This whole Trump thing could become disaster

We are supposed to be alarmed that Russia "meddled in our democracy." The assumption is that we're all supposed to be shocked. Is "democracy" not a pillar of the whole U.S. ethos and system? So why, then, are Republicans like Devin Nunes so obstructionist when it comes to getting at the problem of Russian "interference?"
Doesn't it seem obvious to you? Why don't people speak more often of this? The Russian interference had the effect of enhancing Republican power. I won't say that it enhanced Republican ideals. That's because the true Republican philosophy, represented by people like Jeff Flake, is gentler than what the extreme types project. I have written before that this whole episode may turn out badly. So many reflect on Watergate and Nixon as if there's a presumption that the bad stuff will be wiped out. We remember Nixon flashing those victory signs (in irony) as he boarded the helicopter.
We as a nation allowed Nixon to depart with some air of civility. This is not what our current president wanted for James Comey - upon firing Comey, the president felt (as stated later) that the government should not have even helped him get back from the West Coast. Shockingly, the president apparently felt Comey should get back on his own dime.
President Ford talked about "our long national nightmare." The nightmare ended and in time, certainly with some fits and starts, normalcy drifted back, albeit with those WIN buttons ("whip inflation now"). We could all put ideology aside and assume that Gerald Ford was a fundamentally good person. We can make no such assumption about Donald Trump. Trump ought to have appointed a mainstream jurist to the Supreme Court. Instead he gravitates to the far right at all times.
Again I would suggest that the reason for this is obvious. He knows that the very committed right-wingers will "have his back" as the clouds form from the Mueller investigation. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. The far right has gained traction just from the sheer intensity of their commitment - their ideology. (But wait, what about tariffs?)
I am waiting and praying for this to end. We at least need a calm, decent and intelligent person as president. Mike Pence? There's a cloud over him in the sense that he likely "knows too much" or has heard too much during the shenanigans that led to the Mueller probe.
A good vice president would step into the role as president, as Ford did, as a steadying force who would just guide the rudder of state in a non-disruptive way. Merrick Garland would have been a fine Supreme Court justice. Regarding the "Russian meddling in our democracy," why should Republicans like Nunes care as long as the Russians have had the effect of lifting America's reactionary or far right forces?
The Republican Party has been in the unusual position of grabbing all components of government: the House, Senate and presidency. They pounded the table when campaigning about how they'd repeal Obamacare and replace it with "something better for all Americans." How hard are they now working on that?
I have stated that our current crisis may not have a happy ending. Put analysis with Watergate aside. My late father always said "analogies are dangerous." Our president might yet use his undeniable power to fire/pardon people and push the Russia investigation aside. There will be a tempest or uproar, naturally, but what if there's no real remedy? Ideally we should count on the Republicans to ensure that our basic American system or ideals survive. But look at Devin Nunes and others. Think of the power projected by Fox News and even Alex Jones. Nothing like that existed in Watergate times, at least nothing with that kind of power from the reactionary right.
Today the far right doesn't give an inch. The NRA pours money into Republican coffers. Those people don't flinch at all even when kids are murdered. We have this major hope for a "blue wave" in the mid-terms. But there is no guarantee that will happen. The Republicans seem to have a very effective game plan for shooting down progressives. They have very effective rhetoric, rhetoric that has become knee-jerk. I sit by as a spectator and am dumbfounded.
Why does our president refuse to come down hard on Putin or his regime? We hear little about what the likely reason is. We have already considered the help given by the Russians to the American right wing. Beyond that we should look at the fact Putin is white and he leads a white race of people. Trump is demonstrably racist going back to his background with his father. Trump is an obvious racist. He sows wild oats with his sexual behavior.
I have argued before that his sexual misadventures are the equivalent of prostitution. It's at a level that law enforcement doesn't deal with - law enforcement deals with street-level prostitution. The women with whom Trump has had dalliances get paid richly. They are paid for their "silence" but they are really being paid for sex. Would these women wish to have sex with Trump if he were not so well endowed financially, and such a schemer as to be sure these women get paid handsomely? It's concierge prostitution. The cops would load those women into the paddy wagon if this were street-level stuff.
Trump has been married multiple times. Compare his image relative to women, to that of Barack Obama, a truly classy person in his personal/family life. How low would Trump have to sink before the so-called "evangelicals" finally start expressing some skepticism? It is starting to look bad for the whole Christian faith. We need some strident voices rising up just to defend Christianity, here and now on the heels of Easter. (I celebrated Easter in my standard way by watching my "Life of Brian" DVD. "Always look on the bright side of life.")
I have tried to avoid calling the Republican Party the devil in America. I am inching closer to crossing that line. The president has the power of the military behind him. He's the commander in chief. There is immense potential for harm coming from this. If Trump gets like-minded generals around him, what might happen? Trump talks about sending troops to the Mexican border. Soldiers are not law enforcement professionals. As Tom Clancy once said on Larry King, "soldiers don't arrest people, soldiers kill people."
We have a judicial system that is supposed to keep everyone in line. The prevailing wisdom is "we have a government of laws and not of men." But what about this huge dangerous personality cult around Trump? "Make America great again."
What if the military gets carried away and there are not checks/balances? This is actually how coups happen. Coups work because no one can stand up to the military. The Confederate army in the U.S. Civil War invaded Pennsylvania in the Gettysburg campaign and simply took what they needed. It was called "requisitioning." Could the very foundation of the U.S. be wiped out? Could the U.S. erode and come apart in an atmosphere of crisis and conflict, with widespread death as a consequence?
World history has precedent for this. We assume we're more civilized now. But we have chosen to elect Donald Trump.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com