Trump's Most Outrageous Tweet Yet
By Thom Hartmann A...
As the clash between Donald Trump and the courts deepened this weekend - the president took a dangerous new line of argument.
In a tweet slamming James Robart - the Seattle district court judge who blocked his Muslim ban - Trump more or less said that it'd be Robart's fault if a terrorist attack happens while the ban is on hold.
"Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril." he said, adding that "If something happens blame him [Robart] and court system. People pouring in. Bad!" There is no other way to describe what is going on here: the President of the United States, whether he realizes it or not, is now rooting for a terrorist attack because he thinks a terrorist attack would justify his extremely ill-advised policies and make his "enemies" look bad.
This is as dangerous as it is cynical.
But the bigger, more troubling question isn't whether Trump wants a terrorist attack to happen -- it's what he and his cabal of white nationalists and Islamophobes would do after one occurs (which hopefully it doesn't).
Trump and the people he's surrounded himself with -- people like Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, and Michael Flynn -- make Dick Cheney look like a peacenik.
They think America is locked in a death struggle with "Radical Islamic Extremism" - and they think that winning this death struggle is the only way to way to save "civilization".
There are a few surface level differences - but when it comes down to it - this apocalyptic vision really isn't all that different from the death cult that Hitler and the Nazis sold to the Germans during World War 2.
The Nazis - of course - were only able to realize their dark vision after they set up the burning of the Reichstag and thus gave Hitler the cover he needed to take total control of the German government.
So will history repeat itself with Trump?
The Nazi comparison is extreme, but arguably completely justified considering the nationalist ideas of the people in Trump's inner circle.
But you don't even need to go back as far back as the Nazis to find an example of right wingers using a national disaster as an excuse to put their dangerous ideas into practice.
The neocons in the Bush administration, you might remember, used 9/11 to convince the American public we needed to invade Iraq, something they'd been wanting to do for decades.
So, what does this all mean for Trump?
Will he and his administration turn a terrorist attack or something like it into a modern day version of the Reichstag fire?
And if so, what will they use that attack to justify?
Comments
#2
It is a real danger that a terrorist incident, real, exaggerated, or invented, will be used to justify an extra-constitutional state of emergency. The groundwork is being laid for this. The good sign is that some of the media are strking back at the falsehoods, particularly CNN, unlike during the Bush administration. But will they be able to stand up to be accused of being terrorist accomplices and forceably shut down in the name of national security. The bad sign is that the Republicans are making a Faustian bargain to get their agenda passed by enabling a neo-Fascist. It did not work for the ruling class in Germany in 1933, and it will not work for the ruling class in the US. By the time the state of emergency is proclaimed, it may be too late to reign him in. Perhaps we will be saved by Trump's incompetence. Perhaps the opposition won't get weak-kneed when confronted by accusations of endangering the country. However, I would not count on the Republicans to dump Trump unless he totally flames out. It will take a massive movement of non-violent resistance (more than computer clicks), and even then, the outcome is not certain. Watch out for violent inflitrators in protests inciting trouble as an excuse for a crack-down. It's an old FBI trick from the days of the Vietnam War protests.
#3
Judge Robart is in good company. Apparently, the main stream so called media has to be told how to do their job too. Trump's a TV personality. He knows about these things. Got his biggest role ever. Now, instead of "you're fired" it will be "I'm cutting your federal funds."
#4
As commander in chief, it s rational that Trump temporarily ban immigration from certain areas known to harbor Jihadist groups.
Let the courts of the land do their duty, but we of the 46 plus million who voted for Trump support his actions,.
ct
#5
Well, the 49 million of us who did not vote for Trump, but did vote, are wondering why 90 million of us did not bother to vote. Not voting does not seem rational to me.
#6
Take my word for it, the Trumpers are not "waiting" for a terrorist attack to happen...they are actively planning it. Thousands of innocent Americans will be killed, and there will be "absolutely, solid, irrefutable evidence" the terrorist attack was committed by the ISIS or whatever the Middle Eastern enemy country dejour happens to be at the time.
Undoubtedly, the dead will include "enemies" of the Trumpers; and I would not be at all surprised if happens September 11, 2017. The only question is "where?"
Anyone want to start a pool?
#7
Quote Old Kel:Well, the 49 million of us who did not vote for Trump, but did vote, are wondering why 90 million of us did not bother to vote. Not voting does not seem rational to me.
When you're forced to choose the lesser of two evils, sometimes the best choice is not to choose at all.
#8
The 90 million who changed history by not voting....and I'm feeling drained and swamped.
#9
Not to choose is a choice to let someone else choose...I can't make sense of it.
#10
Whether you voted for Trump, voted against him, or didn't vote, we are all in the same boat now. If the captain of the ship is a serial liar (or worse, delusional), and runs the ship into the rocks to avoid a mirage, then we are all sunk. Today he lied about the crime rate. He lied about the media ignoring terrorist attacks. He lied about the danger of Syrian refugees. His spokesperson made up a story about a "massacre" that never happened. He lied about protestors being paid. He lied about how many people were at his inauguration. Can we trust him to keep us safe? No way. We have to protect ourselves from this mad Caesar.
#11
I'll state the obvious - that those 'people' from the seven banned countries have been 'pouring in' for a long time, and a terrorist attack directed from a cell in one of those countries hasn't happened since, well, never. But suddenly we are in grave, grave danger if those people are let in. This is a typical Trump game - blame, distort, and fearmonger. I think Trump and his Rasputin sidekick would like nothing more than to see the ban overturned by the courts, and a major terror attack with a dirty bomb in a large city miraculously happen shortly after. That would give them all the excuse they need to impose near-martial law and attack some Muslim countries.
#12
I understand that after the Reichtag fire, Hitler stood in front of the Reichtag and addressed the crowd saying that god is on his side and will help him avenge this brutal act (He set up). This almost sounds like what happened in 2001. Didn't Bush say pretty much the same thing. IMHO we are being set up for another Reichtag event like Hitler perpetrated in 1933. What other proof do we need. We must act NOW and rid the world of Republicans forever. I am sick of their shit. The American terrorist "christians" must be taught a lesson. It seems like they are setting up another Civil War because they are still pissed that they lost in 1865. I have newsfor them. This time we will not only beat them but we will prosecute and hang all involved. Perhaps the "christian" terrorists believe that the rapture is right around the corner. I have news for them. If they start anything, their rapture will be at the end of a rope and they will be buried in pig shit.
#13
I'll say it again, it's all about oil, war for profit, and the madness of thirst for endless wealth....what else is there with these maniacs???...oh I almost forgot the fetish sex with young Russian girls! They'll use the next 911 hit ....probably a "dirty bomb"... to invade Iran.
Comey's FBI, and the CIA won't be able to hide the treason emails forever....my guess is that a Russian patriot will leak them.
#14
Never forget: According to The Cook Political Report, updated 1-3-17, Clinton won the popular vote 65,844,610 (48.20%) to Trump's 62,979,636 (46.10%). (Votes cast for other candidates: 7,804,213 -- 5.70%). http://cookpolitical.com/story/10174
Odd -- there are no statistics about the "three to five million" walking dead and "illegal" brown people who allegedly voted for that "wicked witch" anywhere in the entire database of the human species, except on the Pervert's little twitter.
Considering the opposite case, which cries out for a real honest-to-god investigation, if only we had the actual representative-democratic-republic of the People's Constitution that was promised to us and that would have honored fair elections and counted the seven million-plus mostly Democratic voters who were illegally purged and otherwise disenfranchised in the 2016 elections, then the Pretender to the Throne also would have lost the Electoral College by a similarly wide margin.
"Woe unto us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods?"
Since the Great and All Powerful Republican Party committed massive election fraud, and nobody in the gilded power structure at King's Landing can be bothered with such trifle, the wretched of the Earth shall now suffer the illegitimate Mad King, wandering the darkened corridors (looking for illusive light switches) of the White Castle in his golden pajamas by night while issuing stacks of absurd royal decrees by day, which he doesn't even bother to read, penned by the scruffy Hand of the King who schemes to resurrect the Holy Wars.
Such a poorly conceived script would be rejected by even a low-budget comedy troupe fallen on hard times. And yet, here we are, the captive audience in the "alternative facts" universe of Trump, Trump, Trump, rapid fire, splashy headlines, breaking news, 24/7.
"We have met the enemy and he is us."
Why would any terrorists bother to attack America when Republicans are doing the job for them?
#15
As a Canadian I can only wish we had a leader who put national security ahead of political correctness. Trump didn't put a ban on those seven countries, he just temporarily stopping people from entering the US for a few months until they can find a safe system to properly screen citizens from known trouble areas. Isn't the Presidents first priority national security.
#16
Kend: While I completely agree with your post I do believe President Trump should not publicly criticize a seated judge. There are other ways to make his point is a less direct manner. Everyone better understand quickly President Trump is a take no prisoners kind of guy. I see a tremendous opportunity here in creating an app that diverts President Trumps tweets to a pool of a half dozen of his advisors where it could be filtered, altered, or deleted before it became public.
BTW Thom. As you know, the first to mention Hitler loses the debate. Your constant intentional references to the aforementioned individual clearly proves that old saw is correct. Show some class.
#17
I find Trump's disrespect for the courts chilling. He is setting a bad example for the country and giving (a dog whistle) consent for other politicians to follow suit. The founders gave us three branches of government for a reason; it is a system of checks and balances, but the Right seems Hell-bent on tearing down all of our institutions so they can operate with impunity. Those who voted for Trump did so because they liked his brash style and were hoping he would challeng what is wrong (like the TPP), and not go around challenging what is good and best about our system.
#18
History serves as a warning beacon that we ignore at our peril:
http://lareviewofbooks.org/article/normalization-lesson-munich-post/
#19
I completely agree. Of course there will be some event that could trigger a war --especially if the administration is looking for an excuse. Trump as a "wartime president"! --Bannon can't wait.
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There are those who claim that once you mention Hitler, you've lost the argument. But I don't even think you can understand this current situation without understanding what happened in Germany in the 1930s. 9/11 could have been our Reichstag Fire, but fortunately our people snapped out of it just in time. However, we now face an administration that clearly wouldn't hesitate to create an event like this to solidify their power. We have to keep talking about it.