Don't yawn at Trump's 1st 100 days. Lies & corruption on a massive scale have set USA back for years

[kpete]

I had a man
Tell me things
Made me feel
Just like a queen
And I thought
He was the one
I would hold
Oh yes I did
But one day
I looked around
That old man
Was nowhere to be found
100 days for this heart to unfold

..............


3. The most dangerous president ever. Everyday citizens have taken heart -- and they should -- over the way that a hastily organized Resistance to Trump's policy has not only arisen so quickly but has used the remaining trappings of American democracy, such as the courts and lobbying wavering members of Congress, to stop the worst of it so far. The Muslim ban. The repeal of Obamacare. The war on our sanctuary cities.

There's just one problem. The Resistance has little ability -- none, really -- to thwart the most awsome power we've given to American presidents in the national security state that arose after World War II, which is the power to make war and peace. But mostly war. Trump is desperate for what he calls "wins." He hasn't learned very much these 98 days -- learning's not really his thing, if you know what I mean -- but his reckless and impulsive strike on Syria, his dropping of the Pretty Big One on Afghanistan, and now his brinksmanship with Pyongyang have shown him that large explosions can bring him instant adulation with the push of a button, just like the one he hits to get a fresh glass of Coke.

Think back through the history of authoritarian, strongman-type leaders -- and how many of them waged major wars. It's kind of what they do, in the end. The only way for a ruler like Trump to sustain the kind of nationalistic fervor that keeps him on top is by creating enemies -- and there comes a day when "Crooked Hillary" or the "dishonest" news media just isn't big enough. That is the day that I dread. The day when it won't matter so much whether moderate Republican House members support him on health care.

This is what we've learned in 100 days and 100 nights -- that one con man can so quickly break the heart of the American Experiment and crush the faith that it's taken 241 up-and-down years to build up. How many years with it take to build back the trust in our elections, our institutions, and the notion that we are a functioning democracy? Two years? Five? Ten? And here's the part that's even scarier. We're just talking now about the damage that a Trump presidency has caused in 100 days. Baring impeachment or the nuclear armageddon, there's a mind-boggling 1,361 days to go.



http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/It-may-take-years-to-undo-damage-from-Trumps-1st-100-days.html