By Sid Schwab / Herald Colulmnist
We’ve just returned from visiting my brother and his family in New York City, which we hadn’t done for several years. Between getting up at 4:30 a.m. for both flights, long and sleepless, staying in one of the smallest hotel rooms anywhere, I’m still uncombobbled. This offering, therefore, will lack my usual cohesive brilliance.
Even if back to “normal” it’d be hard to process Donald Trump’s inaugural speech and its sequelae. I still haven’t, dark as it was and dully delivered. Bravado and bull. Claiming a mandate where none exists, but joyously received by the select crowd.
Sidebar: why is the vice presidential oath so much longer than the presidential? Perhaps the Founders anticipated the current short attention span and difficulty reading. But Trump managed to articulate the lies and contradictions (MSNBC: tinyurl.com/lies2u).
Trump swore that he would faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and would, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. It might not have been a lie.
“To the best of my ability” is the escape clause. He’s made it clear he has no inclination to preserve, protect and defend. But ability? Based on the last eight years, four in, four out, not much. So, no matter how bad, it’ll be the best he can do. Plus, he’s been granted immunity by the SCOTUS Five.
His speech was surprisingly listless, even when he described the past four years, in which a pandemic ended, employment and markets soared, businesses were created at a record pace, infrastructure finally began long overdue rebuilding, as the most bleak in all of history. And took credit for the (three) Israeli hostages being released.
As soon as circumstances were unpomped, he headed downstairs, where he unloosed a more typical tirade, the usual disproved untruths, the self-pity, the threats. It was far more nefandous and much more in character (Time: tinyurl.com/hegotreal).
Later, sitting behind the Resolute Desk, he signed out of the Paris Climate Agreement, benefitting fossil fuelers and harming everyone else, especially those alive in 20 years or so. Same with abandoning the World Health Organization, saving a few nickels, potentially costing many lives. Also, making J.D. Vance look like an idiot for saying he wouldn’t, he pardoned or commuted all of the anti-constitutional actors of the Jan. 6 riots, including the most violent and those convicted of seditious conspiracy. There’s no clearer evidence of his disdain for the law and love of those who share that disdain in his favor. Has any Congressional Republican criticized the pardons? Does a bear fly in the sky? (New Republic: tinyurl.com/OKforthem)
This is the lesson to be learned from his pardons and commutations of the J6 criminals: The rule of law no longer applies. It impedes his agenda and he has no intention of following it. Now he has some 1,500 grateful foot soldiers ready to be the core he’ll call upon, to threaten lawmakers, federal and local. Scare them into falling into line. Fear worked during his two impeachments, even without an army of directed mobsters.
This time, the Proud Boys and their ilk, the “militias,” the racists and anti-Semites know they’ll not have prosecutions to worry about, whatever they do. They’ll be the core of Trump’s Gestapo, his SS, and he’ll use them to cow every Republican in office. Am I over the top? No. I got the message, is all. He made it clear: The era of constitutional government is over. It had a good run, though. Will any of those who voted for him care? Before the election, he couldn’t have made it clearer. They saw it and voted him in (Daily Beast: tinyurl.com/2Babovelaw).
Some 15,000 trans people are serving in the military, honorably. Trump has banned them. As usual, cruelty, not the best interests of anyone but himself, is the point. Same with his banning of further refugee admissions, which includes Afghan citizens and their families who aided Americans during the Afghanistan war.
Nor can I ignore the “my-chance-in-the-spotlight,” hyperbolic praise of Trump, the least religious, most un-Christian man ever to occupy the White House, by the inaugural clergy, including the rabbi, virtually anointing him God’s avatar on Earth. To any but the most besotted, Franklin Graham’s elegiac effusiveness and prayerful praise, barely short of equating Trump with God, was borborygmic. Next day, in his presence, a brave lady bishop preached love, charity and mercy. He’s demanding an apology (MSN: tinyurl.com/bishop4u). Too Christ-like, evidently. I can’t define “evil,” but I know it when I see it.
So let’s end happier: Importantly, people speculated about Melania’s hat. Some pointed to the similarity to the Pizza Hut logo; or the Hamburgler; or Spy vs. Spy (Yahoo!: tinyurl.com/hat4her). Clearly, though, the purpose was to fend off any attempt by Trump to kiss her. It mostly worked (EuroNews: tinyurl.com/block4kiss). So there’s that.
Also, far as I can tell, day one has passed. Did the war in Ukraine end?
Email Sid Schwab at columnsid@gmail.com.
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