Dangerous Shambles

Donald Trump is an emotional toddler with diaper rash and nuclear weapons. If that does not scare the hell out of you nothing will! Trump's lack of intellectual curiosity and apparent inability to grasp anything more complex than what he considers to be an annoying rash of criticism touching him where it hurts has turned his Presidency into a dangerous shambles. He weaves and staggers unpredictably through what appears to him to be an almost incomprehensible maze of complex issues. In doing so he leans heavily and far too frequently on the badly worn schtick that still manages to entertain his base supporters. His apparent inability to foresee the consequences of any of this actions make it almost impossible for him to take the responsibilities of his office seriously. If you doubt this just take a look at the contradictory actions he is taking in regard to North Korea and Iran.

Here you have Trump trading middle school insults with Kim Jong Un and threatening North Korea with war because North Korea is developing nuclear weapons. The amazing thing is that Trump is actually doing this while trying to renege on an agreement that is preventing Iran from also developing nuclear weapons! And many Republicans, reflecting the moral and intellectual bankruptcy that has plagued that party for at least the last ten years, are actually praising Trump for decertifying Iran's compliance with the nuclear weapons agreement and thereby passing the fate of that agreement off to congress. Those Republicans say this is not a matter Trump abrogating his treaty making powers as President. Trump is merely recognizing congress as a coequal branch of government they say. Republicans who secretly agree with Rex Tillerson's characterization of Trump as a moron echo that thought with a wink and a nod, hoping that you and I will agree with the unstated thought that it is a good idea to let the adults in congress decide whether to violate the agreement with Iran by restoring the sanctions against Iran.

Unfortunately no one with a memory can or should trust a Republican congress with that task. How ironic it is that Senator Cotton[mouth], author of the absurd and illegal letter cautioning Ayatollah Khomeini not to negotiate with President Obama, should now be one of the senators saying that he is trying to find some solution that might serve as a salve for Trump's bad rash while leaving largely in tact the agreement that seems to irritate Trump so much. And please bear in mind that 47 Republican Senators violated the Logan Act and the separation of powers stated in the Constitution by signing that ridiculous letter.

While some Republicans, such as Senator Corker, are beginning to tell the truth about Trump's incompetence and the danger he poses to our country and the world, most Republicans are still functioning as a diaper occasionally irritating but always covering Trump's butt. Those Republicans actually applaud Trump as he acts like a jealous Egyptian Pharaoh who is trying to erase the name and all of the accomplishments of his predecessor regardless of how beneficial those accomplishments are. But be of good cheer. Do not worry about Trump destroying DACA or the Affordable Health Care Act. If he starts WWIII you won't need them!

How long will you suffer Trump and the Republican fools?   

Fiddler On The Green

Trump golfs while Puerto Ricans burn over the unseemly delay in delivering much needed aid to parts of the island in desperate need of food, drinking water, and power. I am sure I am not the only one analogizing Trump's golfing to Nero's fiddling while Rome was burning. But it is not just the optics that are so bad because the audio portion of this story is even more appalling. Furthermore, all of the insensitivity and incompetence fits into what has become a well established pattern of behavior.

In reporting on Trump's remarks following the first of three devastating hurricanes, Hurricane Harvey, the Washington Post commented on Trump's narcissism and lack of empathy as follows:

“‘Thank you, everybody,” the president said, sporting one of the white “USA” caps that are being sold on his campaign website for $40. “I just want to say: We love you. You are special. . . .  What a crowd. What a turnout.”

Yet again, Trump managed to turn attention on himself. His responses to the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey have been more focused on the power of the storm and his administration’s response than on the millions of Texans whose lives have been dramatically altered by the floodwaters.

He has talked favorably about the higher television ratings that come with hurricane coverage, predicted that he will soon be congratulating himself and used 16 exclamation points in 22 often breathless tweets about the storm. But as of late Tuesday afternoon, the president had yet to mention those killed, call on other Americans to help or directly encourage donations to relief organizations.”

Needless to say that Trump was widely criticized for the lack of empathy he displayed in regard to victims of Hurricane Harvey. So he responded to that criticism and to his dip in the polls by handing out sandwiches to victims of Hurricane Irma during his visit to Florida.  But in spite of his best effort to appear concerned about the suffering of the hurricane victims his tweets near that time still show a lack of genuine compassion.

Now we come to the worst: in spite of the fact that the damage to Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria is absolutely devastating, Puerto Rico has not received the same robust and effective response that Texas and Florida received after hurricanes Harvey and Irma. In an emotional statement to the press the Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulin Cruz, pleaded for help. Without specifically naming Trump she addressed the issue of the widely inadequate relief effort by saying, "[w]e are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency.”

Instead of acknowledging the dire situation in Puerto Rico and offering more support Trump took to twitter to insult Mayor Cruz by saying she showed “poor leadership” and that they, the Puerto Ricans, “...want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort.”

All I can say is congratulations to the bungler in chief! If this does not give the Trump chumps buyer's remorse nothing will.