Trumpy' path to Dictatorship.
It's clearly what he desires. He's an autocrat who's not comfortable with the idea that he has to follow orders from an entity outside of himself. He's been an autocrat all of his adult life. He's never crafted a relationship with others in which collaboration and cooperation are necessary to achieve an objective. He's been able to reverse decisions on a dime with little consideration of the consequences. The thousands of lawsuits that have been filed in court involving him is a testament to his belief that he is at the pinnacle of power and no one tells him what to do.
As chief executive, this past week's sequence of events shows that Trumpy is still living within his own world view, still of the belief that he's the sole master of his own destiny. He deeply resented being rejected by a handful of judges who had the temerity to legally deny Trumpy's impulse to go rogue. I submit that Trumpy was ONE decision away from declaring himself a dictator, and he may still have the moment in this current crisis to make that declaration. Indeed, he may already have done so. Acting above the law triggers the Constitutional crisis we all dread.
The federal judge in Washington issued a general ruling on the immigration ban that called for an immediate cessation of all activities associated with the immigration ban. First, Trumpy appeared to back down, but his decision to cancel several hundred visas AFTER the judicial ruling shows Trumpy's utter contempt for the Judicial Branch and designates himself as the one challenging the authority of the Courts. While, ostensibly, Trumpy complied with the part of the restraining order that told him to cease with his immigration order and gave the Courts the appearance of compliance, his backdoor canceling of visas shows a defiance to which the Court may not respond. Trumpy's contempt of the Court's decision was less open, but just as telling. He COULD be held in Contempt based upon his visa-canceling actions, but the Court will likely give him some wiggle room to save face.
But there is true danger in these woods. Trumpy and Bannon seem to be testing the waters, very early in his Administration, for further incursions into the Constitutional design of checks and balances. This first foray with the Courts can only be seen as a harbinger of a future event in which Trumpy will openly defy the Courts and declare himself above scrutiny. Based upon the ignorance, arrogance, and hubris of Trumpy and his closest advisors, and Trumpy's own personal and business history, the odds are that Trumpy will repeat his attempts at bullying the Courts, and he'll engage in multiple attempts UNTIL he decides to ignore the Courts altogether and declare himself to be above the law. Very soon, now, Trumpy WILL dare the Courts to charge him with Contempt, at which time other parts of government will be compelled to either act to defend the integrity of the Constitution, or to allow Trumpy's dictatorship to grow roots.
If my memory from those ancient Civics classes from decades ago still applies, the Justice Department must enforce a Court's Contempt of Court ruling. On this level, that would mean action from AG Sessions, who will NOT act as an independent arm of the Executive Branch. Sessions has too much to lose by enforcing a Contempt ruling against the Chief Executive. He'll cave if confronted with this kind of choice, and the Dictator will be protected.
The other possibility is that the GOP Congress might submit articles of impeachment given Trumpy's violation of his oath of office. But the GOP has few, if any, members in leadership who will surrender their power to protect the Constitution.
Both the Justice Department AND Congressional remedies for Trumpy's persistent and inevitable drive for Dictatorship are weak. There simply is not the political will at this time to deny Trumpy the powers he believes he deserves. Trumpy KNOWS this. And as the pathological, malevolent narcissist he is, he'll exploit the political weaknesses of his opposition and WILL openly defy the Courts. He WILL declare himself to be above the law, above the system of checks and balances embedded in the document he swore to uphold and protect.
That's where we're at, IMO, and that's what's coming up. Trumpy WILL dare the federal government to forcibly strip him of autocratic, dictatorial power. He's that dangerous, that demented. His motivations for doing so are more than an exercise in vanity, but that's a discussion for another time.
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