Pardon my nausea. President Trump’s often egregious behavior is on trial, and the prosecutors are not winning. Conviction looks impossible absent the emergence of felonious conduct. And Trump’s Ad-makers are attempting to define his conduct, “tough guy” in “tough times.”
Post-impeachment (indictment) we will be left with social/political distemper. Rather than candidates being forced to address issues, the election will be almost exclusively about Trump. More alarmingly, his conduct, if not rising to a convictable offense, will lower still further standards of political conduct.
Benjamin Disraeli, an iconic British Prime Minister, called politics a “greasy pole.” Indeed. But in America, history rewards those who, even though imperfect in their climb, strived to overcome their imperfections. It was thought, hopefully still is, that an elected leader can come back from a fall if he/she will yield to an aspirational set of values and show a modest amount of remorse.
Okay, aspirational values, what does that mean? I believe “truth” in politics is an aspirational value. Fair play—well hard to define. Passing up the cookie jar, for certain, embezzlement is not favored. Consult Proverbs and come up with your own list.
Trump understands two things well. He is the leader of a tribe called Republicans whose elected officials want nothing more than to be reelected. Fear is his weapon. A loyal cadre is his spear.
And he understands news biases and cycles. He excoriates the news outlets that tend to shape the news around their biases. They become the enemy, and unfortunately, they are an easy one. Twitter gives him a very useful weapon. He can use it to create the news cycle—he is hours ahead of them. He also is a good whiner. He couches his tweets in inflammatory language and picks his targets from the Tribe’s enemies list. In Republican circles, the New York Times tops the list.
His behavior, to me, sets a new low in the conduct of a political leader. But his enemies need to understand the game and the opponent. While they confer, he tweets. While they seek some operational consensus, he is a consensus of one with his elected followers (at least most of them) awaiting White House instruction. He has set new standards of political conduct, and even those in his Party who despise him quiver in the corner fearful they will lose their job if they talk back. Profiles in cowardice.
This predatory set of values will not be removed through a legal process; it will only succumb to a political one. The voters are going to have to lead the leaders.
I will repeat my recommendation one more time. Put this conduct to a vote. Strive to get some level of bi-partisanship by moving from impeachment to censure and then force the tribal leaders to go on record about conduct, not removal from office just months before the election.
Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al recently published Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.
Bill Anderson says
Mr. Sikes, you and others may not particularly respect or like President Trump or some of his antics and commentary. Neither do I approve of some of his remarks, but none of that rises to anywhere near the level of impeachment and removal from office. In fact, especially dyed-in-the-wool democrats have been working at removing him from the White House since prior to his actual election in November 2016. For no reason whatsoever aside from dislike of his personality and personal wealth. Yet, personality and business successes resulting in wealth are NOT reasons for impeachment. After all, many Americans who voted in November 2006 were in favor of his candidacy for the presidency.
As a result, the governance of America has been largely ignored by those who have been elected to national office, in order that democrats can utilize time and resources of the national government to ensure that Mr. Trump will be a one-term president, after which the country can return to suffering under a democratic administration. I sincerely hope that two things will occur immediately following the announcement of the November 2020 election results. (1) The swearing-in of Donald J. Trump as the President of the United States, and (2) That democrats and other detractors lay down their tools of divisiveness and get on with governing the nation, accepting Mr. Trump as the people’s choice for the presidency. There is no need to turn a four-year fiasco perpetrated by opposition operatives into an eight-year debacle.
Ed Minch says
Bill
Don’t forget that on the eve of the 2010 midterms, Mitch McConnell said “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” And then he did everything he could to accomplish that goal. Was the Republican response to Obama any less then the current response?
Bob Moores says
Mr. Anderson,
Your comments reflect how polarized our politics have become in the Trump era. I also find your understanding of the opposition to be in error. I consider myself an independent. Though I have voted Democrat in the last four elections, I have voted Republican in seven of the last fifteen (I am old). I think this proves that I am not a “dyed-in-the-wool Democrat.”
I don’t believe my values have changed; I believe the Republican Party has changed. Further, when you speak of divisiveness I have never seen it this bad. Partisanship yes, but never that those opposing the president were unpatriotic or the enemy of the people.
In elections past I have noticed attempts by newly-elected presidents to reach out to the opposition in order to heal the wounds of hard-fought campaigning. This didn’t happen under Trump. He continues to consider us his enemy. He plays to his base, his protectors, his sycophants only.
Do you think we don’t like him because he is wealthy? I do not hold his wealth against him in the least. It’s his personal characteristics (lack of empathy, self-centeredness, boasting, untruthfulness, etc.) and policy differences (climate change denial, Russia favoring, defunding education, anti-women’s health, etc.) that turn me away.
You’re right that personality and wealth are not reasons for impeachment, but that is not why the impeachment investigation is underway. Study a little more.
As to your point about lack of governance by the Democratic House, the House has passed at least sixteen bills that Moscow Mitch will not even bring up for a vote, so don’t please blame Democrats for non-governance. Is Trump governing? Can you name a few policies he is currently pushing for Congress to pass?
Trump was elected in part because he promised to drain the Washington swamp, but his record so far shows that he and the “best people” he has hired are the most corrupt individuals ever to occupy the White House and cabinet. He claims to be the most transparent president, but the opposite seems obviously true. I predict that history will view him as the most unqualified, corrupt president ever, and I hope for the sake of our country and planet Earth that he is a one term anomaly.