David Corn: Donald Trumps Holiday Gift to America: A Fundamental Crisis

[babylonsister]

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/12/donald-trumps-holiday-gift-to-america-a-fundamental-crisis/

Donald Trump’s Holiday Gift to America: A Fundamental Crisis
Deck the halls with an assault on the principles, norms, and purpose of democratic governance.

David Corn
Dec. 20, 2017 6:00 AM


In a commencement speech years ago, author David Foster Wallace told this story: Two young fish are swimming along, and they pass an older fish swimming the other way. The older fish says, “Morning, boys, how’s the water?” The two young fish swim on for a while. Then one looks at the other and says, “What the hell is water?” Wallace noted the point of the story was that “the most obvious, ubiquitous, important realities are often the ones that are the hardest to see and talk about.” And that may describe American politics at the moment. President Donald Trump has brought about a profound crisis that is undermining the nation’s democratic system, and it is so pervasive and encompassing that it is not being fully acknowledged. It is the water.

The crisis is not rooted in Trump’s advocacy of conservative policies—the Muslim ban, tax breaks for the wealthy, hollowing out the State Department, killing climate change action. Nor is it triggered by his rude and classless behavior, as he spends long hours watching cable news, consuming Diet Coke, and rushing to Twitter to attend to petty grievances, instead of working diligently to advance the interests of the citizenry. The country can survive bad policies and an immature and erratic commander in chief (unless, of course, his recklessness leads to nuclear war). What the United States faces this holiday season is an unparalleled, widespread, Trump-inspired assault on the principles, norms, and purpose of democratic governance.

Creeping authoritarianism, creeping autocracy, creeping kleptocracy—call it what you want. But the creep has turned into a sprint. The offenses to good government and fundamental values are happening each day, often several times a day—and in such a fusillade that there is often not enough time to ponder the horrendous implications of each one. And not enough space to consider the fundamental deterioration under way. Another aquatic metaphor: We are too busy being slammed by what’s coming out of the fire hose to see the water damage that is being done.

snip//

Meanwhile, special interests run amok on Capitol Hill, writing a tax bill that is jammed through Congress without true and serious deliberation. There is a recklessness driving this process that is encouraged by Trump. Debate, discourse, expertise—none of it matters. All that counts is raw power. There is no respect for orderly and thoughtful consideration. Citizen participation is of no significance. The rich win in this huge, bottom-to-top wealth transfer, as corporate lobbyists wield more influence than economic experts and members of the minority party. The tax bill will directly reward legislators pushing for it—and Trump and his family. (A reminder: Trump still has not followed a decades-old practice of presidential candidates and presidents releasing their tax returns.) And Ivanka Trump complains that the Democrats just don’t have the guts to join in the pillaging. This is absolute and raw class warfare. And as tax breaks are awarded to the well-heeled, the Children’s Health Insurance Program withers and millions of young Americans lose access to medical care. Arrogance is in the air. The driving message: We can do this…because we can.

There is much else going on that tears at the fabric of decent and honest government. Ethics guidelines are routinely and casually flouted by Trump officials (and relatives). The message is clear: rules are for others. Inexperienced people are placed in important jobs (and judgeships), and entire departments are hollowed out. Agencies are instructed to ignore science and facts—meaning, reality. The goal is obvious: diminish the reputation of government and its ability to serve the public. The swamp has grown deeper and wider.

The Christmas lights are shining, but these are dark days. Trump’s list of legislative accomplishments is short. His coattails are also short at the moment. But his malicious soul has spread through the executive branch he commands, infected the judicial branch he fills, and captured the party that controls the legislative branch. And this soul does not recognize the fundamental values that are supposed to guide the government: accountability and public interest. His basic view is evident: l’état, c’est Trump. And too many people in his party have accepted this and enabled him.

If Trump tries to fire Mueller or orders a reckless attack on North Korea, it will be obvious that a crisis is at hand. But a (relatively) quiet crisis has taken hold: Trump and his comrades are seeking to empower themselves and supplanting national priorities with self-serving and self-enriching ones, while delegitimizing those components of government they cannot use for their own ends or that would check their own prerogatives. This corrosion is happening bit by bit every day—as the flashpoint outrages (that is, Trump’s tweets) come and go at hyper-speed and suck up our collective attention. David Foster Wallace’s fish may not be able to tell they are swimming within water. But if that water becomes polluted and depleted of oxygen, at some point they damn well will notice. Trump has poisoned the civic sphere of America, and this crisis will continue to deepen until his contagion is widely viewed as what it is: a threat to nation.

[Iliyah]

1. The GOP are incompetent

2018 begins the big screw up.

CHAOS.

[Irish_Dem]

3. They are incompetent at governing and public service. They are good at greed, corruption and theft.

They have a talent for extracting all the resources on the planet.

[olegramps]

15. The Republicans areon the brink of achieving their goal. The destruction of SSS, Medicare, Medicade

They are determined to destroy the Middle Class and return society to it proper order in which the ultra-wealthy are in absolute control and the masses must lick their ass for a meager handout. The only logical end to this scenario is the uprising of the working class and the utter destruction of the plutocracy in which the worker reclaim the fortunes that they have been bilked out of. Read Aristotle, the story is as old as time.

[Irish_Dem]

17. Yes Plantation economy is the aim.

Probably the most prevalent form of society throughout history.

[gratuitous]

8. I disagree

If they were truly incompetent, every now and then one of their fuck-ups would blow up in their smarmy faces and cost them big time. Instead, their "incompetence" always seems to put more money in their own pockets. As Bartcop was wont to say, when someone makes a "mistake" that benefits him, he'll go on making that same "mistake" over and over again.

[Irish_Dem]

16. The best crooks don't break the laws, they make them. nt

[Perseus]

12. No, they are not

They know full well what they are doing, these cruelty has been in the making for many years, and now they have their idiot who knows how to use a pen, they also know that the idiots and many other peer's time in office is counted because of the Muller investigation, so they are working hard and fast to destroy as much as they can, and they will because destroying is easy, even easier when you have the numbers and people without principles to back you up.

To underestimate them is to put your guard down, they are not incompetent, they are just evil and have no intention of doing things right for the people. They are just greedy bastards.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. We can only hope that this heinous tax bill will be the GOP's suicide pact.

[Orangeutan]

4. This should be sent to every member of Congress. And I will do so. Others?

[winstars]

5. Remember, it took Hitler a couple of years to really start "doing his thang" after being elected...

Its early days folks and I hope we survive this ASSHOLE...

[bdamomma]

7. oh yes

this is a hideous process of dismantling everything, I hate this.

they want a class war they may get it.

[longship]

6. David Corn -- always worth a click-through.

I ?️ David Corn!

[BigmanPigman]

11. I have always liked hearing his info

as a guest on MSNBC. He knows what he is talking about!

[kentuck]

9. "It is the water."

Indeed.

[appalachiablue]

10. Go David Corn: Only the Little People Pay Taxes and Apres Moi, Le Deluge

[Fiendish Thingy]

13. America's descent into a Banana republic is nearly complete

I fear the US is broken beyond repair.

Thankfully, I expect to become a Canadian citizen in 2018.

[bucolic_frolic]

14. I doubt Republicans

have any intention of holding elections in 2018. Why else would they think they can get away with this?