A week is an awfully long time...

Hello.

I had promised myself that on the back of my last two articles I was going await events and see what  transpired.

But, sometimes it's hard to switch off from what you see building up. I was looking for comedy videos on you tube last night, funny memes, anything, to distract me from the frankly overwhelmingly negative vibes coming from the epicentre of the American political establishment. I found Russel Howard.

So, as someone once said, "A week is long time in politics".

With Pence's Trump fowling up the place its a lifetime. As of 18hrs ago this was the reckoning;- (Thank's to Kelly Tonks for the research) 

For those finding it difficult to keep up - here's a run down of the week so far
To recap:
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the DOJ’s Violence Against Women programs.* On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.* On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Minority Business Development Agency.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Economic Development Administration.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the International Trade Administration.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Legal Services Corporation.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the DOJ.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Electricity Deliverability and Energy Reliability.

January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Fossil Energy.

January 20th, 2017, DT ordered all regulatory powers of all federal agencies frozen.

January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Minority Business Development Agency.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Economic Development Administration.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the International Trade Administration.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Legal Services Corporation.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the DOJ.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Electricity Deliverability and Energy Reliability.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Fossil Energy.
January 20th, 2017, DT ordered all regulatory powers of all federal agencies frozen.

January 20th, 2017, DT ordered the National Parks Service to stop using social media after RTing factual, side by side photos of the crowds for the 2009 and 2017 inaugurations.
January 20th, 2017, roughly 230 protestors were arrested in DC and face unprecedented felony riot charges. Among them were legal observers, journalists, and medics.
January 20th, 2017, a member of the International Workers of the World was shot in the stomach at an anti-fascist protest in Seattle. He remains in critical condition.

January 21st, 2017, DT brought a group of 40 cheerleaders to a meeting with the CIA to cheer for him during a speech that consisted almost entirely of framing himself as the victim of dishonest press.

January 21st, 2017, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer held a press conference largely to attack the press for accurately reporting the size of attendance at the inaugural festivities, saying that the inauguration had the largest audience of any in history, “period.”

January 22nd, 2017, White House advisor Kellyann Conway defended Spicer’s lies as “alternative facts” on national television news.
January 22nd, 2017, DT appeared to blow a kiss to director James Comey during a meeting with the FBI, and then opened his arms in a gesture of strange, paternal affection, before hugging him with a pat on the back.
January 23rd, 2017, DT reinstated the global gag order, which defunds international organizations that even mention abortion as a medical option.
January 23rd, 2017, Spicer said that the US will not tolerate China’s expansion onto islands in the South China Sea, essentially threatening war with China.

January 23rd, 2017, DT repeated the lie that 3-5 million people voted “illegally” thus costing him the popular vote.
January 23rd, 2017, it was announced that the man who shot the anti-fascist protester in Seattle was released without charges, despite turning himself in.
January 23rd, 2017, it was announced that the man who shot the anti-fascist protester in Seattle was released without charges, despite turning himself in.
January 24th, 2017, Spicer reiterated the lie that 3-5 million people voted “illegally” thus costing DT the popular vote.
January 24th, 2017, DT tweeted a picture from his personal Twitter account of a photo he says depicts the crowd at his inauguration and will hang in the White House press room. The photo is curiously dated January 21st, 2017, the day AFTER the inauguration and the day of the Women’s March, the largest inauguration related protest in history.
January 24th, 2017, the EPA was ordered to stop communicating with the public through social media or the press and to freeze all grants and contracts.
January 24th, 2017, the USDA was ordered to stop communicating with the public through social media or the press and to stop publishing any papers or research. All communication with the press would also have to be authorized and vetted by the White House.

January 24th, 2017, HR7, a bill that would prohibit federal funding not only to abortion service providers, but to any insurance coverage, including Medicaid, that provides abortion coverage, went to the floor of the House for a vote.

January 24th, 2017, Director of the Department of Health and Human Service nominee Tom Price characterized federal guidelines on transgender equality as “absurd.”

January 24th, 2017, it was discovered that police officers had used confiscated cell phones to search the emails and messages of the 230 demonstrators now facing felony riot charges for protesting on January 20th, including lawyers and journalists whose email accounts contain privileged information of clients and sources.
And today: the wall and a ban on Muslims entering from a large number of countries and the end to accepting Syrian refugee

January 24th, 2017, DT ordered the resumption of construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline, while the North Dakota state congress considers a bill that would legalize hitting and killing protestors with cars if they are on roadways.

And now we have:

The USA to UN funding is to be revisited and a moratorium conducted under two presidential executive orders. A worrying development to be sure .. but I'll come back to this.

So. Where to begin? Objectivity. There are a number possible causes for the actions we see from the Whitehouse:

1) Trump is a self obsessed Liability, and nobody knew so we're flying blind here

2) Trump is a self obsessed Liability, Pence et al knew and colluded hoping to limit damage.

3) Trump is a self obsessed Liability, Pence et al knew and agree with what he's doing and/or the way its being done. 

Now the 4th option.

4) Trump is not an idiot and we've all missed something. 

Ok. lets explore option 4: Sure Trump is a challenging character, brash, moneyed, uncultured and blunt. Not particularly likeable. He does however resonate with the presentation of a "get stuff done" vibe that strikes chords with the blue collar under belly of much of America. After all its often said "nice guys rarely win fire fights" So perhaps, just perhaps, his business acumen may lend him some currency in areas of government that he might have passing knowledge of. After all bankruptcy isn't un common in business. 

If that were true, and his differences aside from those of policy, were mainly ones of style when compared to the past presidents, democrat and republican alike, then many could look beyond his unpleasantness. (should?, no. but could? yes) waiting for him to prove his competance. One can after all separate the "man" from the "office", we are no stranger to unpleasant politicians in either side of the pond. 

However it is his Character that worries and frightens. Shown time and again demonstrably as a pathological liar prone to egomaniacal behavioural traits. Quick to make up spurious comment on the fly, fabricating facts to suit theories and presenting himself in a positive light at the expense of either fact or truth. When called out on the flagrant errors of these statements he attacks the credibility of those who argue against him rather than dealing with the accusations, refusing to take questions from specific reporters etc. 

In short the "Man" cannot be trusted. Thus the "office of the president of the USA" cannot at present be trusted. 

OK, taking that forward, what next? "The Office of the president of the USA" is more than one man. its a group effort. Press officers, Sean Spicer being one who has been on screen quite a bit. Even his reserve cracked with a rueful smile on one occasion when "defending the claim of 3 million illegal votes" that lost The Donald a majority electorate vote. His statement "That is what the president believes" being as close as any press officer can get to "i know its crap but i cant say that" in public.

Today the Entire state departments senior team resigned. Why? could that be a moral and ethical stand in refusing to serve an administration and by association government that does not value facts or truth? 

As I alluded to in my blog "Trump card" I cannot believe this all happened because the establishment was blind to Trump's faults. So option 1) is out. This leave options 2/3.

If someone or a group of someones planned this, then there must be an end goal in sight. What is that goal? How will it be achieved? Does Trump believe he will do it? Does the republican party and Pence think they can guide him sufficiently to neuter his worst faux par's? Do "The Donald" and "the  Republican party" Actually have the same goals? (see option 5)

Senior republicans have already told "The Donald" to knock it off regarding the 3 million illegal votes. Yet he has ordered some form of enquiry as yet to be determined. (mind you that could be yet another alternative fact to save face, one which never bears fruit)

"The Donald" seem to be governing as a CEO presently, expecting state and others to simply do as he wishes. Mexico could be a problem though since he doesn't run that, and I wouldn't want to be the white house staffer to explain that "inconvenient truth" to him. One gets the impression that "No" isn't a world he hears often, hence his incomprehension that someone might actually disagree with him and refuse to budge. Ego says 'wall will be built and paid for by Mexico". Thus The Donald believe it to be so. 

Time will ultimately tell if the republican party can direct their loose cannon, minimise collateral damage and hit their intended targets. For now much of "The Donald's" agenda and "the republicans" are aligned.  Once it is no longer so I would venture that an impeachment will happen between now and 2020. Which side of the house it comes from is anyones guess. 

There is however an option 5. This is the real scary one. The one where a "perceived fool" with unlimited resource fools us all, gains power and thus gets to reshape the world as we know it for many many years to come. 

5) Trump is an egomaniac, and a facist believing in breeding, racial superiority and a few other  choice "theories". One with whom the republican establishment knowlingly makes a bargain to get into power. Yet they under estimate the dragon they have unleashed. The dragon refuses to be constrained and having weakened the international checks and balances of a US funded U.N and NATO.... America can once more act Militarily independently and somewhat unchallenged.  All he needs is time....One single successful terror attack is the excuse the dragon need to set the fire.....just one....

And who then will stand in the way? Who then will tell "The Donald" to "knock it off" ? 

Were Pence and his ilk were looking inward, to their "'christian doctrine agenda, old skool right and  proper ideology" Bathroom bills etc with all its "great inclusivity" of marginalised peoples...?

Whilst The Donald was looking outward, to a global power base, unencumbered by accountability and the need to work with others... growth, expansion resource, redraw the map...

Will 2017-2020 be remembered as the 21st century's equivalent to the lead up in 1936-39? will fascism wear a suit and play its trump card? 

Will good honest people fact check, shake heads and then wonder how? 

It's happened before... 

Until next time, keep your eyes open and stay #stubbornlyoptimistic