The Abyss Beckons As Trump Delivers For Putin

There’s joy in Moscow.

This was going to be a follow-up to the previous post: we’ll know just how bad it’s going to get when we see whether there are lines people will not cross in enabling Donald Trump’s take-down of all that actually has made America great. Having given it a few weeks, how have the worst cabinet picks in American history been faring with the Senate, for example?

Alas, Trump and JD Vance used the spectacle of Friday, February 28’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelensnkyy, to make it official: On their watch, at least, the United States of America is not the “Leader of the Free World”. The issue now is whether America will remain a member of the Free World.

As has been clear for years, there is no rock bottom for Donald Trump. There’s only nihilistic, autocratic abyss.

A Brief Recap

The pretext for the big televised meeting in the Oval Office was a supposed agreement involving America and Ukrainian natural resources that would somehow be a first step in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. It seems there were two versions of a deal circulating. They bore little resemblance to one another and had no realistic chances of being signed.

The first (proposed by Trump) had Ukraine handing the US rights to $500 billion worth of rare earth minerals to “repay” war aid. The second involved co-ownership in an investment fund regarding mineral, oil, and gas rights.

In the run-up, Trump sought to soften up Zelenskyy by absurdly (a) calling him a “dictator” and (b) asserting Ukraine started the war. Meanwhile, without input from Ukraine, Trump and Putin were deciding how the Russia-Ukraine war would end. (Their people met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, February 25.) Russia would make no significant concessions; Ukraine would get the right to fight on with no assurances of anything – other than the inherent certainty that Trump and Putin would renege even if they did eventually promise to concede anything.

So, Zelenskyy was to allow the U.S. to dabble in Ukrainian minerals as an inducement for Trump not to abandon him for Putin, when Trump had obviously already done so? Now, there is an offer!

Trump arranged his “great television” show for the Oval Office, knowing Zelenskyy had no choice but to reject the proposed outcome. When he balked, Trump and Vance were ready. They yelled Russian propaganda lies, and a few of their own making, at Zelenskyy, who had the nerve to respond with truthful assertions.

As audition for a mob boss role in a movie, Trump’s performance may have been acceptable; as diplomacy for a president of the United States, it was pathetic, embarrassing, degrading, and un-American. In other words, it was exactly what one would expect.

Since then, Trump has cut Ukraine off from U.S. military aid, intelligence, and satellite imagery services. More Ukrainians are dying already. Will we join Putin in bombing hospitals?

Trump’s Big Pay-off – The Quid Pro Quo

Whatever one may think of assertions that Russia has considered Trump a potential asset for decades, there is no doubt about what matters most. Putin spared no time, effort and expense providing what Russia does best (uniquely effective and divisive misinformation operations) in support of Trump’s campaigns for president. The Mueller investigation developed mountains of evidence about the unprecedented extent of interference in the 2016 election.

It was “Russia, Russia, Russia”, alright.

Their persistence and investments have been amply rewarded all along. The centerpiece of Trump’s quid pro quo, however, was publicly switching alliance from the invaded democracy to the invading Communist dictator.

Can’t Get No Respect

Part of the game plan for the show, obviously, was to paint Zelenskyy as “disrespectful” and ungrateful.

When Trump opened the questioning, he called on someone (Brian Glenn, boyfriend of Marjorie Taylor Greene – really, you can’t make this stuff up) representing a far-right outlet. Glenn launched into an unprofessional scold on Zelenskyy’s attire. His eventual question was “Do you own a suit?” Three thoughts came to mind:

  • Zelensky was dressed exactly as he has been for all appearances since his country was invaded, and has explained it many times. Perhaps he should have dressed like co-president Musk.
  • In a desperate attempt to control the narrative, Trump’s White House is excluding askers of real questions like the Associated Press and Reuters from Oval Office events, while including the likes of Glenn.
  • What Z was wearing?! There certainly was shameful disrespect in the Oval Office, and of the Oval Office, that day; Trump may as well have been wearing a tee shirt with “OF COURSE, I’m Putin’s Lackey” on the front and “Have You Paid ANY Attention the Last Ten Years?” on the back.

Vice President JD Vance was eager to do his Trump Mini-Me shtick, whining to Zelenskyy that he hadn’t even thanked Trump. On this:

  • Zelenskyy has never failed to be effusive with his gratitude to America and all its representatives for support.
  • The complaint was (what else?) a lie. The first words out of Zelenskyy’s mouth on this very occasion were “Thank you” – even knowing he was about to undergo a shakedown.

Surprising Surprise

The shock and surprise expressed by many at Trump and Vance’s behavior seems, well, surprising.

An entire book (Daniel W. Drezner’s Toddler In Chief) was written on how Trump’s behavior during his first term was that of a toddler. Forty-four pages of notes and a six-page bibliography document hundreds of accounts of Trump displaying the  short attention span, impulsiveness, impetuousness, temper, knowledge deficits, etc. of a two-to-three year-old child. To this day, he often seems to careen from one whim to another.

Except, however, when it comes to the interests of Vladimir Putin; there Trump was and is consistent, focused, and tireless. He never misses an opportunity either to praise Putin and support Russia’s interests, or to undermine America’s allies and NATO as an entity.

People are shocked all of a sudden? Trump’s disgraceful performance in Helsinki (7/16/18) is one of many incidents that should have been the end of his presidency. His “perfect phone call” of 7/25/19 illegally threatening to withhold aid approved under law unless Zelenskyy made up dirt on Biden is what got Trump impeached the first time, and should also have ended his presidency. On 2/22/22, he infamously praised Putin’s “genius” for invading Ukraine, even as the civilized world recoiled in horror.

Appalled, disgusted, outraged – absolutely. But surprised? How are you going to be when he pulls the U.S. out of NATO?

Evil Without Borders

While no one on earth has been happier than Vladimir Putin on November 3, 2016, November 5, 2024, and now February 28, 2025, the joy isn’t limited to Moscow. It extends to wherever dictators, tyrants and autocrats rule. Steve Bannon has called Hungary’s Viktor Orban “Trump before Trump” with good reason.

MAGAworld’s hard work following the 2020 election wasn’t limited to trying to steal the election back. Orban’s skillful takeover of Hungary’s institutions, stifling of dissent, and dominance of the narrative clearly inspired careful study and emulation, if ever there was to be a second chance. Well, now Trump has that second chance.

To take a stroll down memory lane, recall how Trump and Brazil’s Balsonaro heaped praise on one another while callously botching their countries’ response to COVID with nearly identical lies, mistakes, and terrible outcomes. The similarities in the two men’s approaches to governance well beyond COVID is remarkable.

Trump’s behavior inspires mutual admiration, and more, with bad actors from the far right and the far left.

The Real Issue in the New World Disorder

That’s because it’s no longer really about liberal vs. conservative, left vs. right, Democrats vs. Republicans. What matters now is the choice between participation in a democratic republic vs. submission to dictators, tyrants and autocrats.

It would be nice someday to get back to old debates between conservatives and liberals like these:

  • How big is too big for government?
  • Is government regulation too extensive, too intrusive, and at times contradictory? Are there also areas that need regulatory attention? If so, how can we fix this?
  • What is the best tax structure for America?

At this point, such concerns seem almost quaint. Why? Because Trump somehow got himself re-elected, despite the fact that it could not be any clearer: America’s enemies are Trump’s allies. America’s allies are Trump’s enemies.

In our lifetimes, America has made mistakes, and chosen sides poorly at times, with dire and even terrible consequences. But those were mistakes. Here we are deliberately and unabashedly joining the Bad Guys, indeed the worst guys on earth. We do so not because it is in America’s interests (it’s clearly the opposite), but because it is In Donald Trump’s own personal best interests.

When Trump said he was going to be a dictator only on the first day, the lie was in his use of “only”. Substitute “from” for “only on”, and you have the true picture, if he’s allowed to pull it off.

I remember wondering how awful it must be to live in Communist Russia, or to have lived under fascism, where centralized power is unchecked, freedom is squelched, corruption is rampant, and your government lies incessantly. I never said “That could never happen here” back then, but only because it never occurred to me as a possibility. Indeed, the question was how it was possible for a country to get itself in such a fix. There have been no such musings for the last ten years or so. Now we know.

So, here we are. Right now, all Americans have no choice but to ask themselves whether they are for a democratic republic or autocracy. Ignoring what is underway is acquiescence.

What’s Underway

Trump’s assault is on America’s allies because, first and foremost, Trump’s assault is on America and all it represents. Putin despises America not just as an adversary, but for all its best foundational notions, among them:
– the Rule of Law
– Balance of Power/Checks and Balances
– an Independent Judiciary
– Freedom of the Press
– Real and True Elections
– Due Process
– Equal Protection of the Law
– Freedoms of Speech, Assembly, and Association
Trump is with Putin in his hatred and contempt for all the above. Much of what Trump’s doing is not just illegal; it’s unconstitutional. The extent to which it’s also horrendous public policy is an entirely different conversation. Note, however, that he knows exactly what he’s doing, and he is good enough at it to gather support for the indefensible.

Trump hitched his wagon to Vladimir Putin – America’s mortal enemy and the worst person on earth – obviously and publicly, a long time ago. At this point, certainly, there is no conceivable excuse for not recognizing what this is, what it means, and what it portends for America’s future. Political leanings and affiliation don’t matter, compared to what’s at stake.

Conclusion

We’ll get back to public policy and Trump’s blitzkrieg – his dismantling of both America’s economy and its ability to fend off the various catastrophes he’s inviting – soon enough.

This is about something else, something (unbelievably) even worse. This is an invitation from Trump into the autocracy abyss just in time to prevent America from reaching its 250th birthday intact. Unless you think it’s a good idea to turn America into Russia, or you enjoy practicing the Nazi salute with Elon, it’s time to get busy.

Autocracy is an abyss in that once a dictatorship is entrenched, it is extraordinarily more difficult to scratch and crawl back out of it to democracy. As a people, we are either not having it – autocracy, that is – or we really are going to have it.

Again, the issue now is whether America will remain a member of the Free World. It’s an either/or. There’s nowhere to hide. Sadly, candor requires acknowledgement of Trump’s expert use of fear. Much spineless capitulation to him by those who know better has been attributable to fear of portions of Trump’s base. One reason Trump pardoned many hundreds of January 5 insurrectionists was to have the unrepentant ones available, “standing by” for their next assignments.

This is all the more reason none of us can abide the ongoing criminality. If we’re going to remain the Land of the Free, we must be the Home of the Brave.

Ken Bossong

© 2025 Kenneth J. Bossong

The Idol And His Protégé

In the midst of his murderous plunge into re-subjugation of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin oddly paused with an attempt to justify his actions. “Oddly” because Putin, while he lies as naturally as he breathes, seldom cares enough what anyone thinks to bother with attempts at justification.

Yet, there he was speaking of his “denazification” of Ukraine, even as he channeled 20th Century fascists in action and intent. Commentators were quick to note how bizarrely, ironically irrational this was. (Best seen so far: Trudy Rubin in the February 25 Philadelphia Inquirer.) Yes, Ukrainian President Zelensky is Jewish.

In speaking so, Putin presents a case of the master learning from his follower. In four years of emulating Putin, and catering to his every whim, Donald Trump was his equal in scope and depth of dishonesty. The Donald displayed unmatched skill, though, in one special technique of dishonesty: projection. As pointed out in the Other Aspects post of October 16, 2020, Trump is the unquestioned GOAT at projection.

The erstwhile Republicans who have chosen to abandon principle and sanity to follow Trump use it constantly. That is, they falsely accuse others of wrong-doing in which they are actually engaged. This is expected of trumpsters by now, but this was his idol projecting? It must make Trump so proud, though to be sure, Putin’s technique could use some refinement.

But, like the commentators, I digress. Let’s get back to the news of the day. Emboldened by four years of worshipful enabling and assistance by the then-President of the United States, and now desperate to make a move because that party is over, KGB thug Putin risks unthinkable catastrophe with one last attempt to reclaim the “glories” of the USSR. He invades.

What Vladimir Did for Donald

Memo to the US Department of Justice: Un-redact the Mueller Report. Today. Now.

Memo to all fellow Americans: Read the Mueller Report for yourself. Today. If you really don’t have time for all that today, read the Other Aspects post of November 1, 2020.

Then read the Mueller Report for yourself, as soon as you can, and think about how the crimes reported and everything that has happened since fit together.

There’s also a bonus for Donald in the current events: delight that Vladimir is bringing hell to Zelensky, the guy who wouldn’t lie about Joe Biden.

What Donald Was Doing for Vladimir

Perhaps the better wording is: What wasn’t Donald doing for Vladimir? For anyone wondering why Vladimir Putin wanted Donald Trump elected, and then re-elected, so very desperately, the answer is clear. It wasn’t just the constant, indefensible aid and comfort (Helsinki, anyone?) that continues to this day.

At the very top of Donald’s to-do list from Vlad was the one thing Trump did consistently for four years: everything he could to undermine NATO. The only way to make sense of his behavior on the international stage is to view it in light of one goal – the systematic dismantling of NATO. Even to America’s detriment? Certainly.

The Deal on Full Display for Those Who Look

What Vladimir Putin sought to get out of this arrangement could not be clearer – namely, not having to bother with what he’s doing today. If successful, he’ll see no reason to stop with Ukraine. He’s the one destined gloriously to restore the mighty USSR. If successful with that, by the way, why think he’ll stop with “merely” rehanging the Iron Curtain at those borders?

What Donald Trump sought to get out of this arrangement also could not be clearer – unlimited power and money, and a Putin-like status in the United States. Think he was kidding when he wondered aloud about the need for term limits on the presidency? Trump doesn’t kid.

Vladimir saw considerable success in skillfully sowing further division among the American people (really; it’s all in Mueller) as well as among the members of NATO. However, “genius” though he may be, Putin’s best efforts couldn’t overcome the number of US citizens who considered Trump’s performance as president when voting in 2020. It was too bad for both Vladimir and Donald that Joe Biden was actually qualified to be president, and not as dislikeable as Hillary Clinton.

Thus did the election of 2020 disrupt the deal. Whether their plan is scuttled for good or merely delayed, if some have their way, is up to us.

It was essential to America’s interests that one of Biden’s top priorities be to restore relations with our genuine allies. He’s done well with that, which is why Vladimir and Donald are so upset.

Meanwhile, Trump would be foolish to think Putin cared about him beyond his usefulness while positioned as US president. Did he hope to solve his financial woes by being cut in with Putin’s oligarch buddies in sharing corruption bounty? Trump, of all people, should know loyalty is a one-way street, for guys like him.

Further Musings

It never ceases to amaze that human beings arrange their affairs so as to permit a single individual, so often a despicable individual like Putin or his protégé, to do so much harm.

I’ve heard it said that the best form of government would be a “benign dictator”. The problem, of course, is that there’s no such thing. Human nature does not permit it; dictators find no reason to be benign.

That’s why, aside from the Bible, the Constitution of the United States is the greatest and most important document ever produced. It is our republic, if we can keep it.

Ken Bossong

© 2022 Kenneth J. Bossong

Senate Republicans, I Know What You Did Last Winter

Dear Senate Republicans not named Mitt Romney,

You did this. You did this to us. Your craven dereliction of duty enabled the nightmare to continue and, predictably, get worse. We have almost four and a half more months before the voters pick up after you and seven months of peril to endure. Whatever evil Donald Trump perpetrates as a desperate candidate and then as a bitter lame duck is on you. This will be on top of the immeasurable harm he has done since you emboldened him with your vote on February 5 not to remove him.

It was right there before you: a lock-tight, unassailable two-article impeachment. It could have been twenty-two articles or two hundred and twenty, of course. Was the House’s inclination to keep it a simple, manageable, straight forward two articles understandable? Yes. I would have included more, the Mueller stuff at least, however, because it too was right there – fully developed, consistent, and equally compelling.

The Articles of Impeachment

The second article, for obstruction of justice, was particularly straight-forward. President Trump flatly and publicly forbade anyone in his administration from cooperating at all – with documents or testimony. Indeed, he boasted about obstructing justice. Retaliation for anyone who properly responded to lawful subpoenas was swift and severe. That these witnesses undoubtedly knew what the consequences would be for telling the truth not only makes their devotion to duty more laudable, but bolsters their credibility.

There were no material facts in issue. The obstruction was a blanket refusal to cooperate, or permit anyone else to cooperate, with the Congress in fulfilling its oversight duties. Nixon’s cover-up in Watergate, which Republican congressional leaders assured him was indefensible, was trifling by comparison. Your failure to convict weakened the Congress as a co-equal branch.

The first article was no less compelling.  The backdrop was a new president of the Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, desperately seeking US assistance in fending off Russian aggression. Official US policy to provide it was clear; an appropriation was in place. Zelensky was most anxious for two things, a meeting with President Trump to affirm to Russia and the rest of the world America’s support, and disbursement of the military aid. Each was withheld by a President Trump bent on benefiting himself.

Quid Pro Quo

The two main defenses, if they can be called that, seem to be that (1) There was no real quid pro quo and (2) Trump was concerned about corruption in Ukraine. Which of these is more laughable is a close contest, but I vote for (2). In fact, the depiction of Donald Trump as a crusader against corruption may be the single funniest thing ever said about him – unintentionally funny though it may be.

That is to take nothing away from the absurdity of the quid pro quo argument. In the infamous phone call of July 25, 2019, there comes a point where Ukraine’s President Zelensky brings up the topic of US military assistance for Ukraine. He refers specifically to the need to acquire more Javelin anti-tank missiles. President Trump’s reply is “I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it.”

The favor sought by President Trump: Zelensky was to announce and conduct investigations of two preposterous notions: (1) Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 presidential election and (2) Joe Biden sought the removal of Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Victor Shokin because he posed a threat to a company (Burisma) whose board included Biden’s son, Hunter.

Anyone in Trump’s administration could have told him how ridiculous and thoroughly discredited these theories were; many in fact did. Russia’s massive interference in the 2016 election was a matter of voluminous, detailed record. And the truth regarding Shokin’s removal was exactly the opposite of Trump’s narrative. Biden’s position on Shokin as Vice President was official US policy, and that of America’s allies, precisely because Shokin did NOT prosecute corruption in Ukraine.

Hunter Biden may have been guilty of attempting to ride the coattails of a well-known father. This is something Donald Trump knows more than a little about – as both a son and a father.

When I hear that asking for a “favor” in return for desperately needed aid is not quid pro quo, a reverie comes to me. It’s a mashup of scenes from old gangster movies: [An Edward G. Robinson-like figure has a rival gangster tied up in a chair.] “Yeah, listen here, you, see? I unnerstand you got a pretty little daughter. If ya ever wanna see her again, you’re gonna do me a little favor, see?” For some reason, the point is clear without needing to add, “That’s the quid pro quo, see?”

Briefly, on Some Legalities

The hold itself was illegal under two federal statutes, regardless of reason, as increasingly frantic emails between OMB and DOD make clear. The Department of Defense realized it was becoming impossible to properly spend the money appropriated in the fiscal year ending on September 30. The Office of Management and Budget knew this, of course. They also knew the legislature holds the “purse strings” and the executive branch can’t just say “screw it”, but was not in a position to explain the hold or to comply with the law’s formal requirements to rescind. (See the Appropriation Act and the Impoundment Act of 1974.)

The reason for the hold was much worse; no wonder no one wanted to explain it in writing. It is a serious violation of federal law for (a) a person to (b) solicit, accept or receive (c) a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, (d) in connection with a Federal election (e) from a foreign national. (52 USC 30121) If it’s illegal for anyone to receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with any election, what is it for a president to solicit dirt on a political rival in an upcoming presidential election from a foreign nation – all in return for release of aid to which that nation is already entitled?

On Mens Rea, or “Guilty Mind”

I’ve heard it argued that Donald Trump could not have committed high crimes and misdemeanors because he is too dopey to form the requisite criminal intent. Among the serious problems with this, three stand out. First, being stupid and being evil are not mutually exclusive; one can be both. Second, what kind of defense is this for a president? Third, Mr. Trump has many serious flaws on constant display, but stupidity is not one of them. He is colossally and willfully ignorant, but not stupid. For years, he has said and done any number of stupid things – not because he doesn’t know any better, but because he wants to say and do them. The fact that he has gotten away with them so far makes him one of the greatest con men of our time.

Trump knew exactly what he was doing with Zelensky, alright. We all know exactly what he was doing. So did Zelensky, of course, who was loathe to becoming a pawn in US politics. In the build-up to the phone call of July 25, the single biggest point made by Trump’s people to Zelensky and his people was this: If he ever wanted the aid disbursed or his White House visit, he had to convince Trump in this phone call that Trump would get his investigations. In fact, it was critical that Zelensky make clear he was about to publicly announce the Biden investigation. The announcement mattered  more than an investigation everyone knew would yield nothing.

Another reverie: I find myself wondering whether Vladimir Putin was miffed to learn that his favorite protégé believed Russia alone wouldn’t be enough to overcome Biden in 2020. After all Russia did for him in 2016? While that weird Putin/Trump thing undoubtedly endures, it had to rankle a bit that Trump resorted to asking Ukraine.  Then again, Trump even asked China to investigate Biden. (Didn’t need Bolton for that; we saw Trump say it on TV.) When all is known, countries Trump has not asked to investigate Biden may feel left out.

Consequences of Your Vote

There will be many books, but it will take a treatise, someday, to adequately recount the harm that has resulted from your vote to acquit. For now, this brief summary will have to suffice.

Balance of Power

President Trump’s relentless attacks on checks and balances, and any restraint on his power whatever, have intensified. Two of the many troubling examples are letting inspectors general go when needed most and the ongoing politization of the Department of Justice.

An agency has an inspector general to have someone relatively independent of politics ensure that the agency conducts its affairs properly. They are on the lookout for the proverbial fraud, waste, and mismanagement. Honest leadership welcomes such overview. Firing IGs for looking into matters uncomfortable to those doing the firing is more than a bad look.

Trump said while letting intelligence IG Michael Atkinson go, “He took this terrible, inaccurate whistleblower report and he brought it to Congress”, thus setting in motion the impeachment. In other words, he did his job – one of two unforgivable sins in this administration. (The other is telling the truth.) The removal of Glenn Fine, Christi Grimm, Steve Linick, and Mitchell Behm all make for interesting reading, especially given what they were working on, including (for Fine and Behm)  oversight of the largest stimulus package in American history. 

The politization of the Department of Justice famously includes interference in actual cases (Michael Flynn and Roger Stone). Hot off the press, the firing of US Attorney Geoffrey Berman was a typical Trump operation. First AG Barr lied that Berman had resigned. Then he said Trump did it. Then Trump said Barr did it. There is no suggestion that Berman was doing a bad or even mediocre job in the Southern District of New York. With the merits nowhere to be found, speculation that Berman was doing too good a job fills the void, with talk of Ruby Giuliani or a state-owned Turkish bank and another international bad-boy buddy of Trump, President Erdogan. This should be great for sales of Bolton’s book.

The American Bar Association for years has been promoting the Rule of Law all over the world. It seems the focus should shift to the United States.

Pandemic

Petrified by what a pandemic might do to the economy and his prospects for re-election, President Trump resorted to denial and an absolute refusal to lead in any respect when it mattered most. The mind boggles at what might have been accomplished by way of coordination, information exchange, adroit use of the Defense Production Act, and so forth, to maximize an effective response.

Not content with mere inaction and epic mismanagement of the crisis, Trump went out of his way to make up or pass along dangerously false information, undermine medical experts and his own CDC, and “lead” by atrocious example. Just listing by bullet points the examples would take up an entire post on this blog. You knew better when Trump called COVID-19 a hoax by liberal Democrats, then later said the Democrats politicized the pandemic. You, too, had to cringe listening to such pronouncements as it’ll just go away, you could even go to work with it, and you’d benefit from ingesting disinfectant.

For those who find it amusing to have a POTUS say outlandish things, there is a recent CDC poll of 502 Americans representative of the US population. Thirty-nine percent reported intentionally engaging in at least one high-risk practice not recommended by CDC… including application of bleach to food items (e.g., fruits and vegetables) (19%); use of household cleaning and disinfectant products on hands or skin (18%); misting the body with a cleaning or disinfectant spray (10%); inhalation of vapors from household cleaners or disinfectants (6%); and drinking or gargling diluted bleach solutions, soapy water, and other cleaning and disinfectant solutions (4% each).

As mystifying as it is how anyone could believe a word President Trump says about anything at this point, you know as well as I that thousands more have died in the pandemic than needed to. From bemoaning cruise passengers docking to get treatment because it would “hurt his numbers” months ago, to creating a perfect pandemic storm with Saturday’s rally in Tulsa, Trump couldn’t be clearer. His only interest is in himself and his numbers. The irony is that doing the right thing right away would have lessened the economic carnage, as well.

The Economy

Ah yes, the economy. Donald Trump says he created the greatest economy ever, but COVID-19 ruined it. Unfortunately, there is good reason to believe that his policies had the economy heading for a downturn before the pandemic hit.

One of the cover stories in the December 2019 issue of Fortune magazine, not exactly a leftist rag, was “Why Trump Is Bad For Business”. The piece is a comprehensive analysis of how business’s gains from lower taxes and deregulation had been more than wiped out by two policy disasters. First, Trump’s immigration policies deprived the economy of badly needed workers. Second, his tariff war with China just made everything more expensive, hurting business. As demand dampens, recession ensues. The measurable confidence of CEOs, purchasing managers, and consumers had all hit the skids. Trump is said to have “lost the C-Suite” in 2018.

Similarly, in a 12/23/19 piece by Dan Clark in Law.com’s Corporate Counsel, Altman Weil’s survey of corporations’ top lawyers (general counsel and chief legal officers) indicated widespread planning for recession. Again, this was before the novel coronavirus was a factor.

Then there’s the national debt. What this “conservative” had already done to the national debt before anyone heard of COVID-19 involves truly incomprehensible numbers.

Presidents get too much blame and too much credit for swings in the economy, anyway. But things weren’t nearly as rosy as Trump’s campaign would have you believe.

Racism, the Police, and the Military

This part all but writes itself. It’s hard to imagine a worse person to be POTUS after the horrific killing of George Floyd than Donald Trump. He specializes in divisiveness while appealing to his base’s basest instincts . We all know what MAGA means to some of his followers. Not for nothing do white supremacists love him. Before leaving the topic, though, it’s worth saying something about the police and the military. That’s because the president managed to misuse both with one episode on June 1.

Trump set the police on peaceful protesters exercising the very sort of freedom of assembly and speech rights the First Amendment was created to protect. This for a chance to stand in front of a church and hold aloft the one document he apparently knows and cares even less about than the Constitution of the United States. To recap, the Bible and the First Amendment were abused as the police were misused to violently roust a peaceful protest against race-based police violence.

General  Mark Milley was in Trump’s entourage strolling across the recently-cleared Lafayette Square that day. His apology for participating seemed both deeply felt and carefully considered. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he knows the dangers of politicizing the military in a free democracy. Anyone in Trump’s vicinity must be prepared for a request or demand to engage in activity that is illegal, immoral, or both.

Trump and some of his wackier supporters refer to the impeachment as an “attempted coup”. Since the impeachment inquiry was brought in accordance with the constitution, due process, and precedent, it was the antithesis of attempted violent or illegal overthrow. There is someone itching to set the military on US citizens, though. At times, he seems almost giddy at the prospect.

Consequences In Sum

Much of what really does make America great is under siege. When considering the many reasons for pride in America, at the top of the list is the Constitution. And among its ingenious virtues, at the top of that long list are these: checks and balances of the three co-equal branches of government; the First Amendment freedoms; Equal Protection of the Law under the Fourteenth Amendment; and Due Process under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.

The president you would not remove has remarkable animus toward each of these first principles, and undermines them at every turn. This is a different kind of coup attempt.

Back To You

Deep down inside, you know as well as we do how despicable Donald Trump is as a person, and how dangerous and unfit he is to be president.

Some of you said these things, and more, publicly when he was merely a candidate, and you were correct. Many more of you have said so privately to your closest confidants – and to yourselves late on a sleepless night – since the 2016 election, as the certainty of such assessments became undeniable.

You also know, deep down inside, how meritorious the impeachment inquiry was.

Despite the compelling case for removal, everyone, literally everyone, knew Trump would be acquitted. The simple reason was the majority you Republicans had in the Senate. It was simply a given that you would not vote in good conscience. The only interesting question was whether any of you would.

Thank you, Mitt Romney.

Perjury?

Senators take office with an oath. Nonetheless, at the start of the impeachment trial, Chief Justice Roberts administered the following specific oath to each senator: “Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, President of the United States, now pending, you will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help you God?” 

One would think it impossible to overstate the gravity of the duty undertaken. In the weeks leading up to the impeachment trial, though, some of you made it clear you had no intention of doing impartial justice. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell seemed particularly intent on getting the point across. A December 18, 2019 Vanity Fair article by Alison Durkee contained a gathering of quotes from McConnell – and Lindsay Graham: “I’m not an impartial juror,” McConnell said. “This is a political process. There is not anything judicial about it. Impeachment is a political decision . . . I’m not impartial about this at all.” That wasn’t all. “Everything I do during this, I will be coordinating with White House counsel,” [indicating there would be] “no difference between the president’s position and our position as to how to handle this.”

 “This thing will come to the Senate, and it will die quickly, and I will do everything I can to make it die quickly,” Graham said… “I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind. I’m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here.”

Clear signal received. Now, under what conceivable argument, Senators Graham and McConnell, was your oath administered by the Chief Justice anything other than perjury? It’s acceptable to take a false oath in a proceeding if it’s not judicial? Lying in a “political process” is a given for you?

How many of you Senate Republicans did the equivalent without being so brazen about it in public? Are you emulating the president you enable?

Meanwhile, the Fallout Is Actually Even Worse

Note that in the high crimes and misdemeanors charged and chargeable, plus the malfeasance since the failure to remove, the facts are generally clear and not in serious dispute. Witnesses are scoffed at and called names, but the facts stand.

Consider that all of the above wrongdoing is limited to what we know about, matters of public record. Imagine what we don’t yet know.

What does all this portend? If THIS wasn’t enough to remove, impeachment is a nullity when either the Senate or the House is controlled by the president’s party. If so, then the president really will be above the law most of the time. Or as The Donald likes to say, “I can do anything I want!”

In Closing

I know what you did last winter. Instead of giving a real-life horror movie the ending it deserved, you made it even worse. Whatever good you may have done in your career, your legacy is now tied inextricably to that of the worst president in history – the most incompetent, the most dishonest, the most hateful, and the most corrupt.

You’d be wrong to dismiss me as from the far left, by the way. Electorally, I’m your worst nightmare these days – a centrist/moderate who considers candidates and issues on the merits, who pays attention, and who votes. Millions of Americans who are more-or-less like me decide elections.

In addition to two special elections, thirty-three Senate seats are up for election in 2020. Twenty-three of them are held by you Republicans.

Whether or not you are up for re-election this year, I have a suggestion. If you’ve died a thousand deaths since February 5, and have come to regret your vote to acquit, you might want to share that sentiment well before November 3. Indeed, you should do it while staunchly and publicly opposing whatever constitutional crisis or other outrage Trump has in store for us next. It won’t be long in coming.

Respectfully,
Kenneth J. Bossong

© 2020 Kenneth J. Bossong

Consider the Kurds and Weigh

This being Other Aspects, I’ve generally avoided writing what others have been writing and, to some extent, what others have been writing about. Today I must make an exception for the topic everyone is talking and writing about.

The welcoming post to this blog on January 13 indicated that I’d address things, both good and bad, that keep me up at night. Well, we’ve hit the mother lode – at least thus far – and it isn’t one of those under-recognized good things deserving to be highlighted.

Abandonment of the Kurds to the Turks in Syria is the single most despicable act of a president in my lifetime.

I can see both sides of most legitimate disputes. I can make an argument for many diverse positions. Not this. There is no argument for this. There is no defense for this behavior.

Two Tendencies

It’s hard not to notice two behaviors in which Donald Trump is remarkably consistent:
First, when called or challenged on a statement or an action, he always doubles down. Always. The more clearly he is wrong about something, the more vociferously he doubles down.

Second, when things are not going well in one area, he says or does something outrageous in another area to divert attention. In the war of attrition that is diversion by outrage, more is better.

Donald Trump did not invent these two tactics, but he has taken them to levels beyond anything I can recall. Each tactic is a close relative to another classic – the Big Lie approach. In telling a lie, tell one so huge that in denying it, your adversary will grant you much of the false impression you wished to create.

Trouble Looming

With the Ukraine affair on the heels of the Mueller Report, things most decidedly were not going well for Donald Trump. Any notion that the Mueller Report was no big deal because it did not seem to deliver what either Trump haters or Trump supporters wanted is greatly mistaken. I will get to this in a future post, assuming it remains as important as I think it is.

Mueller had been overshadowed, though, by Ukraine. Unless the phone call transcript released is simply wrong, there seems no doubt that Trump withheld military aid badly-needed by the Ukraine to resist Russian aggression pending assurances from its president that dirt on political rival Biden would be forthcoming.

Trump’s defense is that he was merely interested, as he must be, in rooting out corruption. What corruption? As VP under Obama, the argument goes, Biden pressured the Ukraine to sack their Prosecutor General (Viktor Shokin) who threatened a company (Burisma) on whose board Biden’s son, Hunter, served.

Aside from the hilarity of the notion that Donald Trump aspired to be a crusader against corruption, the only problem with the defense is that it is exactly the opposite of the truth. Joe Biden joined an international effort pressuring the Ukraine to get rid of Shokin because he was NOT going after alleged corruption, not because he was. (The allegation’s timing is also off, but no need to go there.) Once this became clear, the rumblings of impeachment grew louder.

Other Non-starter Defenses

Two arguments offered to suggest Trump’s behavior wasn’t so bad here are silly. The first, that there was no quid pro quo because he didn’t us those exact three Latin words in the phone call, I’ll assume needs no reply.

The other, that America often conditions aid on receiving something in return is nearly as bad. Are there really people who fail to grasp the difference between (a) requiring something in the nation’s best interest and (b) requiring something in the president’s own personal interest at the expense of a political rival?

If there is any doubt as to how badly this was going for the president, consider the whopper of a diversionary crisis he felt compelled to create.

Catastrophic Treachery

Where does one begin? Among the worst of it: If you’re willing to betray a people who have lost 11,000 men and woman battling ISIS, what ally can you be relied upon not to betray? What ally will you have left anywhere in the world?

An estimated quarter million Kurds and others have been uprooted and are now homeless refugees in grave danger of genocide. The latter is what Turkey’s Erdogan has wanted for years.

Even as this goes on, the recent elimination of al Baghdadi could not have occurred without essential information provided by the Kurds. Such assistance evaporates with the Kurds’ fight for their lives. .

The void we’ve left in Syria is being filled by Russia and Iran. Once again, some of the worst men in the world are delighted with the performance of President Trump. Once again, Trump has acted precipitously, without input from aghast U.S. experts, in a way that benefits the interests of Russia, and harms those of the U.S..

The rebirth of ISIS, once on the ropes in the region through the sacrifices of Kurds and Americans fighting side-by-side, is virtually assured. One thing not assured is that all future confrontations with these violent radicals will be thousands of miles from our shores.

Video is available of our troops hastily leaving the area, with our betrayed allies throwing things at our vehicles. Like many others, military personnel at all levels are so distraught by all of this that they don’t know what to do.

The Donald

How is all this even possible? How could any president blithely betray an ally like the Kurds?

Well, Donald Trump doesn’t need any allies. Why would he? He is the best negotiator ever. He is the greatest deal-maker ever. He is both charming and brilliant. He has no need for briefings from experts because he is the expert. He is the best president ever. He is the best everything ever. He draws the biggest crowds ever. He sifted through the toxic 9/11 rubble with the first responders. The El Paso shooting victims of a madman (whose manifesto quoted Trump slogans) showed him love and respect in a visit. (He wished the reporters he banned could have been there to see it.) The Kurds are no angels, but he has done them a favor, and they are grateful. He is The Donald.

The Worst of Many Flaws

In answer to the question, “How could he do this?” I pose another question, seriously, for your consideration. Have you ever known, met, or even heard of, a person with a case of narcissism as extreme as that of Donald Trump? I mean ever.

He is incapable of empathy, or of introspection, or of compassion, or of remorse, or of grasping the notion that any human being other than himself matters. He cannot learn from his mistakes because he does not make mistakes. (My father used to joke that he’d never made a mistake; he once thought he had, but he was wrong.)

The only note on the musical scale Donald Trump’s can hear or sing is Mi – glorious Me. A repertoire so limited is crippling for a president.

Revulsion, not Glee

I take no pleasure in writing about a President of the United States this way, but there is no choice. If it seems that he is unraveling before your very eyes and ears, that’s because he is. All is the result of combining his two tendencies, above, with the narcissism out of which they are born. The crises he creates are ever worse because he always doubles down. He is always doubling down because he has always just created a senseless crisis. The spiral downward is accelerating.

I’m a little surprised that an instinct of self-preservation hasn’t kicked in to help Donald Trump notice this pattern isn’t working for him very well anymore. By now, most Americans have had one, or many more, of those moments when you wonder to yourself: “What manner of man says (or does) something like this? This is the President of the United States?” Anyway, with Ukraine and the Kurds, Donald Trump seems finally to have hit a low too low, even for him.

From the first announcement of Trump’s candidacy for office, I have found questions regarding his positions on issues amusingly inapt. Donald Trump has no “position” on anything – he barely has coherent slogans – with one exception: he is for anything that feeds his needy and insatiable ego, especially if it does so by increasing his wealth. Nothing else exists. That is Donald Trump’s position on everything.

An analogy comes to mind: Donald Trump is to a common self-centered politician as the compulsive gambler is to the problem gambler. While the latter two (politician and problem gambler) “merely” behave poorly, the former two (Trump and compulsive gambler) are addicted to the rush from doing so. I could almost feel sorry for him, but I’m too busy feeling sorry for us and for our country.

What is to be done?

Consider the Kurds and weigh the options. If inviting genocide for our staunchest and bravest allies in one of the world’s worst trouble spots isn’t enough for the Vice President and cabinet to invoke section 4 of the 25th Amendment, impeachment must proceed. The articles of impeachment should be direct, straight-forward presentations of the gravest high crimes and misdemeanors committed.

Every step of the process must be conducted professionally and ethically by serious, expert adults. It must be strictly on the merits. This includes affording the President impeccable due process. Why? Because (a) it’s the right thing to do; (b) it preempts any reasonable charges of unfairness; and (c) we want the just and correct outcome.

If I’m somehow wrong and the case against Trump isn’t that compelling, don’t impeach him. Bad behavior in pursuit of an alleged wrongdoer doesn’t strengthen the case against him. It’s just bad behavior. Anyone who just wants Trump removed through impeachment, whether or not it is the just and correct outcome, needs to look in the mirror as much as Trump supporters do.

From what we know, though, there’s little risk that’s the concern here. It’s time to take a vote and see who in Congress, if anyone, really is as craven as Trump is. Regardless of party affiliation, those not working tirelessly to limit harm by reversing atrocious policy has blood and irreparable damage to American interests on their hands.

Until recently, I was thinking we could get by just waiting for the voters to deliver the necessary message in 2020. Time is now of the essence, however; what could the next manufactured crisis be, if it is doubling down yet again, from THIS?

Not the Same-old Same-old

Make no mistake: this is not the usual left vs. right, progressive vs. conservative foolishness. It is no embrace of political correctness to know the madness must end. Republicans and true conservatives should be more appalled by Trump’s actions than anyone; many are. Indeed, how dare he bring the party of Lincoln down to such depths? While one does not lightly abandon an incumbent of one’s own party, nothing light occurred here. The damage being done to the Republican Party is enormous and likely to last.

Who’s Watching

Millions of Americans who are independent centrists are noting with disgust the behavior of congressional Republicans enabling these escalating outrages. They cannot be dismissed as the far left. Recognizing Trump’s presidency as dangerous, untenable and indefensible does not make them fans of Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, either. Far from it. They are the votes needed for anyone looking to win an election, and they are not happy with anybody.

For the system to work, America needs two major parties that are smart, principled and effective in presenting candidates who are honorable and have a clue. Right now, one such party would be a step in the right direction. Shame on us all if 2020 ends up a rerun of 2016, with most Americans (who don’t skip the election) voting for someone they can’t stand. Meanwhile, unfortunately, there’s serious work to do before the election.

Right now, in fact. That’s unless current Republican congressional leaders reduce their infamy by having with Trump the sort of discussion Hugh Scott, Barry Goldwater, and John Jacob Rhodes had with Nixon shortly before his resignation on August 9, 1974. Even if they do the right thing and have such a discussion, is President Trump likely to resign? Probably not; he is The Donald, after all. The more comprehensively his conduct is examined, however, the more Nixon’s conduct is going to resemble child’s play.

Ken Bossong

© 2019 Kenneth J. Bossong