By Sid Schwab / Herald Columnist
Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans aren’t hiding who they are. The only mystery is how anyone finds it appealing. There follow examples that smack more gobs than normal people have at their disposal. If “normal” hadn’t, in the post-Gingrichian and current Trumpian eras, become so far below normal.
In Louisiana, Republican legislators have voted to end mandatory lunch breaks for child workers, because of course. This follows a trend within several red states to weaken other laws protecting children (NPR: tinyurl.com/kidswork4u). (Republican child-protection ends at birth.) It makes sense: when Trump, as promised, deports millions of immigrants, shortages of workers will become so severe that, absent allowing (or forcing) children to work all day will be the only thing keeping the economy going. Forced birth might be part of the plan, too.
Taking no back seat to Cajuns, North Carolina legislators are proposing to make wearing masks illegal, with no exception for those with comprised immune systems (NBC News: tinyurl.com/no2masks4u). It’s on brand; being considerate to yourself and others is woke nonsense. Shopping at Walmart, packing AR-15s: that’s their kind of considerate. They might have to mandate diapers, though, for their breakless children.
Who they are in Florida is governor and VP won’ta-be Ron DeSantis banning mention of climate change in state documents (NPR: tinyurl.com/speaknoCC). Florida; at risk for and already suffering from climate crisis effects more than most states. If no one mentions it, it’ll go away from there, like American history. Or would, if it weren’t just a wokes hokes.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who once and rightly excoriated Trump as the horrible human he’s always been, unglued herself when reminded of that as she jockeys for veepnesshood (YouTubetinyurl.com/elisegoesoff). And let’s not forget totally glued MTG, pushing Trump’s latest lie (Daily Beast: tinyurl.com/fromMTG2u).
Unironically and presumably unaware of how toolishly ridiculous they looked, decked out in matching cultish Trump costumery — identical dark blue suits and red ties — a cluster of confederates complicitly condemned the criminal court where Trump is called to account for crimes for which he was indicted by a grand jury that considered the evidence and voted to indict him.
Then there was Squeaker of the House Mike Johnson, second in line to assume the presidency if God so chooses. Killing irony like MAGAs claim Democrats do newborns, he accused President Biden, who isn’t, of doing what Trump has ofttimes promised: using the Department of Justice (and FBI and IRS) as his personal vendetta apparatus.
That someone in that position lies so freely, defending such a manifestly dangerous person, ought to worry everyone; calling corrupt the system of justice that — imperfect though it may be — is being followed to the constitutional letter. Besides which, the current trial is in a state court for state-defined felonies. Biden’s DOJ has nothing to do with it. Nor is Biden involved with pursuing Trump’s federal crimes. Foxotrumpic dishonest repetitions notwithstanding.
To repeat: adhering to the Constitution, crimes were asserted; evidence was presented to a grand jury; an indictment was issued; after myriad delays by Trump, the absence of which could have had it over with well before now, allowing him to lie his way through rallies at will, a trial began; prosecution and defense made their arguments; a jury will decide innocence or guilt. Those Trump-suited clowns’ repetition of “if they can do it to him they can do it to you” applies only if you commit crimes like his. In which case, you’d deserve it. That’s how it works. There’s nothing unfair about it.
If there’s judicial corruption, it’s the Supreme Court agreeing to review the lower court ruling which laid out exactly why Trump’s immunity claim is meritless. SCOTUS could have let the ruling stand but chose to take it and delay ruling on it, leaving all pending federal Trump trials to fester till after the election. And Trump’s grateful Judge Aileen Cannon’s foot-dragging ruling on the stolen documents case, to similar effect. The documents case is the most indisputable and second-most serious crime of them all (Politico: tinyurl.com/truecrime4u).
There’s nothing more SCOrrupt than Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito refusing to recuse themselves from Jan. 6-related cases, when the former’s wife is so involved, and when Alito has flown his sympathies like an inverted flag. Thanks to their lifetime appointments, they don’t have to care; lucky for them, they don’t. Alito, it should also be said, is the most undisguisedly partisan Justice in modern times (Vox: tinyurl.com/allin4gop).
Is anyone surprised that Trump, having announced his intent to testify at the current trial, didn’t? It’s reminiscent of his taking the Fifth hundreds of times, after previously stating that only guilty people do so. Or, having warned that if Joe Biden became president we’d see a crash of stock markets like “no one has ever seen,” after record highs are surpassed weekly, that he’s now saying it’s because Wall Street thinks he’ll win. For three years?
Repeated lies, conspiracies, intentional division, false promises, and phony predictions are who Trump is. Predictably, he’s mouthing the same warning of economic disaster if Joe is reelected. And yet, millions of people still believe whatever he says. It’s not normal.
Email Sid Schwab at columnsid@gmail.com.
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