(C) Newsweek
Have you ever engaged with someone who seems stuck on the "What if?" train? You know what I mean. Every time you say something, the other guy/gal says "But what if..." Or when you read something demonstrably false and you provide a link proving it is indeed false, but the response isn't "Gee, I was wrong, thanks for getting the facts out". Instead, you get a "But what if it is true?". I have addressed this issue before, but now that the Nunes Memo is out, it is patently obvious that the calculated strategy of the Trump White House is to always paint a picture filled with at least some doubt - just enough to derail arguments that use actual facts. For the guys playing fast and loose with the "Fake News" labels, it amazes me how many Trumplings refuse to acknowledge they have fallen victim to a very cynical (and unpatriotic) strategy. How is it "unpatriotic"? Allow me to explain.
Trump is not a moron. There, I said it. He is the President of the United States. There, I said that. And because he is President, he is rightfully under a microscope as required by the Constitution when it comes to Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances. (Article I). But Trump is a genius who has perfected playing the "Media Game." He knows he has a widely followed Propaganda machine in Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. He knows he can get his "message" out - at a level previously not either understood or fully appreciated by previous occupants of the Oval Office. Social Media allows him to "Speak directly to the people!" And Trumplings cheer this. But what if all he tweets are lies? The GOP media machine has allowed Trump to lash out with lies and distortions without any culpability for his dishonesty. This has all come about because Trump seeks to create a sort of "beyond a reasonable doubt" threshold for his wrongdoing. Even if the government can prove he is corrupt, will potential prosecutors be able to exceed the "beyond a reasonable doubt" question? By creating a wave of "What if's" and "What About's", Trump and his machine is manufacturing just that...doubt. Doubt of the institutions that serve the American People by investigating and prosecuting wrongdoers. Doubt that laws actually apply to everyone, including presidents. Why trust the prosecutors if they are corrupt? Or Politicized?
(www.vox.com/world/2017/10/19/16503050/trump-tweet-fbi-steele dossier; www.npr.org/2018/01/22/579209787/criminal-cabal-fbi-fears-political-attacks-may-imperil-work-of-field-agents; www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/1/16956290/nunes-memo-release-the-memo-fbi-russia).
To those that would casually dismiss criminality on a claim of "What if" or "What About" (despite actual facts proving otherwise), then society must question your patriotism. Unlike many others, I believe America will always win in the end. Why? Because no one is above the law (no matter how much one wants to mentally deny actual facts), Courts of Law do not play that game. For every move Trump and his Trumplings make, I trust Robert Mueller, et. al., will effectively respond. In the mean time, opposition can only be successful at the ballot box - and November will be here before we realize it.
As President James Madison once wrote; "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." No "What If's", "What About's" or doubts. Have a great week!
Trump is not a moron. There, I said it. He is the President of the United States. There, I said that. And because he is President, he is rightfully under a microscope as required by the Constitution when it comes to Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances. (Article I). But Trump is a genius who has perfected playing the "Media Game." He knows he has a widely followed Propaganda machine in Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. He knows he can get his "message" out - at a level previously not either understood or fully appreciated by previous occupants of the Oval Office. Social Media allows him to "Speak directly to the people!" And Trumplings cheer this. But what if all he tweets are lies? The GOP media machine has allowed Trump to lash out with lies and distortions without any culpability for his dishonesty. This has all come about because Trump seeks to create a sort of "beyond a reasonable doubt" threshold for his wrongdoing. Even if the government can prove he is corrupt, will potential prosecutors be able to exceed the "beyond a reasonable doubt" question? By creating a wave of "What if's" and "What About's", Trump and his machine is manufacturing just that...doubt. Doubt of the institutions that serve the American People by investigating and prosecuting wrongdoers. Doubt that laws actually apply to everyone, including presidents. Why trust the prosecutors if they are corrupt? Or Politicized?
(www.vox.com/world/2017/10/19/16503050/trump-tweet-fbi-steele dossier; www.npr.org/2018/01/22/579209787/criminal-cabal-fbi-fears-political-attacks-may-imperil-work-of-field-agents; www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/1/16956290/nunes-memo-release-the-memo-fbi-russia).
To those that would casually dismiss criminality on a claim of "What if" or "What About" (despite actual facts proving otherwise), then society must question your patriotism. Unlike many others, I believe America will always win in the end. Why? Because no one is above the law (no matter how much one wants to mentally deny actual facts), Courts of Law do not play that game. For every move Trump and his Trumplings make, I trust Robert Mueller, et. al., will effectively respond. In the mean time, opposition can only be successful at the ballot box - and November will be here before we realize it.
As President James Madison once wrote; "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." No "What If's", "What About's" or doubts. Have a great week!
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