Week of 05/20/2019

Democrat Complacency Is Failing America
– by David Matthews 2

In the 2016 movie “Captain America: Civil War”, billionaire hero Tony Stark meets Peter Parker for the first time and asks him why he does what he does as Spider-Man.  This incarnation of the classic Marvel hero flubs up the legendary line of “With great power comes great responsibility” which was crafted by the late Stan Lee, but he still manages to convey it in a unique way.

“When you can do the things that I can, but you don't, and then the bad things happen?  They happen because of you.”

This is certainly applicable to recent events.

It has been often said that America is either getting into or is already in a constitutional crisis thanks to Narcissist President Donald Trump and his cohorts in the fascistic and sociopathic GOP.  Except that those who are sounding the alarms now are far too late.

America has been in a constitutional crisis.  For quite some time, in fact.  It’s been this way when those in the GOP decided that they didn’t need to formally pass a budget, just string along a series of continual resolutions.  It’s been this way when those in the GOP decided government shutdowns and legislative stagnation should be standard operating procedure.  It’s been this way when those in the GOP decided they can choose who should be in the Supreme Court in opposition to everything in the Constitution.  It’s been this way when those in the GOP decided that the rules only apply to everyone else and not them.

All of these didn’t start when Narcissist Trump took over the White House.  It’s only gotten to the point to where he and his minions can flaunt their abuses of power without consequence.

But it didn’t get this way in a vacuum.

While the GOP has gone through two recent phases where they were one party in charge of everything, there have also been several periods when they weren’t.  And yet, they still were able to manipulate the system to get what they wanted.  Why?  Because those in the Democratic Party let them.

Twenty years ago, a sitting President of the United States was impeached for lying under oath about oral sex with an intern.  The party that raised the stink and pushed the investigation all the way to impeachment said that they did it because of the rule of law.  Even though they knew they wouldn’t get the conviction they wanted, they went through it anyway.

Today, a sitting President of the Untied States is accused of much serious charges.  A special investigation was held, a report filed, and some people even went to prison over it.  But the sitting President now claims “executive privilege” prevents the public from seeing it.  The same party that pushed for impeachment two decades ago – the GOP - now wants this to just go away.

And the Democrats?  Well, they could call for impeachment, like the GOP did two decades ago.  But they don’t want to.  House Speaker and perpetual fail Nancy Pelosi has made it clear on more than one occasions that she doesn’t like impeachment.  At all.  Ever.  And the rest of the Democratic fail machine are running lock-step with her.

Ignore a subpoena?  Oh the horror!  Fail to show up at congressional hearings?  Shame!  Declare a fake emergency to go around the constitutional authority of the Congress just to fund an ego-wall?  Shake fist!  Shake fist!

No, the horror and the shame belong to the Democrats for their self-imposed impotence.

Yes, Speaker Pelosi and her friends in the Dem-controlled House of Representatives could do more.  They could.  But they don’t.  Because they want to focus everything on their favorite subject... “the next election”.

The 2018 Mid-Term Hoax wasn’t even finished when people started looking ahead to the 2020 Presidential Fraud.  There are over twenty Democratic challengers and one GOP challenger to Narcissist Trump, and Pelosi and company just want to focus on that next election.  And it certainly helps them if Narcissist Trump and the GOP are seen as belligerent, abusive, aggressive, hate-filled, bigoted, amoral sociopaths and psychopaths.  That just makes their side look that much better.  Hell, Narcissist Trump makes Panama’s late dictator Manuel Noriega look like a Cub Scout!

That’s what it’s all about, folks.  Pelosi and her lackeys don’t want to impeach Narcissist Trump or do anything remotely resembling restoring those “checks and balances” that they love to talk about, because they can use the abusive GOP and their narcissistic self-appointed savior for their own elections.  Scare their own base to keep voting for them and keep them in office.

So, yeah, who cares of Narcissist Trump and his lackeys abuse their power and violate the Constitution and turn the rule of law into a joke?  All that matters for the Democrats is the “next election”!  It is always about that “next election”!  Always!

And I predict that even if the Democrats manage to unseat Narcissist Trump in 2020 and he doesn’t decide to behave like a certain former Panamanian dictator and actually leave in 2021, power-monger Pelosi and the rest of the Dem leadership will still do nothing about the abuses of power by the GOP.  Nothing at all.  Because, after all, there’s 2022 to consider.  And, after that, 2024.  And, after that, 2026.  And so on, and so on, and just keep upping the year by 2 and you get the picture.

Let’s get brutally honest here... for all that the GOP does, for all of their abuses, all of their violations, and all of their aggressions, the Democrats are guilty of complicity in those actions; for letting them happen for the sake of that “next election”.

That’s why the GOP love to say “both sides are at fault” in their endless fetish of negation through false equivalence.  Yes, the GOP are abusive thugs, but the Dems are guilty of letting it happen for the sake of that “next election”.  It has nothing to do with equivalence.  It has to do with them doing things and the other side doing nothing about it except complain.  And, while their actions are aggressive and abusive and even bigoted, the GOP are actually seen as doing something, as opposed to the Dems, who are afraid of taking a stand.  That’s why the tactic of waiting for that “next election” will often fail the Democrats.  The GOP are seen as doers, and the Dems are seen as a bunch of incompetent and impotent do-nothings.

The Democrats need to stop complaining about the GOP and start taking action when they can.  They have majority control of the House of Representatives.  So what if the GOP-controlled Senate kills your bill on the spot?  Let that be on them!  So what if the GOP-controlled Senate will not convict Narcissist Trump if he is impeached?  Let it be on them!  So what if the GOP causes the government to be shut down again?  Let it be on them!  Let them do nothing.  Then the tables will be turned on the GOP.  Then *they* will be seen as the impotent do-nothings.

Remember that line from “Civil War”.  “When you can do the things that I can, but you don't, and then the bad things happen?  They happen because of you.”  It may not be as simpler than “with great power comes great responsibility”, but it certainly makes things crystal clear.  If you have the ability to do what is right, and you don’t, and the wrong things happen, then it’s on you.