State Of Play - Coup d'état

 

I can't seem to face up to the facts
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax
I can't sleep 'cause my bed's on fire
Don't touch me I'm a real live wire

Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est
Fa-fa-fa-fa... far better
Run, run, run… run, run, run away…

- from Psycho Killer by the Talking Heads
 
In the waning hours of the great Robber Baron/Trickster King’s reign… here in the land of the free… his desire to remain in power, increasingly consumes him. Even after one of the most scrutinized elections in modern history, the Trickster King is unrelenting. He pursues a victory he failed to achieve… a high honor the American people did not renew. Yet he imagines it, still within his grasp…
 
In his narcissism, the Trickster King is outraged at the injustice, the unmitigated gall of a world… his world… passing him by. The changing tide of fortune erodes the ground beneath his feet… even as political capital sifts through his fingers. He is enraged… because the election’s outcome wasn’t fair… in the eyes of the Trickster King.
 
During his reign, calculations of prophet and loss dictated decisions of State. His many grifts, recklessly enriched his personal fortune. Every move, from the open bribery scam, where “interested parties” booked every available room at Trump hotels, while not bothering to actually check in (emoluments clause be damned!), to the hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars paid for the security of his kids… every move, has turned a profit for the great Robber Baron/Trickster King’s empire.
 

  
Every enacted policy was designed to benefit his empire and/or the new corporate overlords (that he may be beholden to). His 2 trillion 2017 tax cuts, which accelerated the flow of wealth from the 99%, to the 1%, mostly benefited his (now our) corporate overlords. Case in point… the international shipping colossus, FedEx paid $1.5 billion in taxes in 2017, prior to the tax cut. The next year, FedEx owed nothing. Its effective tax rate had gone from 34 percent to (less than) zero.
  
Devoid of empathy, his policies were framed in populist jargon, all the while decimating existing policies designed to protect the American citizenry. His hollowing of agencies such as the EPA stripped public protections, betraying the environment while benefiting corporate adventurism. Even his accomplishments, like quickly getting those initial stimulus checks out, feels more like a bribe than a benefit.

After the election, the great Robber Baron/Trickster King’s grift turned to swindling his faithful supporters. In the Ironically named Stop the Steal campaign, the Trump syndicate raised $207.5 million since Election Day, most going to a new leadership PAC Trump formed in November. Trump’s fundraising scheme funneled the money to a new political organization created by the president: a leadership PAC called Save America PAC, a type of vehicle (popular with both parties on Capitol Hill) that is a slush fund, with little-to-no restrictions on how the money is spent.

Ominously, the Trickster King purged the pentagon of key staff, in favor of those loyal to either him, ex-lieutenant general Michael Flynn, and/or Q Anon. However, I can’t help but ask the question: Is trump pulling the strings… or is it Q Anon? Unshackled from his advisors, has he completely given himself over to an internet meme? Is the tail wagging the dog? Don’t even get me started on that conversation.

 

The other contingency measures that he took in the lead-up to the election, didn’t seem to be transactionally paying off. To date, at least 86 judges from across the political spectrum, including some appointed by Trump, have rejected one or more post-election lawsuits filed by Trump or his supporters. The SCOTUS twice rejected attempts by Trump’s allies to contest the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Delusional Desperation soon began to set in… the 11th hour phone call to Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger sounded like your basic goodfellas shakedown… “I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break.”
 
In the weeks leading up to electoral college confirmation of president-elect Joe Biden, the great Robber Baron/Trickster King had encouraged his paramilitary minions to converge on D.C.. He promised that the rally  would be “wild.” Incredibly, he kept his promise. During his rally in front of the White House on the morning of January 6, Trump “pulled the trigger” on his planned coup d'état. He was aided and abetted by Giuliani and Donald junior. Together, they incited his minions to move on the Capitol  building, for purposes of insurrection. His faithful paramilitary promptly sacked the Capitol… our Capitol… that hasn’t been sacked since the war of 1812.



This was the beginning of the promised “boogaloo” that White Supremacist factions have been waiting for…

Even as the Capitol was breached, the Trickster King tweeted that VP Pence “didn’t have the courage” to do what needed to be done. The shocking lack of security around the Capitol building, stinks to high heaven of a co-conspiracy. Unbelievingly, the Capitol police appeared to aid and abet the storming of the Capitol. It is not necessary to point out how other, more peaceful protests have been dealt with, in our near-past.

Like PKD's quote "the empire never ended" ...clearly, the Civil War never ended.

So it was that the great Robber Baron/Trickster King, in his megalomania, committed the treason that many knew him capable of.  He, at-last, openly incited the violent takeover of the legislative branch of the American government. He perpetrated traitorous acts, in his delusion, to maintain power. In the words of Billy Butcher… Diabolical!!!

So why did he do it? Why did the President of the United States incite insurrection? Is it because he fears incarceration once he leaves office? Given all the grifts he has brazenly pulled off, given all the crimes he has committed while under presidential immunity… given all the existing law suits and investigations being leveled at him and the Trump organization… fear of a long prison term, once he leaves office and loses presidential immunity, could be a motivation.



Is it his extreme narcissistic personality disorder? It is clear that the Trickster King is a megalomaniac. After he incited the mob to walk up Pennsylvania avenue on January 6th, hinting that he would join them, he instead snuck back into the Whitehouse. While watching his plot unfold on television, did he congratulate himself for how he duped his base? Did he chuckle at his cleverness? Wallow in his self-aggrandizement?
 
Amazingly…  outrageously… inconceivably… this is the political state of play of our times. As I have said before, the veneer of Democracy is paper thin. It is now clear that tyrants such as the great Robber Baron/Trickster King, can indeed destroy Democracy… at his whim… in his megalomania. 

Make no mistake, his actions are far worse than any alleged “Deep State” ...for he preys upon people’s fear of a deep state, to line his own pockets. He takes advantage of his faithful's confusion by appealing to their baser instincts, tricking them into doing his dirty work. He deceives his followers… those who he would call the cops on, if they dared show up in his neighborhood. 

Such are the events that we, as a democratic republic, may not be able to recover from.

The question is… what response? Should the 25th amendment be invoked? Should a second impeachment begin immediately? Should both be pursued? The great Robber Baron/Trickster King is clearly unfit to faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States. Nor does he have the capacity or the desire to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. He is a danger to our Nation, and likely to himself, as well. 

Regardless, the January 6th insurrection feels more like a beginning, than it does an ending. These are conundrums we are faced with. These are the riddles that must be answered… and quick. A con-man and a grifter is not the messiah promised by Q Anon… but then again, we knew the kind of guy he was before he took office...



We are vain and we are blind
I hate people when they're not polite

Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est
Fa-fa-fa-fa... far better
Run, run, run… run, run, run away…





State of Play

 Part 1   /   Part 3

Comments

Dennis/87 said…
Lordee, lordee! Trickster indeed, let us all have compassion for him. May we all send him some mantras, anger is no place to rest. Mindfulness is keen to replace anger with compassion. For the trickster is in need of good karma. To shine forth is key! 87
Garmr said…
I realize this might be a very inflammatory and dangerous thing to say at this point in the timeline, but Revolver is easily the best Beatles album.
Jack Heart said…
Garmr...

There is much that is inflammatory at this point in the time-line (which may not be linear). In fact, the post-truth world demands it. From here on out, it is difficult to know what to expect... after all... Tomorrow Never Knows.
Jack Heart said…
87...

God bless Trump! ...Quickly!!!
Garmr said…
The less evidence and corroboration the more angry you are required to get when challenged.
Jack Heart said…
Garmr...

My attorney and personal Guru, Dennis/87 recently suggested to me that Anger is best met with compassion, as a person's Anger is a result of their "working on their karma." The issues they (we) need to process, carries a Karmic residue that emerges as Anger. Nobody said it was going to be easy.
Kevin Kimmich said…
I found this blog via a google search to an article on philip K dick's concept of the "empire never ended". I thought that was a really insightful piece.... Then I went to the home page to see what else the blog had to say and found partisan dumbness like this.

The left/right quest for the "good guy team" is mouth breathing through two layers of covid masks stupid. The idea that Trump was a "bad guy" instead of an actor fronting for 98% of the same corporate and financial overlords as the "left" politics actors is low level consciousness. It's at least as dumb as wishing Trump was a "good guy" outsider who would drain the swamp.

After Trump's "presidency" it's easier than ever to see how much of a fraud the western world political system is. Trump's as much an actor and puppet as any left wing character on the stage. As far as I can tell, they're all owned and completely controlled. The more famous they are, the more controlled and fake they are.

Trump's base is actually more insightful and wise than the left/liberals as far as I can tell. Sure they were duped by orange judas, but so is every dumb lefty every day that buys their starbucks and plays with their slave made apple tech gizmos that track all their movements. Their corporate overlords pretend to give a crap about leftist religious ideas, then go in the board room and plot the destruction of the environment, families, etc... just as much as some oil company executive. They're all the same! Trump's MAGA base at least sniffed out that the government doesn't care about them at all, and has been selling them out for the past several decades. The left is still looking for salvation from this dystopian hell nanny state that's run by a bunch of scammers, grifters, murderers and thieves.

Failure to see the politics show as just one more scam in this scam based society doesn't seem to jibe with the article I read on Philip K Dick's ideas someone posted earlier.
Jack Heart said…
Kevin...

I am glad you found my article on PKD's "Empire" to be an insightful piece. Also, thanks for your comment. It is clear you have given much thought to it. It is always an intellectual risk to discuss Right/Left, or more broadly, Yin/Yang aspects of life on the planet of the apes. I accept you criticism on this piece. You make some salient, worldly points.

I would caution you to recognize that there are "layers" and "subtleties" to commentary on worldly affairs. Examine your own thinking and motivation, as I try to do in my op/ed commentary. I would point out that the gist of my article focuses on the grift being played on all of us, and on the pathology that is clearly being demonstrated.
Garmr said…
You think "MAGA" fans have escaped the media spectacle by becoming hyper fans of the single largest media spectacle? Politics is about fixing boring political problems which affect the daily lives of people around you. Such as dealing with the current pandemic sensibly. Instead of ignoring it or making it worse by protesting against simple public health measures. Such as dealing with the climate crisis with the seriousness it deserves. How anyone could argue for MAGA being anything other than a silly distraction for shallow people is beyond me.
Jack Heart said…
Garmr...

Silly, yet sly in a political sense. Speaking of media spectacle... it was noted that in the course of events unfolding on Jan. 6, in D.C.... Trump said that he "would be watching" his followers march on the Capitol, while Sen. Cruz expressed his concern for "viewers" during his objection speech on the Senate floor. Such rhetoric is more fitting for television ratings, than substantive debate.

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