That familiar spiritual pretty much defines my political barometer. Some days I think reason and common sense and human decency are taking over the political scene in our country. This is not one of those days. I’ve read in several reliable sources the opinion that trump has now solidified his total control of the Republican Party, especially with the firing of Ronna McDaniel and replacing her with a prominent election denier, one of trump’s top aides, and—wait for it—trump’s daughter-in-law, that seasoned political pro who has never done anything. Great lineup there, trump. But why is he allowed to dictate who leads the Republican Party? Granted, he is the most recent Republican president and the obvious forerunner for the nomination for the presidency in the coming election. But neither of those standings give him official power, and yet he exercises power as though he were the leader.
The trouble is that almost all
Republicans have bowed down, given in, and made him their absolute leader. Most
of them know better, and best I hear is that they grumble among themselves but
then end with that classic useless line, “It is what it is.” In his daily Wake
Up to Politics newsletter, which I sometimes admire, sometimes think leans too
heavily toward trump for the bipartisanship it professes, Gabe Fleisher says
that trump is now getting from the party a kind of rote support, a ho-hum
acceptance by the party of the way things are. It is, Fleisher writes, sort of
like getting in line at the grocery store. Two images come to mind: one is the
women of The Handmaiden’s Tale (or the Stepford Wives—take your pick)
and the other is of a school of lemmings. Quoting from an anonymous web site, a person called a lemming is one “who
follows the will of others, especially in a mass movement, and heads straight
into a situation or circumstance that is dangerous, stupid, or destructive: These lemmings that eat up conspiracy theories are so
blinded by lies, they don't even see the cliff they're about to plummet over.”
It's dawned on me what the nature of that cliff
is: Isolationism. Trump boasted about ignoring NATO and encouraging Putin to
attack “whoever the hell he wants.” Increasingly, what is apparent is the
thread of isolationism that underlies all trump’s vague, threatening, wild
statements on foreign policy. I doubt the trump would benefit much from a study
of history, but it makes one wish that the Republican legislators who are now
following his every word had learned their history lessons, particularly
American history.
IN the sense that America should use its power
and strength to encourage democracy and freedom in other nations by negotiation
rather than warfare, I’m all for isolationism. But that’s not what trump means.
His isolationism removes our country from any involvement in the affairs of
other countries, be they European, Asian, or African. As far back as WWI,
President Woodrow Wilson made the case for America’s involvement in maintaining
a peaceful world order. WWII and Pearl Harbor cementer that we cannot remain
aloof from worldwide conflicts.
How in heaven’s name does anyone of sane mind
think in this day of instant communication, intercontinental drones, and
instant nuclear weapons that we can afford anything but world peace? The world’s
security assures our security. If Russia conquers Ukraine (Tucker Carlson aside),
it will walk all over Europe, and we will have a much more formidable enemy who
will eventually come to our shores. We
simply cannot afford isolationism today. President Biden has done a magnificent
job of restoring our international relationships and securing our place as a
world power active in promoting peace throughout the world. Trump would tear
all that down.
Trump’s isolationism is particularly ironic
coming from a man who had all his election materials made in China, along with
who know what else, and whose daughter is actively engaged in widespread business
with China. Such irony is lost on the lemmings in the House of Representatives.
Other depressing things today: on their second
try, the MAGAs managed to impeach Alejandro Majorkas, a good and honest man who
as Secretary of Homeland Security has the world’s most difficult and
unrewarding job. Republicans decided to make an issue of the border, and the
lemmings just did it in spades. It won’t pass the Senate, but it will forever
be a blot on the record of a man who did his best in an impossible situation.
All the House could come up with was “a breach of public trust,” the vaguest of
charges.
And in their eternal quest to find something
anything against the Biden administration, the House will now subpoena DOJ
records in an investigation of Biden’s age. Good gravy! We all know how old he
is, we all know he’s in better shape than trump, including cognitively, but they
will make a big deal out of a horrifically biased report.
I’m hoping tomorrow will be a better day for
the good guys.
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