Cartoonish Bellicosity

Since the repressive Kim regime of North Korea failed in its quest to conquer South Korea in the nineteen fifties, the dear leaders of North Korea have been cutting a comical figure with their braggadocio and bellicosity. It did not matter what you were talking about Kim Jong Un's father Kim Jong II always did it better than anyone else and disputing that was deadly if you were in North Korea. Furthermore, like a small yapping dog, Kim Jong II was always shouting absurd threats at South Korea, Japan, and the United States. Now we have his son and successor Kim Jong Un who is also shouting threats that would result in his own destruction if he tried to carry them out!  But it would be a serious mistake to dismiss Kim Jong Un as nothing more than the Pillsbury Doughboy with a bad haircut. The cost of a conventional war with North Korea would be staggering both in terms of human lives and resources, and there is a very good chance that nuclear weapons would come into play before such a war was over. Therein lies the rub. It is one thing to make absurd threats when you do not have the power to carry them out it is quite another thing to make those threats when people have to take them seriously.

Like the Kims, Donald Trump also cuts a comical figure with his outrageous braggadocio and bellicosity. The only reason people do not see him as a cartoon character with a bad haircut is because he controls the most powerful military in the world. This makes him a truly frightening force. He does not have the good sense to listen to career diplomats or historians who know anything about North Korea, or to the generals who are urging him to be cautious. So now we have two blustering, egotistical buffoons trading threats and insults that are likely to result in a tragic miscalculation. This is a terrible time to have an idiot as the President of the United States!

Alt Wrong

The first time I heard about the Alt Right was when I saw the title “Alt Right Comes To Washington” of a January/February article written for Politico by Ben Schreckinger. In that article Mr. Schreckinger warned us that a “new generation of nationalists sees a chance to ride Donald Trump's coat tails into the capital.” So why do I say Mr. Shreckinger's article was a warning? Because the people who identify themselves as Alt Right say they are working to protect or advance the rights and interests of White Americans, and many of them make no bones about promoting white nationalism. This racism makes the Alt Right Alt Wrong, and the fact that Stephen Miller and Stephen Bannon represent the Alt Right in the Trump Administration is a real and present danger to what our country stands for. Indeed it is at least in part the nativist aspects of the Alt Right agenda as reflected by Trump's stand on immigration and immigrants that have earned Trump the epithet of fascist!

One would think that a would be fascist style despot like Trump would try to increase the power and role of government, but in order to seize the power a despot craves he must first weaken the present government and all of the institutions that might check his ambitions. In this regard the traditional Republican demonization of government and the destructive pursuits of the Alt Right suit Trump's purposes. And to that end Trump talks about draining the swamp. What does Trump mean by Draining the swamp? Unfortunately, he does not mean getting rid of the corrupting influence of money or conflicts of interest that work against the interests of the hard working men and women of this country. What Trump means by draining the swamp is getting rid of the bureaucrats who do the work of the government and keep it functioning. In other words, Trump's swamp is what the Alt Right calls the deep state, and like the Alt Right Trump blames the deep state for everything. How dare they make the government work!

Far from objecting to Trump pissing in the swamp by appointing to head up sundry agencies and departments people such as Rick Perry and Tom Price who have vowed to destroy those very agencies and departments, the traditional Republicans such as Paul Ryan are actually applauding the destruction. Those Ryan Republicans object to the government regulating or restricting the oligopoly in any way.  They think the oligopoly should have the political power of an oligarchy.  Not surprisingly one of the things the traditional Republicans do object to is Trump giving to the Russian oligarchs the power and influence our oligarchs have spent so much money to obtain. The Traditional Republicans also object to the fact that the Trump administration is a rudderless ship constantly changing directions with no apparent coarse or destination. Indeed it is the ineptitude and inconsistencies of Trump and what passes for his management style that sets factions in the white house against each other and causes so many of the leaks Trump complains about.

The conditions under which Reince Priebus resigned make it appear as though the Bannon, Alt Right, faction has emerged victorious in this internecine warfare, but it is not that simple. Where do Jared and Ivanka fall? There are also the generals Trump is so fond of. Generals do not like disorder in the ranks, and they know the importance of well defined objectives and clear directives. General McMaster has come under attack from the far right for expelling Stephen Bannon and other conservatives from the national security staff and for advocating a responsible foreign policy, such as keeping the nuclear agreement with Iran. Since General McMasters also knows how dangerous Vladimir Putin is, Russia's trolls have joined in the attack on McMasters. At least for now Trump is facing some resistance from traditional Republicans who are reacting to his low approval rating, and he is trying to reassure those Republicans by supporting the adults in the room, the generals.  How long that will last is anyone's guess.