Silly Me
Earlier today, on NPR, Mitt Romney, the sole Republican willing to say that what the President is (and has been) doing is "troubling," was asked why none of his Republican colleagues are speaking out against the President's words and actions. Paraphrasing, here's what he said:
"Power. Republicans control the White House and the Senate. They don't want to give up their power. Mitch McConnell, the Majority Level, gets to say which bills will and will not be heard. That's a lot of power."
My heart sank, in similar fashion to when I attended the Presidential Forum on Gun Safety. There, Democratic candidates for their party's nomination, one after another, confirmed that when the President says, "We need to pass laws on improved background checks," Wayne LaPierre, President of the NRA, tools into the Oval Office the next day. Wayne tells Donald, no, you're not going to pass laws on improved background checks, Donald says, oh, okay, I won't, and that's that.
When I'm at a table with friends and we're talking politics and the wine has been flowing, that's precisely the kind of thing I postulate. "I bet that NRA guy waltzes into the Donald's office, slaps him upside the head and says, 'Quit saying that shit about passing more background check laws!'"
Ha. Ha. Turns out that happens. Silly me.
And at that same table, when the chat turns to what I've labeled the Washington Weasels (the current iteration of Republicans who bear absolutely no resemblance to the Republicans I grew up watching), and we all wonder aloud why not ONE SINGLE ONE of the 252 people who took their respective oaths of office (referenced below) are willing to STAND UP. My measured opinion: "Those fuckers ran for office because they are power hungry. It's all about the power, not the service."
Ha. Ha. Turns out that's true. Silly me.
Senate oath of office: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
House of Representatives oath of office: “I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
Didja read that part about supporting and defending the Constitution? Huh. huh, huh?
Let's switch gears for a moment while I move away from the wine saturated table to the Parent Education table, where I spent many a year. A consistent topic across age groups was discipline. Bottom line critical messages: Children need clear and consistent rules, even when they say they do not. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Inappropriate actions merit appropriate consequences. There are more, but I've brought up the one which merits further conversation here as it relates to the occupant of the Oval Office.
Inappropriate actions merit appropriate consequences. So when the Mueller report did the two-step vis a vis because the U.S. Justice Department has a long standing policy that a sitting President cannot be indicted, POTUS did the Happy Dance not only in the Oval Office, but down the hallways of the White House to the residence.
HA HA HA. NO CONSEQUENCES. I CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT AND GET AWAY WITH IT. HA HA HA.
The VERY NEXT DAY he calls the President of the Ukraine and the White House released transcript shows that POTUS asked President Zelensky to investigate the Bidens (because polls show that the former Vice-President would defeat the current President in the 2020 elections).
"Power. Republicans control the White House and the Senate. They don't want to give up their power. Mitch McConnell, the Majority Level, gets to say which bills will and will not be heard. That's a lot of power."
My heart sank, in similar fashion to when I attended the Presidential Forum on Gun Safety. There, Democratic candidates for their party's nomination, one after another, confirmed that when the President says, "We need to pass laws on improved background checks," Wayne LaPierre, President of the NRA, tools into the Oval Office the next day. Wayne tells Donald, no, you're not going to pass laws on improved background checks, Donald says, oh, okay, I won't, and that's that.
When I'm at a table with friends and we're talking politics and the wine has been flowing, that's precisely the kind of thing I postulate. "I bet that NRA guy waltzes into the Donald's office, slaps him upside the head and says, 'Quit saying that shit about passing more background check laws!'"
Ha. Ha. Turns out that happens. Silly me.
And at that same table, when the chat turns to what I've labeled the Washington Weasels (the current iteration of Republicans who bear absolutely no resemblance to the Republicans I grew up watching), and we all wonder aloud why not ONE SINGLE ONE of the 252 people who took their respective oaths of office (referenced below) are willing to STAND UP. My measured opinion: "Those fuckers ran for office because they are power hungry. It's all about the power, not the service."
Ha. Ha. Turns out that's true. Silly me.
Senate oath of office: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
House of Representatives oath of office: “I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
Didja read that part about supporting and defending the Constitution? Huh. huh, huh?
Let's switch gears for a moment while I move away from the wine saturated table to the Parent Education table, where I spent many a year. A consistent topic across age groups was discipline. Bottom line critical messages: Children need clear and consistent rules, even when they say they do not. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Inappropriate actions merit appropriate consequences. There are more, but I've brought up the one which merits further conversation here as it relates to the occupant of the Oval Office.
Inappropriate actions merit appropriate consequences. So when the Mueller report did the two-step vis a vis because the U.S. Justice Department has a long standing policy that a sitting President cannot be indicted, POTUS did the Happy Dance not only in the Oval Office, but down the hallways of the White House to the residence.
HA HA HA. NO CONSEQUENCES. I CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT AND GET AWAY WITH IT. HA HA HA.
The VERY NEXT DAY he calls the President of the Ukraine and the White House released transcript shows that POTUS asked President Zelensky to investigate the Bidens (because polls show that the former Vice-President would defeat the current President in the 2020 elections).
I'm guessing that before and after, if not during the call, POTUS sang aloud, "Na na na boo boo. I can do whatever I want because Mueller said they can't indict me. Na na na boo boo."
You may scoff, but it appears I've been right a couple times before.
And here I was thinking that legislators and the President of the United States ("I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.") were actually going to be guided by their oaths of office!
Silly me.
Never mind that Lincoln called for a "...new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth." I fear that "the people," matter little, if at all to this GOP administration. They are, of course, led by a self centered, egotistical, self serving President who delights in propagating his own personal agenda. Trump has always been Trump; but, in years gone by it seems we had more elected members of Congress who were willing to stand up for "truth, and justice and the American way." Trump's self absorbed leadership ( I use the word loosely) style seems to have given permission for every other member of the GOP to revert to being "the worst version of themselves." What is that saying, "integrity is how you act when no one is watching??" Well, we are watching..."we the people." We still remember what it was like to be proud of our leadership. We still remember when leaders worked together, compromised, "agreed to disagree," and felt some sense of obligation to the people they represented. We won't forget, when we go to vote, that this is not the norm. The students from Parkland, FL won't forget the empty promises and insincere "thoughts and prayers" this administration handed out in place of meaningful legislation. The students fighting for legislation to save our planet won't forget. Even if students are too young to vote, they have parents who aren't...and grandparents, and aunts and uncles. Come next November, "we the people" will, to the best of OUR ability "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," in spite of POTUS and his gang of thieves!
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