The Legacy

America has set its life upon a cast and will now stand the hazard of the die.  As of today, most likely, Trump’s legacy will be that he sold out the United States of America, Ukraine, Europe, and Taiwan for his own personal benefit, and perhaps a nineteenth-century fantasy. 

That his threats to annex Panama and Greenland intentionally gave a murderous failing despot license for his invasion of Ukraine.  That he stood at a lectern in the Whitehouse and read from a script written at the direction of the murderous war criminal Netanyahu. That he sold out Ukraine in order to rescue the failing brutal war criminal despot that invaded it from failure.  That he ran a tech-oligarch protection racket using the power of his office, the heft of the United States.  That at least three hundred thousand Americans unnecessarily died from COVID because of lies he told. That, as President, he allied with right-wing armed militia groups to overturn a free and fair election.  That he twice allied with the American Taliban in order to get elected. That he was a self-anointed great businessman who in fact didn’t know the difference between an expense and an investment.  That he is completely amoral, simply incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. 

He will be remembered as a con man and liar the likes of which the world has never seen.  These are but some of the things known to date.  Yet, it seems unlikely that he will be able to con history.

If the nation survives Trump, and that’s a big if; he will leave behind a morally bankrupt Republican Party rife with kooks, conspiracy mongers and racist that sent too many of these kooks, conspiracy mongers and racists to Congress.  A craven lot of Republican politicians who kow-towed to him, to the American Taliban and the likes.  So slimy that they can never regain self respect nor the respect of their colleagues on either side of the aisle. Who, like Trump himself, will never take responsibility for the consequences of what he did with the help of their thoughts and prayers, and criminal acts.  Who must never again run for office.  A Republican Party that, rather than send their best and brightest, sent their slimiest and smarmiest who believed in neither governance nor democracy, law nor the constitution to Congress.  We now have a Republican Senate and House the likes of those of the 1890s owned by the trusts, and worse.. 

If the nation survives, again, a big if; for at least a generation and a half, many adolescent American boys and more than a few adult men will emulate the despicable bastard’s lying and bullying; be self-centered asses and aspire to think like a con artist.  The divisions he exacerbated within America will persist far longer than they would have otherwise. The stain and stench of him will persist even longer.  

The world will move farther and farther away from a shirking USA. From a United States of America that is behind to one farther and farther so until it is so far behind that it will never catch up. It will be a generation, maybe many, before former allies trust the United States of America again.  Trump’s two election wins exploited the darkest and dirtiest aspects of our society.  Elected, he, as a matter of policy promptly lied to and reneged on agreements with our neighbors and longtime allies; began cozying up to other despicables.

The self-anointed stable genius will be remembered as the president who denied climate change for his own political gain. What matters the world?  As the president who turned the Office of the President and much of the US government into a stupid reality TV show replete with writing, casting and directing all at his direction.  As a small minded mean petty man who used the power of the Office to punish anyone who dared thwart or contradict him.

• The legacy of his dreams

Trump’s alienating our neighbors, attempting to rename the Gulf of Mexico, and threatening to annex Greenland and Panama were stupid unless you are a con artist wannabe-emperor of pax americana — then, it is a plan.  A plan to realize a fantasy that he, Putin and Xi share. One to divvy up  the world.  Usually, it is midlife crisis men and adolescent boys who fantasize about being Napoleon on a white horse.  These are three septuagenarians.  Xi — would be a Ming or two and a Khan, at least.  Putin — wants to be as great as Peter, Catherine, and Ivan. Both their legacies will be that they tried to lead their nation backward in pursuit of eighteenth and fifteenth century fantasies.  Trump’s fantasy is to be emperor of a nineteenth-century empire consisting of all lands east of Xi’s and west of Putin’s; that this will be his legacy.  It was never about America.

This, in the twenty-first century during one of if not the greatest times of change ever!  It is doubtful that Napoleon, Catherine, Peter, Ivan or Ghengis Khan fantasized leading their countries backward to centuries past. 

• Best case 

As of today, it is still possible that enough Americans will wake up and say enough is enough.  That their doing so will wake up enough Republican voters to wake up enough Republican politicians to the danger Trump poses to the nation and the world before it is too late.  Senior military officers will en masse tell Pete Hegseth that he is unfit to serve under; to go get drunk and not bother coming back.  Senior Justice Department employees will en masse say that I will not follow you down that dark path and walk out.  Senior State Department officials  will say that I will not be a part of such schemes and walk out en masse. That senior officials throughout the other Cabinet Departments join these few patriotic souls. That enough Republican politicians in the House and Senate get the clue and begin immediately to work with Democrats to remove Trump from office and re-establish the rule of law, and check and balances; to save the nation.  That the House and the Senate make sure that President Vance understands that we are a nation of law and order, of checks and balances,  That such behavior as Trumps will not be tolerated.  Otherwise, he too will be booted the hell out.

Even then, in order for the nation to begin to get back on an even keel, Republicans have to start electing representatives who want to take a hand at governance, at making democracy work.  Send us no more of your ‘my way or the highway’, kooks and conspiracy mongers, please.  No more American Taliban, please.  No more ‘my way or the highway’ Tea Party or House Freedom Caucus regressives, please. Accept the reality that America is a multicultural nation, and that this is a great part of our strength.  That America can not go forward with a dominating religion, culture, or race.  (Army of god types like Sam Alito, Russell Voght, Lauren Boebert, Mike Flynn, Roger Stone, Marjorie Taylor Greene,and Mike Johnson would turn America into an Afghanistan).  That we can not progress by going backward.  That these attempts to take the nation backwards must stop. 

From the experience of having come so dangerously close to losing our democracy, we learn to more greatly appreciate it.   To better understand the role of government and its importance.  The importance of staying informed.  To embrace change.  To embrace science. Rather than continue to embarrass ourselves with our ignorance, do something about it. Agree that denial is stupid, serves no useful purpose.  That the only way forward is forward.  

We get our act together, reclaim our government and deal with our problems in a rational way. Act quickly to do all that we can to limit climate change.  Bring social media to rein (a la the European Union’s Digital Services Act).  Do whatever it takes to get a handle on artificial intelligence (AI) before it gets further out of hand. Act to assure a free and independent, fact-based and objective media.  Do all we can to alleviate all types and levels of disparity.  Enact laws and, if necessary, amend the Constitution as needed to prevent another demagog like Trump from ever attaining power again. Toss the unitary executive (imperial presidency) theory back into the trash bin from whence it came and expose all such  ideological rationalizations for what they are (fifty plus years of rationalizing such ideological crap is how we came to have a twisted puppy majority on the Supreme Court).  Begin to deal openly and honestly with the dark and dirty aspects of our society; to call out racism and bigotry every time they rear their ugly heads (today’s Republican Party is the consequence of pretending they were OK legitimate; of letting them fester).  Adopt a “we can make it work attitude.”  Acknowledge that the greatest threat to our nation is from within; from domestic terrorists such as the right-winged armed militia, the American Taliban, racism, disparity, and ignorance; and, the likes of the Tea Party and House Freedom Caucus.  Groups like the American Taliban, and the Tea party and the House Freedom Caucus have done far greater damage to the nation than the 9-11 terrorists.  Agree to end cultural politics — they do nothing but harm.  Forever free our politics and government from the influences of wealth and religion.  Hope and pray that the European Union steps up and takes over as world leader.

• Worst case

In a worst case scenario the United states of America loses its raison d’être, democracy.   Trump achieves dictatorial powers and oligarchs achieve state capture.  The eventual consequences of which would be collapsed impoverished and lawless former Trump, Russian and Chinese empires scattered about with miserable squalid remnants of walled in John Galt utopias in a desolate climate change racked world.  An Atwood world too dreadful for even her to contemplate.  

From “I can not tell a lie,” to Trump.