Trump and the Warping of Democratic Governance

[babylonsister]

https://politicalwire.com/2019/09/21/trump-and-the-warping-of-democratic-governance/

Trump and the Warping of Democratic Governance
September 21, 2019 at 10:29 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard

Dan Balz: “America’s democratic system, the world’s oldest, is said to be resilient, with institutions strong enough to defend against runaway actors and with checks and balances designed to prevent too much power from building up in any one place or with any one person. Earlier in Trump’s presidency, that appeared to be the case. Right now, however, that is in question.”

“When the president asserts executive privilege to prevent testimony before Congress by a private citizen who never was on the government payroll — as happened this past week when Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, appeared before the House Judiciary Committee — it is clear how much Trump is prepared to test his belief that his powers are unlimited. ‘I have the right to do whatever I want as president,’ Trump once said, and that appears to be the basis upon which he is operating.”

“Three years into his presidency, Trump has helped to reveal the weaknesses of the system. In the executive branch, and especially in the White House, there are few if any officials willing to challenge and check the president. To the extent that administration officials could do that, those who tried are gone. He has also demonstrated the degree to which Congress is dependent on a president who operates with some respect for the norms of the system created by the Founding Fathers.”

[Iliyah]

1. I hope sane Republicans prefer democracy . .

Alaska is the latest state to succumb to dictatorship . . .

[Newest Reality]

2. One could argue...

That this runaway train wreck called Trump is symptomatic of an underlying problem that belies the primacy of the polarization and divisiveness.

There is a fringe conspiracy group that pushes a "deep state" called Q. Some have heard of this. Now, I am bringing that up to make the point that that is pure propaganda and manipulation, plus it detracts from an underlying strata of this country.

We have a Military Industrial Complex and it is extremely powerful and hardly talked about. You have to look it up or listen to Eisenhower's speech or Kennedy's more subtle references to it. It has far more control now and barrels ahead with its own agenda that is merely covered over by what is largely a facade. That is not a point of conjecture or a mere conspiracy theory. The facts are there.

If we were flexible about it, we could at least consider the basis as Oligarchy, (there are other applicable terms) vs. our notions of democracy. That takes place often out of the limelight and the Koch Brothers are only one example of that.

When you change that perspective, you get a different idea of what fuels the more visible activity and Hegelian dialog of the binary system where the emphasis is always on right vs. left. That is co-opted by vested interests that even transcend mere lobbying and it is a powerful, stealthy coup in itself that thrives on distraction, secrecy and division.

To me, that is what contributes to this mess and the impending loss of democracy as we know it. If anything we will be left with a thin, chocolate shell on our Klondike Bar with the endgame being a shift, even globally, of total ownership by a small percentage of people which amounts to a Neo-Serfdom on a Feudal planet. Endgame!

[keithbvadu2]

3. Trump never wanted to lead or govern... He wants to rule.