\nWill April 8, 2019, be the day we look back on and say that was the\nbeginning of the death of our democracy? \nSounds admittedly melodramatic and I strive to avoid speaking in such\nterms. However, those who feared\nPresident Trump\u2019s inexplicable affection and respect for authoritarian leaders\naround the world was a window into his domestic plans now have a stronger case\nto argue. On April 7, Trump called Secretary\nof Homeland Security Kirsten Nielsen to the White House and told her he wanted\nher out because she was too weak on immigration. He announced the move on April 8 along with\nnews that he was dismissing Nielson\u2019s Deputy Secretary and dismissing Secret\nService Director Randolph Alles. Trump\nalso withdrew his nomination for the new Director of Immigration and Customs\nEnforcement (ICE), deeming that he was also too weak on immigration. There is a dangerous vacuum of leadership in\nthe DHS umbrella of agencies. No less\nthan fifteen crucial senior administration positions are now being filled by\n\u201cacting\u201d directors. Add this to the\nnumber of open positions throughout the administration and federal agencies which\nTrump has not filled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThe Trump Administration has seen a record number of cabinet level and\nsenior advisers fired or forced to resign, significantly higher than any prior\nadministration. In just over two years,\nTrump is on his third Chief of Staff, third Secretary of Homeland Security, and\nthird National Security Advisor, all critical positions. He has lost his Secretaries of Defense and\nState as well as Ambassador to the UN. \nMany cabinet secretaries were forced to leave due to rampant corruption,\nethics violations, or conflicts of interest. \nThe Administrations is packed with incompetence and filled with\ncorruption at unprecedented levels, certainly in the modern era. The campaign slogan of \u201cdrain the swamp\u201d was\na bold lie with no intent whatsoever to uphold. \nRather, Trump has generated an epic swamp that has led to more credible\nallegations of corruption, improper spending, conflicts of interest. Some of the worst offenders remain, such as\nBetsy DeVos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThere are serious questions about Trump\u2019s recent picks for the Federal\nReserve. If ever an institution requires\ntrue independence and competence it is the Fed. \nThe country relies on the Fed as the entity that genuinely manages the\neconomy with any errant moves holding potential calamity. Presidents may appoint individuals to this critical\nduty based on likeminded economic philosophy, but they have unfailingly\nappointed individuals with the requisite experience and judgment. Enter Donald Trump, who has recently nominated\nStephen Moore and Herman Cain to the Fed. \nThese nominations were not based on ability or experience, but rather\nopens the perilous door of placing underqualified sycophants on the Fed whose\nmission will be to push Trump\u2019s agenda even when contrary to the interests of\nthe nation and economy. The Fed must\nremain immune to this influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAn unfortunate reality of our modern government is the increasingly\nabusive and partisan application of the confirmation process mandated by the\nConstitution as part of the checks and balances to affirm the co-equal status\nof each branch of government. Over the\nyears, most Presidential appointees were credible, competent, capable\nindividuals who did not have significant questions about their integrity. Generally, and to a disturbing level, Trump\u2019s\nappointees lacked experience and integrity and did not merit conformation. They were appointed because Trump demanded\n100% loyal sycophants, not competence. \nRemember the extremely uncomfortable, bizarre early cabinet meetings\nthat began with each member extoling Trump\u2019s praise. Similarly, it is readily apparent that Ivanka\nTrump and Jared Kushner, who have absolutely no skills or experience warranting\nWhite House jobs, have brought plenty of ethics while delivering few notable\naccomplishments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nKey leaders have been fired or forced to resign because they tell\nPresident Trump the truth and give him accurate advice on law and policy. Most have sacrificed their integrity and\nreputations for him by repeating his lies no matter how ridiculous or disproven\nand by supporting his extremist policies and rhetoric. They have reached a personal breaking point,\nwhere they feel compelled to push back on the President, render their best\nadvice, and withdraw from campaign of lies and deceit. Enter Secretary of Homeland Security Kirsten\nNielsen and her sudden termination. \nBefore her went Chief of Staff Kelly, AG Sessions, Secretary of State\nTillerson, Secretary of Defense Mattis, National Security Advisor McMasters and\nothers forced out for giving honest advice and refusing to cross a line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nNielsen had earned a strong reputation in the George W. Bush\nAdministration and was an excellent choice to serve in this one. Arguably she stayed too long, completely\nsacrificing her integrity and losing the reputation she had built to the point\nshe may never fully regain it. Nielsen\nbecame the face of Trump\u2019s immigration policy. \nShe tried to downplay the impact of family separation to the point of\noutright lying for the President. Her\nexplanations of separating young children, the steel cages, and\nmischaracterization of the migrants coming to the border were outrageous. When Trump recently determined to ramp up his\nfamily separation policy against her advice, Nielsen finally had enough and\npushed back. She was willing to execute\nthe policy, but she was not willing to violate the law as he was demanding she\ndo. That was where she finally drew the\nline. Trump fired her because she would\nnot violate the law for him, not because she was weak on immigration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nDonald Trump has never wanted individuals to give him the type of advice\nhe, and any President, desperately needs to understand the myriad complex\nissues, policies, and functioning of government. He is instantly hostile to anyone who dares\nto say no or who pushes back on him. \nRemember the bizarre cabinet meetings that began with everyone taking a\nturn to extol Trump and thank him for allowing them to serve him. He surrounds himself with sycophants and\nthose who will show him devout personal loyalty at all costs, even against the\ngreater interests of the country or the honesty of our government. He demands loyalty to him over and above the\nrule of law or any other authority or obligation. They will support even his extremist policies\nand rhetoric despite their being contrary to our national interests. That is antithetical to our democracy, our\nvalues, and good governance, but it is very much in line with his authoritarian\ntraits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nTrump himself stated that he prefers having acting directors because he\ncan avoid Senate confirmation (keep in mind he has enjoyed a Republican\nmajority in the Senate that has quickly and quietly confirmed all of his\nnominees, even those lacking in qualification, experience, or those having\nserious ethics conflicts). Trump does\nnot want his nominees vetted by the Senate and certainly not by the public or\nthe media. He believes he can appoint\nanyone he wants, and nobody has the right to question, challenge, or stop him. He also believes he can more easily manipulate\nacting officials to do his bidding and push the limits, even violate the law on\nhis behalf. Good strong leaders want a\nteam around them not afraid to speak up, to disagree or offer alternatives, or\nto provide their honest and best advice. \nTrump can\u2019t handle the slightest disagreement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nSenior Trump Advisor Stephen Miller has been with him since the\nbeginning and remains in his trusted inner circle. Miller, a despicable, evil individual,\ndisowned by his family for his extremism, is now Trump\u2019s point person for\nimmigration. They will work this issue\nalone from the White House, not from DHS and all the agencies therein charged\nwith this responsibility and with the necessary experience, understanding, and\ncapability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nMonths ago, Trump informed Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that he\nwanted to prioritize the confirmation of the new IRS General Counsel, even\nahead of critical vacancies including the Secretary of State and Secretary of\nDefense. Many were confounded by the\nlack of apparent logic to this request. His\nnominee assured him he would protect Trump\u2019s tax returns no matter what and\nTrump knew that day was coming. He\nneeded a loyal supporter in the IRS ASAP to prevent disclosure. This is a clear case of corruption in plain\nsight and McConnell was all too happy to oblige the President even with the\ndelay in confirming key national security positions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThe firings, clearing house in DHS, and open positions are no\naccident. Trump has always wanted to\nhave total control of government within his office and inner circle. It matters not that he appoints the\nleadership of the agencies, he must be in total control without exception. This is how he ran the Trump Organization for\nyears. Unfortunately, leading the U.S.\nis far more complex than running his tiny fake family business and it takes a\nsignificant team of competent, capable, dedicated professionals in the White\nHouse and the federal agencies. But that\nis not Trump. After two years, Trump is\nfinally getting what he has wanted, to consolidate power in his inner circle of\nthe White House and away from the federal agencies. Who will he blame now… <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAttorney General Barr had a decent reputation when he joined the Bush\nAdministration in its waning years. He\nauditioned for Trump by sending an unsolicited memo to the administration with\nhis views of presidential power. \nOpponents were rightfully concerned that he would serve as Trump\u2019s\npersonal lawyer, protecting him and doing his bidding rather than perform his\nofficial duties on behalf of the country. \nUnfortunately, Barr has proven his critics correct. He is helping Trump secret away the Mueller\nReport and any meaningful review by Congress. \nBarr is supporting the worst abuse of power with offering baseless\nspeculation that there was some improper spying on the Trump campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nIf Barr was referring to the FBI investigation, that began as an\nauthorized, legitimate, and necessary counter intelligence investigation. FISA Warrants were approved by highly\nregarded and specially appointed (by Republican Presidents) senior judges based\non evidence of meetings between Russians and members of the Trump Campaign. Whenever the Russia Caucus attempted to raise\nfalse rumors of improper activity, Republican Chair of the Senate Intelligence\nCommittee Richard Burr debunked these myths, stating that there was ample evidence\nin support of the investigation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nNevertheless, Trump loves to spread this false conspiracy that he was a\nvictim. Barr claims there is cause for\nconcern, but if so, then he failed in his duty to brief the \u201cGang of Eight\u201d\nleaders in the House and Senate who are required to be informed of such\nthings. Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein was\nfully versed in this investigation, and all others, and would have briefed Barr\non all such activity. Thus, Barr knows\nthe truth and he knows this is actually \u201cfake news.\u201d He is playing politics, not pursuing a\nlegitimate issue. His entire leadership\nof the agency is now forever tainted. \nBarr is not Trump\u2019s Roy Cohn, as the President desperately wanted, but\nmore like Trump\u2019s Devin Nunes \u2013 a complete and total stooge with no integrity\nor credibility. If anything, there\nshould be a criminal investigation into Devin Nunes and the Russia Caucus\nmembers for their efforts to obstruct the investigation and cover up Russian\ninterference in the election. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nFor his entire Presidency, Trump has seriously and shamefully denigrated\nthe FBI and DoJ. His intent is to so\ndemoralize and weaken them that they cannot investigate or hinder his\nactivities even where clearly unlawful. \nTrump wants the public to be so doubtful and leery of them that when\nthey do present findings of wrongdoing, the public will be skeptical. He also wants to co-opt the FBI and DoJ so as\nto enable him to coerce them into prosecuting his enemies, even on baseless\ncharges. This is a clear abuse of power\nand should frighten every person in this country. Members of Congress ought to take special\nnote. It is not partisan rhetoric, but\nrather an awful truth \u2013 Trump considers himself above the law as President and\nbelieves he has the right to act with legal impunity. He does not believe judges should rule\nagainst his actions and policies under any circumstances and often disparages\nthe judiciary. It is not enough to\ndisagree with his opponents, Trump must make them into enemies that he must\ndestroy. This is entirely undemocratic,\nunamerican, and threatening to our democracy. \n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThese policy and personnel moves indicate Trump\u2019s strategy for\n2020. He initially reinvigorated the\nHealth Care debate, an issue that does not work well for Republicans, but then\nmoved quickly back to immigration to rile up his rabid base. This is his comfort zone, and where he will\ngo repeatedly in campaign rallies around the country. Trump will appeal to his base that\nenthusiastically supports his more extreme policies, not try and rally a\nbroader spectrum of the country. He\nbelieves this will be enough to win again. \nThe question is, what will finally be enough for the Republican Party\nand when will they stop moving the line each time Trump jumps across it? Will they take their party back or insist\nthat Trump, and future candidates, act Presidential, espouse policies\nconsistent with Republican values, and display professional leadership of the\nnation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nWill Presidential behavior and character have any impact in 2020? The issue is not simply the use of Twitter\nfor apparently official business, but the endless Tweets displaying temper\ntantrums, unhinged behavior, childish name-calling, and conduct that demeans\nthe office of President. Most\npoliticians lie. They exaggerate, bend\nthe truth, try to improve upon their record, etc. None have engaged in such an endless campaign\nof dishonesty and deceit to include many important issues. He told over 8,150 verified lies in his first\ntwo years and the count rises at a steady pace. \nAlthough voters knew this prior to electing him, it remains relevant\nthat he has a disturbing proud history of sexually assaulting and harassing\nwomen, of dishonesty, and pathological character and personality flaws. People cannot trust him, period. How can they vote for him? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nFor any other candidate, the campaign of deceit and the revelations of\nthe Access Hollywood tape containing multiple admissions by Trump of incidents\nof sexual harassment and sexual assault would have been costly. He stated he always kept Tic Tacs in his\npocket because when he saw an attractive woman, he felt compelled to try and\nkiss her. He has engaged in many affairs\nover the years despite his marriages. He\ndirected payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during the campaign to conceal\nthe affair he had with her while his wife Melania was pregnant. He also paid former Playboy model Karen\nMcDougal to conceal his affair with her. \n\u201cMe too\u201d means something entirely different to Trump. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nPresident Trump claims to champion Christianity and has enjoyed fervent\nsupport of evangelical voters. Interesting\nhow he cannot quote bible verses and rarely attends church services. Vice President Mike Pence, himself an\nevangelical who professes to live a strictly Christian life, constantly backs\nup Trump no matter what his transgression. \nHe has lied for him multiple times and attempted to write off Trump\u2019s\nnumerous incidents of disgraceful personal conduct, character failure, and sin. It might be one thing if Trump took\nresponsibility and sought forgiveness or redemption, but he lives in his\npathological world of denial and defiance and just keeps going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEvangelicals cannot support Trump without sacrificing the values they\nclaim to so strongly hold and without gross hypocrisy. They widely claim it is because of his\njudicial picks. Trump is not only\nappointing judges who hold conservative legal philosophies, but who also\nactively demonstrate strong right-wing political proclivities, even from the\nbench. Trump\u2019s plan is to carefully\nselect individuals who privately vow not to interfere with his policies. Evangelical supporters believe his packing\nthe courts for them is more than a fair trade for tolerating the personal\nconduct and corruption they would otherwise oppose. Apparently, their brand of judicial activism\nis worth the price of sacrificing their values. Take note America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nOn a related note, there are Trump\u2019s frequent vacations to his\nMar-a-Lago and Bedminster resorts in Florida and New Jersey respectively. Each of these trips cost taxpayers millions\nof dollars and wreak havoc on the local communities between law enforcement\ncosts, road and business closures, etc. \nDespite the financial and logistical impact, Trump vacations more in a\nyear than other Presidents do in their entire term. He leaves Washington almost every weekend. His trips, especially to Mar-a-Lago, create\nsignificant national security risks due to his refusal to follow security\nprotocol with communications and his insistence on discussing official business\nin open areas of the club, even with random club members. Trump pockets millions of dollars from these\ntrips due to the costs borne by the large Presidential traveling party\n(security, staff, et al) and his ability to significantly raise club membership\ndues because of his status as President and his de facto selling access to\nhimself to members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nIf the Republicans truly cared about the future of the party as well as\nthe future of this country, there would be a primary challenge to Donald\nTrump. Perhaps there may be, but it\nappears at this point in time that Republicans prefer to continue their\npractice of appeasement. Republican\nleaders, especially those in the Senate, cower in fear rather than disagree\nwith Trump. Here are some of the\nexamples of Republican appeasement and Trump fundamentally transforming their\nparty: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n1. Russia. The party of Ronald\nReagan and George H.W. Bush would never become a pro-Russia party favoring\nVladimir Putin and excusing his invasions of multiple neighboring countries,\ninterfering in our elections, and trying to destabilize NATO. Trump repeatedly acceded to Putin and\naccepted his denials against the collective findings of our entire intelligence\ncommunity. The Helsinki meeting was an\nunmitigated disaster, contrary to our national interests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n2. Russia Caucus Cover-up. The\nso-called Freedom Caucus has transformed into the Russia Caucus led by Jim\nJordan, Mark Meadows, Devin Nunes, Louis Gohmert, et al. They no longer focus on legislation but\nrather on blindly supporting President Trump and Russia, covering up any\nRussian interference in the 2016 election, and the complete denigration of our\nown intelligence and law enforcement agencies. \nNot only did they block any effort by Congress to perform its oversight,\nthey obstructed the investigation by constant interference with the FBI and\nDoJ. Devin Nunes ran to the White House\nto hand over sensitive information that should have been protected. It is not much of a surprise really, as they\nhave a key thing in common with Donald Trump \u2013 they all lack any integrity or\ncommitment to the best interests of this nation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n3. National Debt. Republicans\nhave long since claimed to be the party of spending cuts and against\ndeficits. That all changed under George\nW. Bush where Republican spending led to huge deficits and a dramatic increase\nin the national debt. Trump, who claimed\nhe could end the deficit in his first year, actually set record deficits in\neach of his first two years and is expected to do the same in his third. He added trillions of dollars to the national\ndebt, setting a dubious new record debt of over 24 trillion dollars. He was quoted as saying he doesn\u2019t care\nbecause he will not be around to see the consequences. Dire consequences loom and our country will\nvery soon suffer the crippling effects. \nCongressional Republicans, who used to threaten to shut down the\ngovernment instead of raising the national debt authorization, now accept it\nwithout issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n4. Trade. Republicans have\ntraditionally been a free trade party, recognizing that we benefit from trade\nrelationships around the world that help promote stability. Trump claims he loves tariffs and often\nthreatens to close off trade with various countries. Despite the tough talk, the annual trade\ndeficit set new record highs during his administration. Trade was an area where people had high hopes\nand expectations for Trump, but he has let them down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n5. NATO. Republicans and\nDemocrats have been steadfastly united in support of NATO, having kept the\npeace for over 70 years while promoting democracy. Trump questioned the utility of NATO during\nthe campaign and has continued to weaken the alliance and invalidate its\nimportance. He has shown uncanny\naffection for the world\u2019s worst and most brutal dictators while mercilessly\ncriticizing and denigrating our historic allies, significantly alienating them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n6. Syria. Trump recently\nannounced the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Syria (done at the\nbehest of Turkey), which led to the resignation of Secretary of Defense James\nMattis in protest. This action, if\ntaken, would have ceded all of Syria to Putin and given Turkey a green light to\nmurder the Kurds. More importantly, it\nwould have allowed ISIS to regroup and repurpose its over 35,000 remaining\nfighters. Republicans would never quit\nin the middle of an anti-terrorism mission or cede a country to Russia. They soundly criticized the Obama Syria policy\nfor not being strong enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n7. North Korea. Trump told us he\nfell in love with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, arguably the world\u2019s most\noppressive ruler, who murders his own people. \nAt the summit, Trump gave away major concessions and got nothing in\nreturn. No other President has ever\ngiven a victory to North Korea, but Trump has done so in complete opposition to\nour allies South Korea and Japan. \nRepublicans sit idly by and watch. \n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n8. Tax Returns. Trump was the\nfirst candidate in 50 years to refuse to provide his tax returns and he\ncontinues to do so. Even Congressional\ncandidates and candidates for state offices disclose their tax returns. It is an important part of the transparency\nand vetting process in our elections. \nTrump has lied about being under audit, which does not even prevent\ndisclosure in the first place. He is\nclearly afraid that the returns will show he is not nearly as rich as he likes\nto falsely portray and not at all charitable. \nThe returns will likely show questionable financial entanglements, such\nas with Russian oligarchs. Republicans\nhave been assisting him in concealing this important information from the\nAmerican people in a gross departure of standards over 50 years old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n9. Immigration. Our country has\nneeded comprehensive immigration reform for decades, including long overdue\nprotection for the \u201cDreamers.\u201d Beginning\nwith the campaign, Trump chooses to foment hate, fear, and mistrust. He spreads lies about caravans of dangerous\nmarauders. His first Attorney General,\nJeff Sessions, announced a family separation policy designed to deter and\npunish those who sought to seek asylum here. \nThousands of children have been ripped away from their families for no\nreason other than the families sought asylum. \nRepublicans never would have supported such a cruel and inhuman policy,\nbut for Trump they remain silent and even supportive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n10. Mitch McConnell has sunk to new lows in his not so subtle efforts to\ncompletely support Trump no matter what. \nMcConnell has represented Kentucky for decades and as Majority Leader he\nis extremely powerful. Yet he fears\nTrump. McConnell will not allow\nlegislation to come to a vote, no matter how popular, if Trump does not support\nit. There are popular, bipartisan bills\nconcerning healthcare, immigration, and other important issues that would pass\nboth houses by large margins, but McConnell refuses to allow them to go to the\nfloor. He has subjugated the Senate to\nTrump instead of running it as the co-equal branch of government it is. With rule changes and taking advantage of his\nmajority, McConnell is quickly and quietly confirming all of Trump\u2019s nominees,\nespecially judicial nominees that are not being properly vetted for their\njurisprudence in an effort to pack the courts with political activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n11. Lindsay Graham is the biggest coward of all. He has completely transformed his role from somewhat\nof a maverick who tries to build bridges and exercise independent judgment into\nblind solid support of Trump against everything he used to stand for. Recent polls had Graham with a surprisingly\nlow 51% approval rating in South Carolina. \nHe lives in terror of Trump supporting a primary opponent. Defeating a Senate incumbent has proven to be\nextremely difficult, but perhaps even Senate Republicans are afraid of the\nTrump cult. It seems unlikely anyone\ncould truly defeat Graham, a favorite son of South Carolina. Is it really worth your soul, Lindsay? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n12. Personal conduct. Trump\nregularly demeans himself and the office of President by crude, childish,\nunprofessional behavior. Nobody will\nforget the open mocking of a handicapped reporter. The press is not perfect, but they serve a\ncritical role in free society. They are\nnot the enemy if the people and it is inexcusable for any leader to\ncharacterize them as such. There are\nfights to be had but seeking the complete vilification and destruction of\nopponents is not a tenet of freedom and democracy. Republicans seem no longer to care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nDuring the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump quickly proved himself to be the\nunorthodox candidate most assumed he would be. \nThen he continued to sink to new lows. \nSupporters said not to worry, once he took office, he would become presidential\nand display at least the minimum dignity and professionalism required to lead\nour great nation. Instead, we have seen\na constant degradation in standards of decency, personal conduct, policy\ninitiatives, and administration corruption. \nEvery time Trump displays inappropriate Presidential behavior,\nRepublicans move the line further and simply acquiesce. Let Trump be Trump\u2026 Every time he crosses a line in the sand,\nbreaks the final straw or defies an inviolable standard, he does so like a bull\nin Pamplona with Republicans scattering for their lives. They have continually moved the line further\nno matter how low the President\u2019s conduct sinks. Where will it end? We must go back to country first, party\nsecond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEvery individual must stand up to Trump\u2019s abuse of our democracy and\ninstitutions. These latest moves to\nconsolidate power in the White House and surround himself with nothing but\npolitical lackeys, not competent advisors and leaders should frighten\neveryone. Whether it means a move towards\nauthoritarianism and further away from democratic institutions or whether it\ndisplays further lack of knowledge, understanding, and ability to run the\ncountry makes little difference. Both\noptions are perilous for the nation at a time where we can ill afford it. There are real crises at home and abroad that\nthreaten our future. We need leaders\nready, willing, and able to meet them head on or we risk losing the\ncountry. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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