Dear GOPpie Solons: DON'T Go There. You WILL Regret It.

[TygrBright]

A person who spends more time delving into commentary and coverage of The Levers Of Power than I do gave me this warning:

"Trump hides his very real vulnerabilities by flaunting his "Teflon" bits. You can't get him for being a bigot or a misogynist or a lousy businessman or an ignoramus-- those are things he's proud of, things that appeal to his 'base,' part of his ego-inflating mechanism. They all come with 'justifications':

Bigotry and misogyny are justified because "those people" deserve it.

Those bankruptcies and business failures are all part of his Master Plan to game "the system" that's rigged against "real people" and make tons of bucks anyway.

It's not "ignorance" it's "common sense" like all the "regular guys" who know the same stuff I know.

The problem is, Trump also has very real vulnerabilities. As in, the kind of dirt swept under the rug that Congress and the Courts could use to bring him down hard, including taking away his money and power, and even sending him to Club Fed for a nice, long, time.

And the GOPpie Solons know which rugs to lift. They're not doing it now, because they're mulling over a strategy of maneuvering him into a General Election win, and then bridling him, shoving the bit into his mouth, and riding him for the next four years. IOW, 'play nice, Mister President or it won't just be impeachment, it'll be five-to-nine behind bars and confiscation of every asset.'

Some of them think this might work."

I don't know if this is true. But knowing our GOPpie Solons, it makes a creepy kind of Realpolitik sense. It's right up your alley, isn't it, guys? (And yes, you're almost 100% guys, so I use the term advisedly.)

I'm hoping that one or more of your helots charged with Oppo Monitoring/Research is reading this and might pass it along, because, guys, you need to hear this:

This is not a good strategy for you.

It will not end well. For you, or for anyone.

Because, unlike all the "GAWD TOLE ME TO RUN!" morans who've already stumbled into the chute, what you're looking at with Mr. Trump is an actual Biblical re-enactment.

Donald Trump is Samson, guys.

He is bugfuck crazy, and completely uncontrollable.

And you might, indeed, manage to Delilah him into the White House. But read the Book of Judges, Chapter 16, for how well that'll end.

You might chain him between the pillars of Impeachment and Prosecution, but he WILL bring down the temple, on you and all your minions.

He doesn't care about reason, or "best interests," or financial self-preservation, or even avoiding prosecution and public scandal and the rest of it. He genuinely believes he can overcome ALL of it, with the help of the Massive Ego that is his Higher Power. And if you attempt to load him down with the shackles of Realpolitik, or even reality itself, he will pull everything over in a mighty heave.

And you will NOT benefit therefrom.

So, guys, if this IS a strategy in serious consideration, for your own sake, do not go there. Lift those rugs NOW, while there is still time. Save what you can (the Senate, maybe? Well, the House, at least- you still have a good shot there-) for now, and reassess your Long Game for 2024.

I don't wish you well, you know that. But on the other hand, we're all in this together, and the blast zone of this particular error would engulf a lot of good people as well as y'all, standing at Ground Zero. This is a bunker-buster, guys. You would NOT survive it.

So think, please.

grimly,
Bright

[longship]

1. Absolutely love you, TygrBright.

Well done (whether you are correct or not). A great read.



R&

[TygrBright]

2. Thank you for the kind words! That means a lot. n/t

[whatthehey]

3. WTF are Solons?

I mean yes I'm reasonably au fait with the archaic Athenian lawgiver, but not sure that's a thing in normal American political vernacular, or what it's supposed to refer to if it's a self-conscious neologism (old guys? wise guys? legalists?). Slang terms need to make sense to get currency And I had a decent classical education, so Christ known what folks who think presocratic is a geological era imagine this means...

[TygrBright]

4. I trust people to figure it out from the context. n/t

[whatthehey]

5. I can't. Again - are any of the three options I listed close?

Why is it one as opposed to the others? If I referred to some Dems as Peisistratids should I trust people to work out whether I meant autocrats, populists or educated elites? Or even to know those were valid choices in the absence of classical education?

[TygrBright]

7. It's got a long history of usage.

Here's an example from a 1958 Life Magazine covering Nixon's influence on the GOP:
Mr. Nixon's Party

Here's a more recent example from US News and World Report, April 27th, 2016 issue:
he left-liberal establishment is underestimating the attractiveness of Trump just as much as the solons of the GOP did when this whole thing started.

It's actually a pretty common usage in political discourse, to describe elements of leadership associated with a political party, group, or faction.

You can even find it on Vocabulary.com.

So there you are. You now have an increased vocabulary and greater exposure to common terms in political discourse.

If you don't want to thank me, next time remember that search engines are your friend. But in the mean time, you're welcome!

helpfully,
Bright

[FSogol]

6. "Slang terms need to make sense to get currency" I agree.

Just saying.