You know, it’s kind of sad that given the enormity of the
personal issues and legal issues lodged against Donald Trump, he seems to be
winning the “media game” by convincing a significant number of people that
Mueller, the DOJ, and the FBI are “out to get him”. As I mentioned in previous articles, if Trump
is nothing else, he is a pro at manipulating public opinion through the media.
The journalists that he castigates and calls bearers of “fake” news are
employed by the very institutions that deliver his oftentimes untruthful and outrageous
messages to the public. This is always at no expense to Trump, who continues to
be the “grand recipient” of these gratuitous grants of free air time that he cherishes
and exploits daily.
On the other hand, the Mueller team has been praised for
their quiet, “no leaks” handling of the so-called Russia Investigation.
However, in the media/public relations marathon, the “good quiet guys” at the
special counsel’s office, backed-up by the FBI and DOJ, have been losing the media
battle to the outspoken Trump media savvy brigade.
So, what has to happen in order to counter the Trump
brigade? First, if the authorities
uncover and make public irrefutable and verifiable evidence of Trump’s
complicity or guilt of some major infraction, that evidence would be something
that the public would find hard to deny.
In fact, the public would have
to accept these verified findings and
Trump’s unfair, lie-based, media assault on the intelligence community would grind
to a halt. However, that would require verified evidence that the investigators
either, may not have, or is unwilling to make public at this time. These types
of investigations are complex and oftentimes long.
Trump and his people
are still insisting that Mueller’s probe be terminated because Mueller “hasn’t
found anything” and the investigation is a “witch-hunt” and a “waste of time
and resources”. Such statements are obviously untrue because Mueller has
obtained several indictments and admissions of guilt by folks under oath. More findings and
indictments may well be “on-the-way”.
Secondly, it is “high-time” that someone representing the
Mueller side, blitzes the media with “true” information to counter the false
and misleading daily Trump talking points and lies. This could be a key
congressperson (or group of congresspersons) acting in capacities like Nunes,
Sanders, and Giuliani act for Trump and the Republicans.
The conniving Mr. Trump knows full well that the traditional
leaders on Capitol Hill are generally more gentlemanly (or more genteel) than
he is. They are image conscious and are always careful about how they act and
what they say publicly. Trump constantly exploits this difference in personal style
and apparently sees this as their deficit,
and his opportunity to ride
“roughshod” over them, like he successfully rode roughshod over his Republican
debate opponents during the 2016 Republican Campaign.
I would caution the Democrats to not “wallow in the dirt”
with Trump and his people. That would be a mistake. You will recall that this
tactic did not work out well for Marco Rubio. It just made him look like he was
“sinking" to the level of Mr. Trump. However, by carefully using this tactic
delivered by well-informed Mueller proponents, with discipline and decorum,
strategy has a good chance of successfully countering the usually lie-based
strategy of the Trumpians.
Thirdly, it is past time that we embarrass Trump’s fellow Republicans
into “pulling-him-back” when he makes outrageous statements and accusations that are patently misleading or
untrue. I know this would be hard task, because Trump acts more like a
dictatorial emperor, than a democratic president, so this would be a “long
shot” strategy. However, if the Republicans believe that their seats may be in
jeopardy by continuing to give Trump a pass, this strategy might work. In fact,
I was just informed that Senator Flake has just proposed this very “push-back”
strategy. He may be a little late, but I say, “Go for it”!
Trump has always used his staff, like Sean Spicer and Sarah
Sanders to peddle his lies to the public. He also uses congresspersons, like
Devin Nunes, to shamelessly do the same. Without a doubt, Trump’s goal is to creatively
sway public opinion in his favor, or at
least, to “plant doubt” in people’s minds as to the validity or fairness of
the Mueller investigation. Many journalists and others feel that this strategy
is actually working for Trump. I fear that many citizens are beginning to
believe that when Trump says outrageous things against the FBI, DOJ, or
Mueller, that these things may ring true
to them, because no Democrats regularly come out to refute the claims of Trump
and his people. Retired intelligence
officials like Brennan and Clapper denounce Trump and his questionable
practices whenever they get the opportunity. However, these men are now private
citizens and they don’t have regular access to the media like the Trump brigade,
and when they do speak out, Trump calls them liars, and remnants of the nefarious
intelligence community that seeks to “frame” him.
Trump has a history replete with unsubstantiated accusations,
deceit, and bullying. He has become successful using these methods. When Priebus
and Kelley reined him in for a bit, he became very uncomfortable and eventually
reverted to his old behavior. Their attempts to mold him into a president that
all Americans can be proud of has failed. We are not united as a nation and
Trump continues to fan the flames of division.
Over and over, Trump has demonstrated that he does not have
the same moral compass as the average American citizen. However, many still
flock to him, while others believe that if he has to throw American
institutions or American values “under the bus” to save his hide, he will. They
believe Trump is for Trump-period! However, he has always had this powerful Svengali-like
effect on many lower, middle income, and rural supporters. This Fifth Avenue
billionaire has managed to convince these people that he is like them, for them, and is the spokesperson and savior that
they’ve been dreaming of. They really believe that he will deliver them
from the evil “swamp creatures” on Capitol Hill. They don’t see the “con-man”
that others like former NYC Mayor Bloomberg sees. They see him as the missing
“political link” that they have been waiting a long time for.
Besides, bringing Trump to justice through indictment or
impeachment, the best anti-Trump strategy at present would be to counter his
lies with truth. Trump and his
emissaries must be regularly challenged. Challenge the Trump lies and misstatements at
the WH daily press briefings with Sanders. Challenge Trump when he parades
foreign dignitaries before us almost daily. Challenge Giuliani.
The concerned citizen can easily observe that Trump is
continually “playing all Americans all of the time”. He purposely uses his
“supporter-Americans”, as a buffer and a security blanket to shelter him against
those who would dare challenge him or rebuke him. His supporters are part of
his group of enablers. If they feel Trump is wronged, they will likely “raise
hell”, and it appears that’s what he
wants! He stokes their flames at his rallies. They restore his vigor. They
confirm his self-worth. In front of them, he is definitely somebody. He is a rich man with status and power that
will do what is necessary to maintain
his riches, status, and power.
In the alternate universe, in which many have suggested Trump
lives, he is determined that no government “losers”,
like Mueller or Rosenstein, will ever bring him down. He is determined to outsmart
them as he has outsmarted others all of his life. He has no choice but to
outsmart them because he knows he can
never prove his innocence in a court of law! However, he also knows that he is darn good at
muddying the waters, throwing shade, and manipulating public opinion. What he
cannot win in the courthouse, he feels he can win in the “court of public
opinion”. Is winning in the court of public opinion true justice if you know
you cannot win in a courtroom? For him, yes! Because, for DJ Trump,” justice is winning”, period!
The critical point that needs to be made at this time is
that the Trump issue has reached very serious proportions. Trump is trying to
win a case in the media that he cannot win in the courts. He is pulverizing our
brains with so many untruths that many folks are throwing up their hands and
giving up in frustration, saying “I don’t know what to believe. Let politics be
damned, I’m tired of it all!”
Why are we in such a delicate position here? First because
Trump’s enabler-Republican’s have, up to now, been too afraid to try to rein
him in. They are not standing up for civility, common sense, and truth. By
enabling Trump to trample over traditional American ideals and values they are
not only failing their constituents, they’re failing America! They are doing
this for a man who is so egotistical and narcissistic that he’s willing to destroy
the very fabric of our nation in an effort to obscure facts and recreate them
to fit his own selfish agenda. He desperately wants to shield himself from the
probable results of a valid serious investigation.
America, we’re basically
allowing one grossly flawed man to hijack the entire country as he has hijacked
the Republican Party, and he and Nunes have hijacked the House Intelligence
Committee. This is not fantasy. The hijackings
occurred right before our eyes, and we had better wake up!
This nation is divided and hurting because of Mr. Trump’s
destructive actions and his egotistical self-serving behavior. Enough is
enough! And enough of us see him for who he really is to intervene and demand change-through
the ballot box or the courtroom!
America can’t afford to have a silver-tongued man of
questionable character, purpose, and values subvert and destroy America under
the guise of saving it from the “swamp people” on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Trump, why do you propose to make an already great
country, great again? What are you
really saying? Will building a wall on
the southern border make your America great again? Will denying NFL players
their right to free speech and expression make your America great again? Will
silencing wronged women make your America great again? Will hiding your tax
returns make your America great again? Will resisting full and appropriate
sanctions against Russia make your America great again? Does hijacking the
House Intelligence Committee make your America great again? Does ducking and
dodging an interview with Mr. Mueller make your America great again? Does
prevarication and lack of information at the WH daily press briefings make your
America great again? Will …oh forget it!
To many, Trump appears to be destroying America from the
“inside”, while Vladimir Putin is hell-bent on destroying America from the
“outside”. We cannot continue to let Trump have the last misleading word. We must effectively counter his constant Trumpian
falsehoods, or risk his lies eventually morphing into truth in the minds of
unsuspecting Americans. This may well be the result that he is striving for!
