In The News: Ryan Murphy’s Writing This One (We’ve got Feuds, Crimes, and Horrors)
A Tiger and A Baby Squabbling in an On-Fire Garbage Can
On February 13th, President Donald Trump called Mitch McConnell a “very bitter guy”, said he was mentally unequipped to be a leader, and that McConnell “never had it.” This word vomit came when Trump was asked by a member of the press about McConnell’s vote against RFK Jr. for the position of Health and Human Services Secretary, a position for which RFK Jr. is wholly unqualified. Trump insisted on attributing the vote against the appointment from McConnell as a personal attack- according to him, McConnell wasn’t voting against RFK, he just wants Trump to lose. He also dismissed the possibility that McConnell could be motivated to vote on this particular cabinet position by his childhood experience with polio, stating he’s not even sure that happened.
What I love about this moment is that, on the face of it, doing everything in his power to ensure a President fails is not without precedent in the McConnell playbook, and there is a known frosty history between the former Senate Majority Leader and the newly reelected President from the impeachment trials. The likelihood that he has turned the ire he concentrated so mercilessly on President Obama onto a member of his own party is unlikely, which means we are left with a pathetic picture. Two addled men, who are supposed to be on the same side and have productive discussions on the most advantageous direction for the country over the course of the next four years, are squabbling in a manner that is barely a half-step above Blair Waldorf’s childish Gossip Girl Schemes. This is the kind of struggle Trump attracts, because he is an infantile man. I don’t want there to be any mistaking my meaning- I do not believe all Republicans are childish or evil or stupid. Trump has a unique ability to bring out the very worst of people, and some of those people might not have been great to begin with. When McConnell’s unpatriotic tendencies to tank a presidency come up against Trump’s ego (the only measuring stick in play when deciding if a policy/party member/politician/non-profit/judge/foreign leader, etc. is good or bad), the only loser is the American people. Also, you know, vaccines and common sense. Those are just casualties of the next competition to determine who is more petty and weird.
Lawsuit Jenga
In between all the headlines of the alarming things the Trump administration is doing in its first month, we get word of someone suing the Trump administration. Many of these lawsuits and restraining orders are targeting the executive orders ordering that federal workers be fired from their jobs. This week, The New York Times reported that a Federal Judge from the Washington District Court had paused a case brought against the administration by inspectors general who had been fired. According to the piece in the Times, The judge paused the case because of procedural errors, not because she does not intend to try the case. I admit to feeling the effects of burnout already, and we’re barely a month and a half into the year, but this case, out of many, stuck out to me (AP News has a full overview of all lawsuits against the administration and the executive orders if you are interested).
These inspectors oversaw many key departments, including Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, State, and the Small Business Administration. I believe Veterans Affairs oversight was also involved. The full caseload being brought to various districts against the Trump White House is climbing daily, but this group is suing to be reinstated and return to work immediately. Their arguments in favor of immediacy have been significantly weakened by the Judge, a Biden appointee, pausing the case until the t’s have been crossed and i’s have been dotted. These workers are not the only federal employees to lose their jobs suddenly, but the departments they oversee are particularly in immediate need of competent, experienced oversight. I’m not surprised that this president feels that a group of people intended to provide oversight and accountability are unnecessary to the political process, but they are vital especially when the departments are headed by alcoholic Fox News hosts and full time residents of the Q Anon Rabbit Hole. While I understand that the legal process has rules and procedures for a reason, I hope that those trying to keep the guardrails in place will face less hindrance for the sake of procedure. Procedure has not been an effective defense for the American People against Donald Trump, and while it is as valuable as our storied institutions, it is time to take a thorough look at which aspects of the rulebook do more harm than good when the chips are down.
A Plague Of Fascism
JD Vance spent Valentines Day making googly eyes at Germany’s far-right anti-immigrant AFD party, joining the party leaders in denouncing the use of “firewalls”. This is a political term that is popular in countries where there are mainstream and fringe parties, and the mainstream parties or majority of parties will not work with one party in particular. In Germany, the AFD party is facing a firewall. In America, the MAGA party got a Welcome Back sign and capitulation to power. Go figure.
While the AFD is shut out of party politics, they are in second place among voters, with 20%, heading into their election on the 23rd of February. France is facing a rise in far-right views as well. As this recent election cycle was bad news for incumbents, this kind of vocal support between countries for far-right extremism increases the likelihood that fascist subcultures and fringe movements will continue to embolden themselves and gain a foothold among voters as dissatisfaction grows. However, the guardrails seem to be stronger in Germany than in the US.
In his support of the party based in racism and fascism, JD Vance called the rejection of such values, and rejection of misinformation and disinformation, “Soviet-era,” saying that freedom of speech is dying across the globe. Top German officials rejected this out of hand, pointing out how stupid JD Vance sounds when he compares protecting democracy to authoritarian regimes. What a world it would be, if that was America’s response to the three clowns (one of whom we didn’t even elect!) holding court in the Oval Office, eating McDonalds and practicing their favorite hobby- firing people and diddling legal loopholes. It is possible to do so, I guess is my point. It’s possible to say no. We just didn’t take that option. Republicans didn’t take that option.
