jews, blacks, and every other inferior race. The other side was there to object. The Supremacists were the instigators, the promoters of violence. They were, in short, the bad guys. Yet Trump was unable to admit to this, and believe me, the right wing got the message. They chortled in joy over the fact that Trump didn’t denounce them, elevating their sense of power and feeling encouraged to conduct more such assemblages in the future. Two days later, when he finally condemned them, they took that as a “wink wink,” “I have to say this” speech that was undoubtedly foisted on him by Jews. He claimed that he had not wanted to rush to judgment, that he wanted to get “all the facts.”

Seriously? This is a man who has not hesitated to post within hours, even minutes of hearing stuff on “Fox and Friends” attacks and assaults on…oh, let’s see. CNN. MSNBC. The New York Times. Reporters in general. Joe Scarborough. Mitch McConnell. John McCain. Meryl Streep. Alec Baldwin he can attack, but Nazis? Gotta draw the line somewhere. As for facts, he may understand what facts are, but he willfully ignores them in favor of his own agenda.

And on Tuesday, he rolled back his purely token comments slamming the Nazis and instead went back to his Saturday rhetoric of tossing everyone in the same cauldron. This was a shock to his staffers, who later admitted that he said stuff like this all the time in private, but they never thought he’d say it publicly.

To any rational, thinking person, his comments are shocking. Outrageous. Unfathomable.

But if one studies Trump and accepts the inevitable conclusion, it’s not surprising at all.

Trump is a racist.

This is not a description that we have wanted to embrace previously. We wanted to believe that he was just catering to a base that could help him rise to power and stay in power. He didn’t really believe Mexicans were violent rapists. He didn’t really refuse to rent apartments to blacks. Those were all misunderstandings, or political gamesmanship, or misreported by a press that was out to get him. When he made Tweets that smacked of racism, he was just trying to get us to think he was racist so that we would argue about that and ignore the fact that congress was trying to get rid of health care again. It couldn’t be that a modern man born and raised in New York was really a racist.

Yeah, well, that hope is gone. It vanished when he refused on Saturday to condemn Nazis and white supremacists and then again on Tuesday equated the left wing with them (do NOT toss his alt-left designation at me. Stephen Colbert said it best: “The opposite of alt-right isn’t alt-left. It’s Not Nazi.”)

Barack Obama would have condemned the Nazis. George W. would have. So would Clinton and George H.W. Hey, all you idiots who couldn’t see any difference between Hillary and Trump: do YOU think she would have dropped the ball? Jesus Christ, the makers of TIKI torches knew what to say; how could the gøddámņ President not?

Except he did know just what to say because he is definitely, absolutely, ultimately a racist. He shares at least some of their principles. He values their support over more reasonable members of his party and voting public. The President is a racist. When David Duke is congratulating you on what you have to say and calling you an ally, there is no better tip off to your sentiments than that. And if we are willing to accept that he’s a racist, then everything about his behavior makes perfect sense and tracks consistently.

And here’s the bottom line: any member of the GOP who continues to support him is, by extension, aiding and abetting a racist. As long as they continue to stay behind him, they are helping a white supremacist, neo-Nazi supporter. They are as responsible as he is as long as they allow him to continue in power.

He has to go. This isn’t some guy who worked for a hot dog stand. This is the leader of the free world (a title that he has abrogated since the rest of the world considers him to be a joke.)

If the only reason Mike Pence is there is to provide someone who seems better than Trump, even though he’s just as bad, fine. It worked. I can live with Pence because I have no reason to believe he’s a racist áššhølë. An áššhølë, yes, but not a racist one.

It is incumbent upon Mike Pence and congress to say, “Enough,” and invoke the 25th Amendment. Get this racist lunatic out of the Oval Office and away from the nuclear codes. This is no longer an issue of “I hate Trump.” This is a man who is demonstrably a racist and has absolutely no business being in a position of power.

PAD

27 comments on “Freak Out Friday – August 18, 2017

  1. And this attempt to shift the issue to one of confederate monuments was pointed out by the dearly departed Bannon as a ploy. Side track the racism with a “defense” of our national heritage. Typical Trump misdirection. BTW, the statutes were put up in the Jim Crowe era and later the Civil Rights Era as a statement of white supremacy. It is akin to putting up Rommel’s statue in Boro Park. And let’s be clear, Lee was responsible for the death and maiming of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers. Even if he personally didn’t like slavery, he sure as hëll did his best to preserve it. He was not a hero but a traitor. This is not a gray area, it is stark. You either are on one side or the other. There is no middle ground. Trump has shown that he stands with Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists. I stand for Decency and Justice.

    1. I definitely agree that these statues must go down, or at least be moved to museums.
      .
      I confess that I don’t always see eye-to-eye with the modern left, I’m more of a old-time liberal like PAD. SJWs seem too extreme to me, overly-sensitive, and too eager to censor and judge.
      .
      But these statues ARE commemorating terrible ideas. It’s not about “erasing” history, like some Conservatives are claiming, because no one is saying students shouldn’t be taught about Lee, Stonewall Jackson, etc. in history classes, and they’re not clamoring for documents and memorabilia of their time to be preserved.
      .
      Most of the statues were built later, as you say, they’re not a “record” of anything, except of the insistence of folks in romanticizing one of the sides of the Civil War, for political and social reasons.

    2. PAD was wrong about one thing

      One side was there to protest the removal of a statue commemorating a man who basically committed treason, while simultaneously advocating death to Jews, blacks, and every other inferior race.

      No, they weren’t there to protest the removal of the statue. That was no more than an excuse to hold their rally.
       
      They were there solely to advocate death to Jews, blacks, and every other “inferior race.” Especially Jews.
       
      Click here for an example flyer announcing the rally to their own. Note that there is no mention whatsoever, nor any picture of, any statue, Confederate or otherwise. What there is is a white silhouette of a man poised with a sledgehammer to smash a blood-red Star of David, and the words:

      CHARLOTTESVILLE
      AUGUST 12TH
       
      UNITE THE RIGHT

      JOIN AZMADOR AND THE DAILY STORMER
      TO END THE JEWISH INFLUENCE IN AMERICA
      DAILYSTORMER.COM

      All in blood red and stark white on a pitch-black background. No other shades.

      It was never about the statue or other monuments.

  2. “Until he is thrown out of office, this is as low as it gets.”

    I hope you’re right. I’m terrified that you’re wrong.

  3. I wonder how much of this is Trump being racist, and how much of this is Trump dividing the world into allies who supported him and enemies who opposed him. When asked about Senator McCain, Trump’s reply was something along the lines of “You mean the man who denied Americans great healthcare?” And in Trump’s world, if the alt-right supports him, that means they’re on his side and therefore not that bad, no matter what else they do or believe.

    1. Agreed.
      .
      Another possibility is that Trump isn’t necessarily a racist, but is a fascist. And it’s a characteristic of fascists to admire ruthless, uncomplicated strength. That is why he admires Putin, Duterte, Erdogan, etc. and not all of them are white men. And that is why he sees a lot of himself in the alt-right.
      .
      But honestly, by this point it doesn’t matter if Trump is a racist, a fascist, or a malignant narcissist, since any of the options is very bad for America and the world.
      .
      Or maybe he is all of those things.

      1. It’s simpler that either of those. Trump is an insecure child and to him the world breaks down into two, and only two, clearly distinct groups: The sycophants who praise him and everyone else.
        .
        If someone praises and supports Trump, they’re the greatest guy ever. If they don’t, then they are losers and jealous of his greatness.
        .
        No other quality counts for Trump. None. He has just one single litmus test and that’s all there is. If someone praises and supports him then nothing else they do matters. Not their racism, not their support for Nazis, nothing.
        .
        Someone could stand in Times Square calling for genocide against “Kìkëš, ņìggërš, slants and spics”, the summary execution of all liberal judges, the fire bombing of mosques, and then open fire on a passing school bus full of kids. But if they ended their fusillade yelling “Cheers for Donald Trump!” Trump would simply not understand why people are saying he should condemn that person.

  4. Quick note: Both Bushes -did- condemn the Nazis, and stood side-by-side while doing so.

  5. “Until he is thrown out of office, this is as low as it gets.”
    .
    I’d be willing to bet you money that you’re wrong.
    .
    I’d love to lose that bet, but, somehow, I doubt I will.

  6. “Until he is thrown out of office, this is as low as it gets.”

    Somewhere in the White House (or wherever the scumbag is today) Trump just said “Hold my beer…”

  7. “This week was the low point.”
    .
    We keep saying that, and yet…
    .
    Bannon is supposedly gone today. Yet, there are still Nazis in the White House. As long as they are there, it can and probably will get much worse.

  8. And to cap today off, he’s lost his arts and humanities committee and Bannon. Bannon’s no great loss, but he’s probably pissy right now about all those entertainment people telling him to sit and spin.
    .
    And the mother of the woman who was killed in the protest straight up said she’d never talk to Trump because of what he said. Rightfully so. Equating her child with neo-nazis… Wow.
    .
    I’m almost willing to take that bet, PAD. If nothing else, Trump’s proven that he can ALWAYS sink lower. I’ll bet General Kelly’s longing for Iraq and Afghanistan right now.

    1. He lost the Manufacturing council, he lost the Arts council. I’ve yet to see a single member of the Evangelical council go.

      When did evil, soulless corporations become the less immoral option?

  9. I saw an interesting article (probably from one of Mark Evanier’s links..don’t recall) which pointed out that the four chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force all rushed to condemn the Nazis. one mentioned Trump, but they they didn’t really have to. The writer of the article pointed out that if this occurred in a country with a less ironclad tradition of civilian control of the military, people would start placing bets on how long until the coup.I hope we never see that happen here – even with the best of intentions, the cure would almost certainly be worse than the disease. At least it gives one hope that if DJT ever really flipped out – say to try to defy impeachment and conviction – the military would refuse to obey him.

    1. My fervent hope is that, should Trump ever actually give an order to start a war, those who have taken oaths to follow those orders would have the courage and patriotism to refuse to do so.

      1. You are not bound to follow an illegal order.
        .
        Of course, you have to convince the court martial that it WAS illegal…

  10. During the campaign, he told a reporter that he was the “least racist person you’ll ever know.” (Typical Trump–he has to be more than non-racist, he has to be the MOST non-racist in the whole wide world.) Given the other bûllšhìŧ he’s spewed when claiming to be the best ever at something, it’s easy to discern that he is so very not.

    I’m not sure you can invoke the 25th amendment just for being racist. He’s not the only racist president we’ve had.

    1. I’m not sure you can invoke the 25th amendment just for being racist. He’s not the only racist president we’ve had.
      .
      I don’t think anyone said the 25th should be used because he’s a racist. Rather, that he’s repeatedly demonstrated himself completely incompetent and “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office”.

    2. Well, I’m not sure about that. As president, I’d think he’d be obliged to support the civil rights act of 1964. Since he’s a racist, it must be assumed he can’t do that. So get rid of him.

  11. Very well said and I wholeheartedly agree: we have a racist, deranged president who represents an immediate threat not only to our republic but to the entire world. Unfortunately, I also agree with Jerry Chandler that this president can and probably will sink even lower before all of this is done. I have a feeling this is going to test our national character and strength in ways we’d never have imagined and I can only hope we as a people are equal to it.

  12. PAD, you sort of failed to mention how Chump proved himself a liar WITH HIS OWN WORDS.

    Remember, there was a little terrorist incident in Barcelona, Spain on Thursday. Chump wasted NO time calling that an ” Islamic terrorist attack.” According to the NY Daily News, Chump “waited just over two hours after a van slammed into tourists on a crowded Spanish promenade to decry the bloodshed as a “terror attack.”

    It took him two DAYS to speak out–no matter how reserved–on Charlottesville. Because “facts mattered.” (In fairness, he DID tweet “Charlottesville sad!” some 4 hours after the first reports.)

    Spanish authorities hadn’t even formally labeled Barcelona as being a terrorist attack by the time Chump tweeted it as such.

  13. Canadian cartoonist Michael DeAdder has come up with several terrific Trump cartoons. Thia is just one of them.

    https://twitter.com/deAdder/status/897899328563544064/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fdeadder.net%2F

    Unfortunately, two of his best seem to be gone from his site. In one, Trump is seen from the back where a big switch is labelled “Unhinged” and “Completely Unhinged”. In another a bunch of Coyotes are futilely chasing the Roadrunner. The former are labelled “Republicans, Gradium Old Partius” and the latter “Obamacare, Affordablilus Care Actus”.

  14. In good news, Trump may soon go blind. He was stupid enough to look up at the sun THREE TIMES during the eclipse. Without protective lenses. Because god forbid he ever listen to experts.

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